Grade 6 Historical Fiction Research: Stalin's USSR

'situation serious. Anarchy in the capital. Government paralyzed,'' read a telegram to Russian Czar Nicholas II, 1917. This telegram came too late for Nicholas to prevent the massive revolution that overthrew his dynasty that established the rule of the Communist Soviets in Russia. Under its leaders, Vladimir Lenin and Josef Stalin, the Communist government was repressive and violent. the government forced people out of their homes, created famines when it confiscated crops to pay for industrialization, and controlled all aspects of Russian life. Millions were executed or sent to work and die in forced labor camps. the Soviet Union supported the rise of Communism in Eastern Europe and elsewhere, engaged in a Cold War (1945-1991) against the United States and Western Europe, and changed world politics forever.

A Newbery Honor Book. Sasha Zaichik has known the laws of the Soviet Young Pioneers since the age of six: The Young Pioneer is devoted to Comrade Stalin, the Communist Party, and Communism. A Young Pioneer is a reliable comrade and always acts according to conscience. A Young Pioneer has a right to criticize shortcomings. But now that it is finally time to join the Young Pioneers, the day Sasha has awaited for so long, everything seems to go awry. He breaks a classmate's glasses with a snowball. He accidentally damages a bust of Stalin in the school hallway. And worst of all, his father, the best Communist he knows, was arrested just last night. This moving story of a ten-year-old boy's world shattering is masterful in its simplicity, powerful in its message, and heartbreaking in its plausibility. One ofHorn Book's Best Fiction Books of 2011

Old Babushka, known throughout all of Moskva for her beautifully painted eggs, is preparing her eggs for the Easter Festival when she takes in an injured goose. She names the goose Rechenka, and they live happily together until one day when Rechenka accidentally overturns a basket, breaking all of Babushka's lovingly crafted eggs. But the next morning Babushka has a surprise awaiting her in the basket. She cries: "A miracle!" It is one of many in this charmingly told tale of friendship and caring. With vibrant illustrations, Patricia Polacco has joyously re-created the flavor of Old Moscow and its festivals. The eggs, stunningly colored and intricately designed, are authentic reproductions of eggs painted in the Ukrainian style. Rechenka's Eggs is a timeless story of classic beauty.

Caterina and Pavel's wish for a child is fulfilled when the snowgirl Pavel makes in the yard comes alive.