What do you think?
Rate this book
Escape From #1
De ramp van Tsjernobyl
Als de zestienjarige Yuri in de nacht van 26 april 1986 in de kerncentrale van Tsjernobyl aan het schoonmaken is, gaat er iets fout. Heel erg fout.
Even verderop wordt Alina ruw wakker geschud door een ontploffing. Samen met de rest van haar gezin moet ze vluchten, zo ver mogelijk bij het gevaar vandaan.
Sofiya's vader moet plots naar de kerncentrale om te proberen of hij het probleem kan oplossen. Sofiya blijft alleen achter en besluit om - tegen het advies van haar vader in - anderen te waarschuwen voor het gevaar van de straling.
De ramp van Tsjernobyl is het eerste deel in de spannende Escape!-serie van Andy Marino.
Even verderop wordt Alina ruw wakker geschud door een ontploffing. Samen met de rest van haar gezin moet ze vluchten, zo ver mogelijk bij het gevaar vandaan.
Sofiya's vader moet plots naar de kerncentrale om te proberen of hij het probleem kan oplossen. Sofiya blijft alleen achter en besluit om - tegen het advies van haar vader in - anderen te waarschuwen voor het gevaar van de straling.
De ramp van Tsjernobyl is het eerste deel in de spannende Escape!-serie van Andy Marino.
256 pages, Paperback
First published December 7, 2021
218 people are currently reading
1473 people want to read
About the author
Andy Marino
31 books251 followersAndy Marino was born in upstate New York, spent half his life in New York City, and now lives in the Hudson Valley. He is the author of seven novels for young readers, most recently THE PLOT TO KILL HITLER trilogy.
THE SEVEN VISITATIONS OF SYDNEY BURGESS is his first novel for adults.
THE SEVEN VISITATIONS OF SYDNEY BURGESS is his first novel for adults.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 160 reviews
December 28, 2024
"If a new criticality begins, if a new explosion damages the other three reactors, then the radiation spread could eventually kill every living and breathing thing on the planet. Chernobyl is no more, sir. Accept it. We must evacuate our people and contain the radiation. That is all we can do, and what we must do."
Escape From Chernobyl is a YA novel that follows a group of characters over the course of a single day, April 26, 1986, the day of the Chernobyl disaster at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant near the city of Pripyat in Ukraine. Chernobyl remains both the worst nuclear disaster and the costliest disaster in human history. Though I'll shortly be starting The Passenger by Cormac McCarthy, I won't finish it before the new year, making Escape From Chernobyl the last book I'll have read in 2025, and I'm happy to say I left the best for last.
Escape From Chernobyl is a wonderfully written book, filled with vibrant characters you can relate to. It's a touching, heartbreaking story that I found quite moving, and it's very maturely written for a YA book, both in its prose and in the very graphic scenes it contains. It may be written for a YA audience, but I wouldn't recommend it for readers younger than maybe fourteen due to the graphic content. Some have said this book is for "10+" but I would never give this book to a ten-year-old to read; it's too graphic and upsetting for readers of that age, in my opinion.
For me, however, the mature content made me like and appreciate the book even more. Also, after reading the Afterword by the author, watching the acclaimed Chernobyl HBO TV miniseries (I highly recommend it if you haven't seen it; it's fantastic), and doing my own research, I found the author did portray the events of Chernobyl accurately in this book (though he obviously took some liberties as this is a fictional story set in the context of the real Chernobyl disaster). He read several of the best books on the disaster and a book on 1980s Soviet culture for his research for this book, and to me it really shows.
Engrossing, gut-wrenching, and wonderfully written, Escape From Chernobyl brilliantly conveys the heartbreaking story of Soviet cover-up, neglect, and blind subservience to the Communist Party and Soviet State in spite of scientific evidence that made the Chernobyl disaster so much worse than it had to be, and tells the moving tale of its heroes, some of whom made the ultimate sacrifice to save millions of lives. It's the best book I read this year and over the past several years as well, and it's worth checking out if you're interested in the unforgettable story of Chernobyl.
Highly recommended!
4.5 stars
Escape From Chernobyl is a YA novel that follows a group of characters over the course of a single day, April 26, 1986, the day of the Chernobyl disaster at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant near the city of Pripyat in Ukraine. Chernobyl remains both the worst nuclear disaster and the costliest disaster in human history. Though I'll shortly be starting The Passenger by Cormac McCarthy, I won't finish it before the new year, making Escape From Chernobyl the last book I'll have read in 2025, and I'm happy to say I left the best for last.
Escape From Chernobyl is a wonderfully written book, filled with vibrant characters you can relate to. It's a touching, heartbreaking story that I found quite moving, and it's very maturely written for a YA book, both in its prose and in the very graphic scenes it contains. It may be written for a YA audience, but I wouldn't recommend it for readers younger than maybe fourteen due to the graphic content. Some have said this book is for "10+" but I would never give this book to a ten-year-old to read; it's too graphic and upsetting for readers of that age, in my opinion.
