A National Jewish Book Award Winner
A Sydney Taylor Middle Grade Honor Book
On a spring morning, neighbors Valentina Kaplan and Oksana Savchenko wake up to an angry red sky. A reactor at the nuclear power plant where their fathers work a�" Chernobyl a�" has exploded. Soon, the two girls, whoa�TMve always been enemies, find themselves on a train bound for Leningrad to stay with Valentinaa�TMs estranged grandmother. In Leningrad, they begin to learn what it means to trust another person. Oksana must face the lies her parents told her all her life. Valentina must keep her grandmothera�TMs secret, one that could put all their lives in danger. And both of them discover something theya�TMve wished for: a best friend. But how far would you go to save your best frienda�TMs life? Would you risk your own?
Age Range: 9-12 | Grade Level: 4-7 | Lexile Measure: NA