The Blackbird Girls
Video review by Gabi
Parent Guide
Valentina and Oksana live in Chernobyl, where their fathers both work at the nuclear power plant. When a reactor explodes, the girls must flee to safety in Leningrad, where Valentina’s grandmother lives. Valentina’s mother and grandmother are estranged, and Oksana’s abusive father has taught her to hate Jews, but out of necessity, the girls must learn to trust one another. Told from the perspectives of Valentina, Oksana, and Valentina’s grandmother as a girl during the Holocaust, this award-winning book for our oldest readers is a fascinating page turner with serious content but an ultimately uplifting message of hope and love.
Parent Guide
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I really loved this book!
It’s about Valentina and Oksana, two girls who are enemies. After the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant explodes, they are forced to move to Leningrad to stay with Valentina’s grandmother who is a stranger to both girls. Neither of them are happy about it, but the power of friendship eventually shines through. This book was so good! I couldn’t put it down. I loved how it switched perspectives from Valentina, Oksana, and Rifka from 1941. It was a perfect story of friendship!