For me, however, the mature content made me like and appreciate the book even more. Also, after reading the Afterword by the author, watching the acclaimed Chernobyl HBO TV miniseries (I highly recommend it if you haven't seen it; it's fantastic), and doing my own research, I found the author did portray the events of Chernobyl accurately in this book (though he obviously took some liberties as this is a fictional story set in the context of the real Chernobyl disaster). He read several of the best books on the disaster and a book on 1980s Soviet culture for his research for this book, and to me it really shows.
Engrossing, gut-wrenching, and wonderfully written, Escape From Chernobyl brilliantly conveys the heartbreaking story of Soviet cover-up, neglect, and blind subservience to the Communist Party and Soviet State in spite of scientific evidence that made the Chernobyl disaster so much worse than it had to be, and tells the moving tale of its heroes, some of whom made the ultimate sacrifice to save millions of lives. It's the best book I read this year and over the past several years as well, and it's worth checking out if you're interested in the unforgettable story of Chernobyl.
Highly recommended!
4.5 stars
August 17, 2024
Uh, this was heartbreaking...good, but just...wow, the evil that was done.
Characters:
Yuri is an intern at Chernobyl, basically a glorified janitor at this point and he's fed up with it, but also doesn't want to leave because maybe someone will see how much he knows and take himself seriously.
Alina is Yuri's cousin who lives in Pripyat, the city built for those who work at Cheronbyl. She had anxiety that about drives her crazy at times, but she's a sweet girl.
Sofiya is the daughter of one of the head engineers, she's so sweet and her drive to warn people despite the risk to herself is beautiful.
The story also gives some chapters from Sofiya's dad's POV as well as Orlov, who is the director of the area Cheronbyl is in.
Language:
N/A
Romance:
Sneaking out to meet with each other is mentioned. Nothing more.
Overall:
This story is devastating. Heartbreaking. The characters are made up, but the catastrophe is not.
So many political powers had their hands in the pot after the explosion, all of them wanting nothing more than to advance themselves by making it seem like a minor issue. Meaning no one was evacuated until almost 2 days later. Everyone in Pripyat was barricaded in by the Russian military and long distance lines were cut.
KGB were sent in to monitor and make sure no one caused panic by leaking info on what was really going on a Cheronbyl.
So many people exposed to harmful leaves of radiation because of political gain.
It's heartbreaking.
The characters as I said aren't real, but there were people like them no doubt and that's the most heartbreaking thought of all.
Ages 10+
Characters:
Yuri is an intern at Chernobyl, basically a glorified janitor at this point and he's fed up with it, but also doesn't want to leave because maybe someone will see how much he knows and take himself seriously.
Alina is Yuri's cousin who lives in Pripyat, the city built for those who work at Cheronbyl. She had anxiety that about drives her crazy at times, but she's a sweet girl.
Sofiya is the daughter of one of the head engineers, she's so sweet and her drive to warn people despite the risk to herself is beautiful.
The story also gives some chapters from Sofiya's dad's POV as well as Orlov, who is the director of the area Cheronbyl is in.
Language:
N/A
Romance:
Sneaking out to meet with each other is mentioned. Nothing more.
Overall:
This story is devastating. Heartbreaking. The characters are made up, but the catastrophe is not.
So many political powers had their hands in the pot after the explosion, all of them wanting nothing more than to advance themselves by making it seem like a minor issue. Meaning no one was evacuated until almost 2 days later. Everyone in Pripyat was barricaded in by the Russian military and long distance lines were cut.
KGB were sent in to monitor and make sure no one caused panic by leaking info on what was really going on a Cheronbyl.
So many people exposed to harmful leaves of radiation because of political gain.
It's heartbreaking.
The characters as I said aren't real, but there were people like them no doubt and that's the most heartbreaking thought of all.
Ages 10+
May 14, 2024
Als de zestienjarige Joeri in de nacht van 26 april 1986 in de kerncentrale van Tsjernobyl aan het schoonmaken is, gaat er iets fout. Heel erg fout.
Even verderop wordt Alina ruw wakker geschud door een ontploffing. Samen met de rest van haar gezin moet ze vluchten, zo ver mogelijk bij het gevaar vandaan.
Sofiya’s vader moet plots naar de kerncentrale om te proberen of hij het probleem kan oplossen. Sofiya blijft alleen achter en besluit om – tegen het advies van haar vader in – anderen te waarschuwen voor het gevaar van de straling.
Dit verhaal begint meteen met de bewuste nacht op 26 april 1986. Je leest over Joeri die werkzaam is in de kerncentrale. Al gauw komt het verschrikkelijke moment en vindt de ontploffing plaats.
Dan lees je over Alina die op dat moment van de ontzettend harde knal wakker wordt. Kort daarna moet ze opeens met haar familie vluchten, dus ze voelt dat er iets heel erg mis is.
Tenslotte lees je dan nog vanuit Sofiya. Haar vader werkt ook in de kerncentrale, maar was op het moment van de ontploffing thuis. Nu moet hij opeens naar de ramp toe... Sofiya voelt ook dat er iets heel erg mis en probeert andere mensen te waarschuwen.
Dit verhaal was interessant omdat deze verschrikkelijke ramp echt heeft plaatsgevonden. Tot op de dag van vandaag blijf ik deze plek onheilspellend en duister vinden, dus dit verhaal vond ik boeiend om te lezen.
