The Blackbird Girls

 

The Blackbird Girls
Viking, 2020
340 pages
Grades 5-8
Historical Fiction
Anne Blankman

Alternating points of view tell the story of the worst nuclear power-plant disaster in world history: Chernobyl. Valentina waits for her father to return from his job working nights at the local nuclear power plant. She has learned to be very careful, as life is not easy for people of Jewish decent living in Soviet Ukraine in 1986. Her classmate, Oksana, also is waiting for her father to return. She has often bullied Valentina for her family's heritage, yet has family secrets of her own to keep. After the disaster, which the Soviet government is downplaying, Oksana's mother is unable to care for her and Valentina's mother puts them both on a train to Kiev to stay with a grandmother Valentina never knew she had. The girls travel together, adjust to their new lives, and forge a tentative friendship, despite the differences in their pasts. Meanwhile, other chapters relate the story of Rifka, as she flees her family home to escape the Germans during World War II and finds help in unexpected places. Eventually, the stories come together, creating a satisfying tale of disaster in a not-so-long ago time and place.

I have been meaning to read this book for a while, but just couldn't get to it. It was in my hands just as we started the quarantine in March and I couldn't face a book about Chernobyl, especially such a thick one. Finally, I cracked into it-and couldn't put it down! I thought the book would be more about the actual disaster, but it really is more of a historic account of the country's response to the disaster and how it specifically affected two young girls. Most books I read about Russia take place during the revolution or WWII. There is very little written about more modern Soviet life. I found this peak into 1980's Soviet culture fascinating, as it was the secret menace looming in my childhood. Serving many families who are recent immigrants from Russia, I am sure that this book will find an audience in my town. The miniseries Chernobyl that came out last year re-surged interest in the disaster and will attract readers. This account is approachable, exciting, and fascinating. Beyond the incredible events, it is, at its core, a friendship story that many young readers will relate to. I love the alternating points of view and the "Rifka" chapters. Readers will guess the identity of Rifka before she is revealed, yet it is still satisfying once all comes out into the open and all of the plot lines come together. Chapter headings make clear who is narrating and in which timeline. An overlooked piece of history in children's literature, who's time has come. Historical information and further resources are available at the back of the volume.