De personages zijn interessant, maar vooral Joeri sprak mij aan, omdat hij zich op dat moment in de kerncentrale bevindt en er dus zowat met zijn neus bovenop zit. Het is schokkend wat deze mensen allemaal hebben moeten meemaken en wat de uiteindelijke gevolgen voor alle andere inwoners zijn geweest.
Mocht je je interesseren in Tsjernobyl, dan moet je dit verhaal zeker lezen. Het is eigenlijk voor de jeugdige lezer geschreven, maar ook voor volwassenen was dit zeker wel interessant.
'De ramp van Tsjernobyl' is overigens het eerste deel in de Escape-serie en ik ben zeker benieuwd naar de andere delen.
Ik wil @kluitman heel erg bedanken voor deze verrassing!
Beoordeling: 3,5 ⭐️
Even verderop wordt Alina ruw wakker geschud door een ontploffing. Samen met de rest van haar gezin moet ze vluchten, zo ver mogelijk bij het gevaar vandaan.
Sofiya’s vader moet plots naar de kerncentrale om te proberen of hij het probleem kan oplossen. Sofiya blijft alleen achter en besluit om – tegen het advies van haar vader in – anderen te waarschuwen voor het gevaar van de straling.
Dit verhaal begint meteen met de bewuste nacht op 26 april 1986. Je leest over Joeri die werkzaam is in de kerncentrale. Al gauw komt het verschrikkelijke moment en vindt de ontploffing plaats.
Dan lees je over Alina die op dat moment van de ontzettend harde knal wakker wordt. Kort daarna moet ze opeens met haar familie vluchten, dus ze voelt dat er iets heel erg mis is.
Tenslotte lees je dan nog vanuit Sofiya. Haar vader werkt ook in de kerncentrale, maar was op het moment van de ontploffing thuis. Nu moet hij opeens naar de ramp toe... Sofiya voelt ook dat er iets heel erg mis en probeert andere mensen te waarschuwen.
Dit verhaal was interessant omdat deze verschrikkelijke ramp echt heeft plaatsgevonden. Tot op de dag van vandaag blijf ik deze plek onheilspellend en duister vinden, dus dit verhaal vond ik boeiend om te lezen.
De personages zijn interessant, maar vooral Joeri sprak mij aan, omdat hij zich op dat moment in de kerncentrale bevindt en er dus zowat met zijn neus bovenop zit. Het is schokkend wat deze mensen allemaal hebben moeten meemaken en wat de uiteindelijke gevolgen voor alle andere inwoners zijn geweest.
Mocht je je interesseren in Tsjernobyl, dan moet je dit verhaal zeker lezen. Het is eigenlijk voor de jeugdige lezer geschreven, maar ook voor volwassenen was dit zeker wel interessant.
'De ramp van Tsjernobyl' is overigens het eerste deel in de Escape-serie en ik ben zeker benieuwd naar de andere delen.
Ik wil @kluitman heel erg bedanken voor deze verrassing!
Beoordeling: 3,5 ⭐️
February 26, 2022
A high stakes historical fiction story that follows a few characters during the tragic explosion of Chernobyl.
March 1, 2024
It was very confusing and ending was not expected
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 5, 2024
This book reads like the author did *moderate* research about a subject he knew nothing about, and then crafted a children's fiction into this history he is now "knowledgeable" about.
So, if you're creating first person perspectives about this true event, you have to really be spot on with surrounding details. To be fair, the author does say that he took liberties with facts in order to make his story work. I just don't find that kosher when it's a book that could potentially be introducing kiddos to Chernobyl (or radiation/reactors/dosimeters), and then they take it as gospel.
The errors were relatively small, and the main focus of the book IS the plight of our shockingly mighty teenagers. Some examples:
-The location/access to the power plant is mangled.
-One of our leads has a home-made, handheld dosimeter from 1986. The fact that's it pocket-sized doesn't match with the way she uses it (looking down) and the way it works. It couldn't gauge how those exact radiation levels was with such rapid updates, as it does.
-The radiation release is addressed as alpha, beta, gamma, with no attention brought to the danger was in the gamma rays. Alpha and beta are particles. Careful with your lingo.
-The book acts as if people are noticing the radiation release because of a metallic taste/smell. This is a sign that you are suffering from radiation poisoning. I didn't like that the book made it seem like they were detecting radiation... even though it IS a sign of radiation, but you're already poisoned (at some level, which takes some time) by that point.
These aren't huge deals, and could easily be missed if you're not deeply looking into it. I doubt kiddos hang onto to those bits, and they're likely more interested in the main story. There is a decent amount of adventure drizzled into the sorrow that is Chernobyl, but at certain point it becomes TOO much of trying to add extra craziness. The situation was dire enough on its own.
Overall, I would send children toward non-fiction books for this particular subject. I like to make it clear that there are no reactors in the US (and other places, but I can't name specifics) designed like Chernobyl, so that situation is/was literally impossible in many other countries. I would like the details leading up to the accident to be laid out. ("Safety test". Sure.) Sometimes reading about incidents like this can make a child worry about it happening again. Providing the full spectrum of information is important.
So, if you're creating first person perspectives about this true event, you have to really be spot on with surrounding details. To be fair, the author does say that he took liberties with facts in order to make his story work. I just don't find that kosher when it's a book that could potentially be introducing kiddos to Chernobyl (or radiation/reactors/dosimeters), and then they take it as gospel.
The errors were relatively small, and the main focus of the book IS the plight of our shockingly mighty teenagers. Some examples:
-The location/access to the power plant is mangled.
-One of our leads has a home-made, handheld dosimeter from 1986. The fact that's it pocket-sized doesn't match with the way she uses it (looking down) and the way it works. It couldn't gauge how those exact radiation levels was with such rapid updates, as it does.
-The radiation release is addressed as alpha, beta, gamma, with no attention brought to the danger was in the gamma rays. Alpha and beta are particles. Careful with your lingo.
-The book acts as if people are noticing the radiation release because of a metallic taste/smell. This is a sign that you are suffering from radiation poisoning. I didn't like that the book made it seem like they were detecting radiation... even though it IS a sign of radiation, but you're already poisoned (at some level, which takes some time) by that point.
These aren't huge deals, and could easily be missed if you're not deeply looking into it. I doubt kiddos hang onto to those bits, and they're likely more interested in the main story. There is a decent amount of adventure drizzled into the sorrow that is Chernobyl, but at certain point it becomes TOO much of trying to add extra craziness. The situation was dire enough on its own.
Overall, I would send children toward non-fiction books for this particular subject. I like to make it clear that there are no reactors in the US (and other places, but I can't name specifics) designed like Chernobyl, so that situation is/was literally impossible in many other countries. I would like the details leading up to the accident to be laid out. ("Safety test". Sure.) Sometimes reading about incidents like this can make a child worry about it happening again. Providing the full spectrum of information is important.
April 30, 2022
We read this as a class read aloud, and I enjoyed this very much. This book chronicles the day of April 26th, the day of the Chernobyl disaster, through different character point of views. The one thing that would have been helpful would be for the chapters to be titled with the character whose POV is told during that chapter. This was a very informational historical fiction book with rigorous vocabulary and many opportunities for extended learning, research and discussions. I loved this tale, and the writing was quite captivating.
Note: The multiple, shifting POVs were difficult for the students to follow over such a long period of time. If reading this as a class, I would recommend reading daily and having students take doodle notes to record thinking, questions, connections, etc. I would, also, encourage opportunities to research the background and true stories of Chernobyl and the Soviet Union.
Note: The multiple, shifting POVs were difficult for the students to follow over such a long period of time. If reading this as a class, I would recommend reading daily and having students take doodle notes to record thinking, questions, connections, etc. I would, also, encourage opportunities to research the background and true stories of Chernobyl and the Soviet Union.
Read
March 9, 2022Good book.
May 27, 2025
It’s not bad but I think it’s an overly complicated plot for kids who don’t have any understanding of the disaster. You kind of need to know something about the Soviet Union and the events of Chernobyl before you can jump into this. A bit advanced for how long it is. Not bad at all. 3.3 stars
November 27, 2022
E ARC provided by Edelweiss
It's April of 1986 in Pripyat, USSR. Yuri, a young intern at the Chernobyl nuclear facility, is getting ready to work and talking to his uncle, who is a radio announcer. Yuri desperately wants to move up in the ranks of the atomschiki, the nuclear engineers who control the power plant, but doesn't understand the Soviet political structure enough to "play the game" the way his uncle suggests. It's especially confusing since his uncle spouts the party line on the radio, but lets Yuri's young cousins, Alina and Lev, listen to illegal radio programming with US music. Alina's friend, Sofiya, is the daugher of one of the engineers at the plant, and is also interested in Yuri. When a test of the facility goes wrong, her father is called into work. Since her mother recently passed away, Sofiya is left alone. The official announcements are that everything at the plant is okay, but there is something odd in the air. Things are even moe suspicious when Yakiv Kushnir, the deputy chairman of the Communist Party of Pripyat, shows up at Yuri's home with his son Fedir after Yuri has gone to the plant, and tells the family that they are to come with him immediately to Moscow or they will all die. The family hesitates, but give in, and are soon racing across the country in a state van. Yuri is trying to help contain the problem at the plant, but is repeatedly injured, and things look very, very bleak. When Alina and Lev realize that things have gone very badly back in their town, they decide to try to get back and rescue Sofiya and Yuri. This is, of course, an awful plan, but they manage to hail a driver who is willing to take them toward the nuclear explosion. Will they be able to save the people they love?
Strengths: This is a very much needed book about a horrific occurrence that many people don't know about. It's a fascinating topic, and Marino does an excellent job of portraying not only the survival aspects of the explosion, but manages to give a brief but riveting look into Soviet sociopolitical outlooks at the time, and plenty of details about the power plant and what exactly went wrong. I did enjoy the fact that there was a brief bibliography, and I will definitely let my readers know about the pictures of Chernobyl over the last 35 years that are available online, because that was a fascinating rabbit hole to enter. Definitely buying a copy, and if you are having a Scholastic book fair, see if you can get a carton of this title!
Weaknesses: I understand why, for the plot's sake, Alina decides to go back, but it seemed like a very bad idea and the ending was a bit too coincidental for my taste. Younger readers won't care.
What I really think: Definitely purchasing, although I am completely kerflummoxed as to why this well researched and well written title is only available in paperback and prebind. I would love to have a hardcover title of this!
It's April of 1986 in Pripyat, USSR. Yuri, a young intern at the Chernobyl nuclear facility, is getting ready to work and talking to his uncle, who is a radio announcer. Yuri desperately wants to move up in the ranks of the atomschiki, the nuclear engineers who control the power plant, but doesn't understand the Soviet political structure enough to "play the game" the way his uncle suggests. It's especially confusing since his uncle spouts the party line on the radio, but lets Yuri's young cousins, Alina and Lev, listen to illegal radio programming with US music. Alina's friend, Sofiya, is the daugher of one of the engineers at the plant, and is also interested in Yuri. When a test of the facility goes wrong, her father is called into work. Since her mother recently passed away, Sofiya is left alone. The official announcements are that everything at the plant is okay, but there is something odd in the air. Things are even moe suspicious when Yakiv Kushnir, the deputy chairman of the Communist Party of Pripyat, shows up at Yuri's home with his son Fedir after Yuri has gone to the plant, and tells the family that they are to come with him immediately to Moscow or they will all die. The family hesitates, but give in, and are soon racing across the country in a state van. Yuri is trying to help contain the problem at the plant, but is repeatedly injured, and things look very, very bleak. When Alina and Lev realize that things have gone very badly back in their town, they decide to try to get back and rescue Sofiya and Yuri. This is, of course, an awful plan, but they manage to hail a driver who is willing to take them toward the nuclear explosion. Will they be able to save the people they love?
Strengths: This is a very much needed book about a horrific occurrence that many people don't know about. It's a fascinating topic, and Marino does an excellent job of portraying not only the survival aspects of the explosion, but manages to give a brief but riveting look into Soviet sociopolitical outlooks at the time, and plenty of details about the power plant and what exactly went wrong. I did enjoy the fact that there was a brief bibliography, and I will definitely let my readers know about the pictures of Chernobyl over the last 35 years that are available online, because that was a fascinating rabbit hole to enter. Definitely buying a copy, and if you are having a Scholastic book fair, see if you can get a carton of this title!
Weaknesses: I understand why, for the plot's sake, Alina decides to go back, but it seemed like a very bad idea and the ending was a bit too coincidental for my taste. Younger readers won't care.
What I really think: Definitely purchasing, although I am completely kerflummoxed as to why this well researched and well written title is only available in paperback and prebind. I would love to have a hardcover title of this!
May 14, 2024
Alleen al de spraakmakende en angstaanjagende cover maakt me nieuwsgierig naar deze nieuwe YA van Uitgeverij Kluitman. Ik was ook nog eens de geluksvogel die werd verrast met een recensie-exemplaar, dank je wel. Op de cover zien we een foto van een gasmasker met een explosie van een kerncentrale in de reflectie van de bril van het gasmasker. Ik verwacht een meeslepend, actievol en super spannend verhaal.
Alina en haar broertje Lev wonen in Pripjat. Het is een van de grote nucleaire steden van de Sovjet-Unie. Hun neefje Joeri, die tijdelijk bij hen woont, werkt in de kerncentrale van Tsjernobyl als schoonmaker. Alina, Lev en ook Alina's beste vriendin Sofiya liggen rustig te slapen. De vader van Sofiya werkt als ingenieur in de centrale. Het lijkt een nacht zoals ieder ander. Dan ontploft plotsklaps reactor nummer 4. De straling verspreidt zich negen dagen lang over de gehele stad, die dan pas eindelijk wordt ingepakt. Voor deze jonge mensen, en de stad Pripjat, is dit het moment dat hun levens voorgoed veranderen.
Wat een pakkende, filmische en meeslepende schrijfstijl heeft Andy Marino. Het verhaal is echt vlot, krachtig en pakkend geschreven. Ondanks dat het boek rustig van start gaat, slaat het tempo, spanning en paniek snel toe op het moment dat reactor 4 plotsklaps in Pripjat tot ontploffing komt.
Het verhaal is geschreven vanuit drie verschillende personages. Joeri die op dat moment in de kerncentrale aan het werk is, Alina en haar broertje Lev, die vrij direct na de ontploffing mee de stad uit worden genomen en Sofiya, de beste vriendin van Alina waarvan haar vader als ingenieur werkzaam is op de kerncentrale. Hierdoor lees je het verhaal vanuit meerdere gezichtspunten en hun belevingen van die eerste dagen voor, tijdens en na de ontploffing. De personages zijn realistisch en erg sterk neergezet. Hun emoties en gevoelens zijn bijna tastbaar.
Het verhaal zit erg goed in elkaar, door de verschillende gezichtspunten en plaats van bevinden, ervaar je dat ieders beleving van deze gebeurtenis anders is. Net als zijn/haar manier van handelen. Doordat het sterke, liefdevolle en gewetensvolle mensen zijn grijpt het verhaal je des te meer aan. Het is een heftig en erg aangrijpend verhaal, dat niet voor iedereen een positieve afloop kent. Wel weet Andy Marino met een prachtig en intens epiloog vooruit in de tijd te springen. Hij weet het leven van een van de personages te beschrijven en hun terugblik op deze ingrijpende gebeurtenis. Hiermee wordt het verhaal dan nog met iets moois afgesloten.
De ramp van Tsjernobyl is een pakkende, filmische en meeslepende young adult. De personages zijn sterk, realistisch en met veel emotie en gevoel neergezet. Alle drie zijn het bewonderenswaardige personages en lees je de ramp van Tsernobyl uit drie verschillende gezichtspunten. Het is een heftig en aangrijpend verhaal, maar kent een mooie afsluiting. Ik ben diep onder de indruk van deze young adult.
Alina en haar broertje Lev wonen in Pripjat. Het is een van de grote nucleaire steden van de Sovjet-Unie. Hun neefje Joeri, die tijdelijk bij hen woont, werkt in de kerncentrale van Tsjernobyl als schoonmaker. Alina, Lev en ook Alina's beste vriendin Sofiya liggen rustig te slapen. De vader van Sofiya werkt als ingenieur in de centrale. Het lijkt een nacht zoals ieder ander. Dan ontploft plotsklaps reactor nummer 4. De straling verspreidt zich negen dagen lang over de gehele stad, die dan pas eindelijk wordt ingepakt. Voor deze jonge mensen, en de stad Pripjat, is dit het moment dat hun levens voorgoed veranderen.
Wat een pakkende, filmische en meeslepende schrijfstijl heeft Andy Marino. Het verhaal is echt vlot, krachtig en pakkend geschreven. Ondanks dat het boek rustig van start gaat, slaat het tempo, spanning en paniek snel toe op het moment dat reactor 4 plotsklaps in Pripjat tot ontploffing komt.
Het verhaal is geschreven vanuit drie verschillende personages. Joeri die op dat moment in de kerncentrale aan het werk is, Alina en haar broertje Lev, die vrij direct na de ontploffing mee de stad uit worden genomen en Sofiya, de beste vriendin van Alina waarvan haar vader als ingenieur werkzaam is op de kerncentrale. Hierdoor lees je het verhaal vanuit meerdere gezichtspunten en hun belevingen van die eerste dagen voor, tijdens en na de ontploffing. De personages zijn realistisch en erg sterk neergezet. Hun emoties en gevoelens zijn bijna tastbaar.
Het verhaal zit erg goed in elkaar, door de verschillende gezichtspunten en plaats van bevinden, ervaar je dat ieders beleving van deze gebeurtenis anders is. Net als zijn/haar manier van handelen. Doordat het sterke, liefdevolle en gewetensvolle mensen zijn grijpt het verhaal je des te meer aan. Het is een heftig en erg aangrijpend verhaal, dat niet voor iedereen een positieve afloop kent. Wel weet Andy Marino met een prachtig en intens epiloog vooruit in de tijd te springen. Hij weet het leven van een van de personages te beschrijven en hun terugblik op deze ingrijpende gebeurtenis. Hiermee wordt het verhaal dan nog met iets moois afgesloten.
De ramp van Tsjernobyl is een pakkende, filmische en meeslepende young adult. De personages zijn sterk, realistisch en met veel emotie en gevoel neergezet. Alle drie zijn het bewonderenswaardige personages en lees je de ramp van Tsernobyl uit drie verschillende gezichtspunten. Het is een heftig en aangrijpend verhaal, maar kent een mooie afsluiting. Ik ben diep onder de indruk van deze young adult.
April 30, 2024
Indrukwekkend, zo kan je dit boek wel noemen. Toen de ramp van Tsjernobyl gebeurde, was ik nog niet geboren. Mijn moeder vertelde weleens dat je in Nederland bepaalde wolken in de lucht zag na de ramp. Ik las later weleens verhalen van Tsjernobyl. En ergens blijft het mijn aandacht trekken. Toen ik hoorde dat dit boek uitkwam, was ik ook echt enthousiast.
De cover trekt mijn aandacht. Het masker, de weerspiegeling van een explosie in de glazen. De knalrode letters die van de cover springen. Het maakt mij nog nieuwsgieriger naar het verhaal.
Het verhaal wordt vanuit verschillende personages verteld, elke keer staat er duidelijk boven het hoofdstuk vanuit wie je leest.
Ook staat de tijd aangeduid.
Het boek is fijn geschreven. En is niet al te moeilijk. Ideaal dus voor de leeftijd vanaf 12 jaar.
Er waren momenten dat ik diep in het verhaal zat. En het me allemaal heel beeldend voor me zag. Alleen raakte ik er soms wel uit door de schuingedrukte woorden, dat waren (voor mij) onbekende woorden en daarvan staat de betekenis achterin het boek. Sommige momenten vond ik dit zo jammer, ik zat dan zo goed in het verhaal dat ik na het opzoeken van dat woord het echt weer even duurde voor ik er weer goed in zat.
Ik vind dit boek echt een aanrader. Het is leerzaam, spannend, indrukwekkend en laat ons weer even stilstaan bij de ramp van Tsjernobyl.
De cover trekt mijn aandacht. Het masker, de weerspiegeling van een explosie in de glazen. De knalrode letters die van de cover springen. Het maakt mij nog nieuwsgieriger naar het verhaal.
Het verhaal wordt vanuit verschillende personages verteld, elke keer staat er duidelijk boven het hoofdstuk vanuit wie je leest.
Ook staat de tijd aangeduid.
Het boek is fijn geschreven. En is niet al te moeilijk. Ideaal dus voor de leeftijd vanaf 12 jaar.
Er waren momenten dat ik diep in het verhaal zat. En het me allemaal heel beeldend voor me zag. Alleen raakte ik er soms wel uit door de schuingedrukte woorden, dat waren (voor mij) onbekende woorden en daarvan staat de betekenis achterin het boek. Sommige momenten vond ik dit zo jammer, ik zat dan zo goed in het verhaal dat ik na het opzoeken van dat woord het echt weer even duurde voor ik er weer goed in zat.
Ik vind dit boek echt een aanrader. Het is leerzaam, spannend, indrukwekkend en laat ons weer even stilstaan bij de ramp van Tsjernobyl.
October 26, 2022
Marino always does an excellent job with historical-fiction. This is no exception. All ages from adult to YA can gain insight from this book. The authors note at the end of the book is a wonderful addition especially since, in reading this book, I now want to learn more about this horrible event.
January 3, 2025
Recommended by our 11 year old. This exciting and terrifying story tells of several children's (fictional) experiences during the nuclear explosion of reactor 4, and gives some detail on the corrupt workings of the Communist government. It got somewhat over the top at the end -- but has piqued our interest in finding out more about this terrible event.
July 20, 2025
Boektoppers 2025-2026
Score: 3.5
Goed boek voor tieners die van geschiedenis en wetenschappen houden. Het verhaal was spannend en goed opgebouwd.
De wisselende vertelperspectieven waren soms wel verwarrend. Ook was het einde ongeloofwaardig.
Score: 3.5
Goed boek voor tieners die van geschiedenis en wetenschappen houden. Het verhaal was spannend en goed opgebouwd.
De wisselende vertelperspectieven waren soms wel verwarrend. Ook was het einde ongeloofwaardig.
July 24, 2024
I knew that would be a fast easy read. I do not know a lot about Chernobyl. It was told from the view of 3 different storylines all interrelated. I really enjoyed it and might look for some other books about the disaster.
July 12, 2025
Wow. Such good writing and I’m honestly a little sad these characters aren’t real. This is a super cool way to tell this story.
January 13, 2022
I love historical fiction so it was easy for me to like this book. The author did a good job describing the details of this terrible event in detail without being too graphic for a younger reader. I'd say this is appropriate for grades 4th and higher. I had recently watched the HBO mini series on this event and was impressed with the details and accuracy. I did not love the present-tense story telling.
December 14, 2021
First sentence: Yuri Fomichev picks a wooden splinter from his palm.
Premise/plot: For those who enjoy reading about historical disasters--and yes, 1986 is history--Andy Marino's newest book is Escape from Chernobyl. There are a handful of young narrators--Yuri, Alina and Lev, Sofiya--that provide an up close perspective of the disaster as it unfolds hour by hour. [Yuri is cousins with Alina and Lev. He is currently living with them. Sofiya is a neighbor in the same building. She and Yuri are crushing on each other.] All are living WAY too close to the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant on the fateful day--April 26, 1986.
My thoughts: One word: BLEAK. You might be saying WHAT WERE YOU EXPECTING???? True, all true. I have no one but myself to blame. I checked it out from the library. I started reading. I got hooked and had to keep turning pages.
This one is fiction. Don't be fooled by the epilogue where one of the character is catching readers up to the modern day.
Earlier this year, I read Meltdown which was about another nuclear disaster. That one was nonfiction--and awesome. Part of me wishes I'd read a middle grade appropriate nonfiction title on the subject instead. Or perhaps I just wish that they'd been fewer narrators? I don't know. This one was definitely one that I had to finish after I started it. But honestly it's feeling more like an almost for me.
But for readers--and there definitely are readers of all ages--who LOVE reading about disasters, this one is worth considering.
Premise/plot: For those who enjoy reading about historical disasters--and yes, 1986 is history--Andy Marino's newest book is Escape from Chernobyl. There are a handful of young narrators--Yuri, Alina and Lev, Sofiya--that provide an up close perspective of the disaster as it unfolds hour by hour. [Yuri is cousins with Alina and Lev. He is currently living with them. Sofiya is a neighbor in the same building. She and Yuri are crushing on each other.] All are living WAY too close to the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant on the fateful day--April 26, 1986.
My thoughts: One word: BLEAK. You might be saying WHAT WERE YOU EXPECTING???? True, all true. I have no one but myself to blame. I checked it out from the library. I started reading. I got hooked and had to keep turning pages.
This one is fiction. Don't be fooled by the epilogue where one of the character is catching readers up to the modern day.
Earlier this year, I read Meltdown which was about another nuclear disaster. That one was nonfiction--and awesome. Part of me wishes I'd read a middle grade appropriate nonfiction title on the subject instead. Or perhaps I just wish that they'd been fewer narrators? I don't know. This one was definitely one that I had to finish after I started it. But honestly it's feeling more like an almost for me.
But for readers--and there definitely are readers of all ages--who LOVE reading about disasters, this one is worth considering.
January 23, 2025
Fascinating.
May 16, 2024
De ramp van Tsjernobyl gebeurde 38 jaar geleden op 26 april 1986. Het is tot nu toe de grootste kernramp die ooit gebeurde en het heeft het leven van vele mensen gekost. Andy Marino heeft over de kernramp een spannende Young Adult geschreven binnen een nieuwe serie van Kluitman: Escape!
In dit boek wordt de ramp vanuit verschillende perspectieven belicht. Zo zijn er broer en zus Alina en Lev die tijdens de ramp liggen te slapen. Ze worden wakker van een aantal knallen en vanuit het raam kunnen ze een lichtstraal vanuit de kerncentrale zien. Hun familie slaat op de vlucht en Alina heeft direct door dat er iets mis is. Hun zestienjarige neef Joeri is op dat moment aan het werk in de kerncentrale. Hij heeft een studiebeurs gekregen om als een van de weinige jonge mensen te mogen werken/studeren in de afgesloten kerncentrale. Echter bestaat het werk van Joeri uit dingen monteren en het schoonmaken van vreemde goedjes in de lange gangen. Alina’s beste vriendin Sofiya ligt ook in bed als ze wakker schrikt van een knal. Haar vader is ingenieur en moet naar de kerncentrale toe om het probleem te helpen oplossen.
Vanuit deze drie perspectieven, en ook nog vanuit het perspectief van de vader van Sofiya, lees je hoe de kernramp heeft kunnen gebeuren en welke effecten dit heeft op de mensen in de nabije omgeving. Tsjernobyl is op dat moment nog een onderdeel van de Sovjet-Unie en de staat wil er alles aan doen om dit zo snel mogelijk op te lossen en het in de doofpot te stoppen. Niet iedereen is het daarmee eens en ook beseffen er mensen dat deze explosie behoorlijk gevaarlijk kan zijn.
Andy Marino is er in geslaagd om een spannend verhaal neer te zetten, gebaseerd op de waargebeurde gebeurtenis. De angst, de onmacht en het ongeloof worden door Andy goed beschreven en het is soms schokkend om te lezen hoe bepaalde mensen over de ramp dachten en hoe ermee werd omgegaan. De personages die aan bod komen worden steeds bovenaan het hoofdstuk aangeduid. Ook staat er steeds de datum en de tijd boven het hoofdstuk. Dit is erg prettig.
Alle personages zijn interessant en hebben op een andere manier met de ramp te maken, maar het perspectief van Joeri is misschien wel het interessantst. Hij is op het moment van de ramp aanwezig in de kerncentrale en dit geeft een schokkend beeld weer. Andy Marino heeft een prettige schrijfstijl, niet al te moeilijk en is daarom zeker geschikt om te lezen voor jongeren vanaf 12 jaar. Er wordt gebruik gemaakt van Russische uitdrukkingen en bewoording, maar deze worden achterin het boek uitgelegd. Dit zorgt er soms wel voor dat je uit het verhaal wordt getrokken. Het verhaal leest, dat erbuiten gelaten, erg vlot. De spanning wordt goed opgebouwd, maar is niet té spannend voor de jonge lezer.
De ramp van Tsjernobyl is een interessant en spannend verhaal over de kernramp die plaatsvond. Het boek is zeker een aanrader om te lezen als je geïnteresseerd bent in deze ramp of gewoon een spannend verhaal wilt lezen.
Bedankt Kluitman voor dit leesexemplaar!
In dit boek wordt de ramp vanuit verschillende perspectieven belicht. Zo zijn er broer en zus Alina en Lev die tijdens de ramp liggen te slapen. Ze worden wakker van een aantal knallen en vanuit het raam kunnen ze een lichtstraal vanuit de kerncentrale zien. Hun familie slaat op de vlucht en Alina heeft direct door dat er iets mis is. Hun zestienjarige neef Joeri is op dat moment aan het werk in de kerncentrale. Hij heeft een studiebeurs gekregen om als een van de weinige jonge mensen te mogen werken/studeren in de afgesloten kerncentrale. Echter bestaat het werk van Joeri uit dingen monteren en het schoonmaken van vreemde goedjes in de lange gangen. Alina’s beste vriendin Sofiya ligt ook in bed als ze wakker schrikt van een knal. Haar vader is ingenieur en moet naar de kerncentrale toe om het probleem te helpen oplossen.
Vanuit deze drie perspectieven, en ook nog vanuit het perspectief van de vader van Sofiya, lees je hoe de kernramp heeft kunnen gebeuren en welke effecten dit heeft op de mensen in de nabije omgeving. Tsjernobyl is op dat moment nog een onderdeel van de Sovjet-Unie en de staat wil er alles aan doen om dit zo snel mogelijk op te lossen en het in de doofpot te stoppen. Niet iedereen is het daarmee eens en ook beseffen er mensen dat deze explosie behoorlijk gevaarlijk kan zijn.
Andy Marino is er in geslaagd om een spannend verhaal neer te zetten, gebaseerd op de waargebeurde gebeurtenis. De angst, de onmacht en het ongeloof worden door Andy goed beschreven en het is soms schokkend om te lezen hoe bepaalde mensen over de ramp dachten en hoe ermee werd omgegaan. De personages die aan bod komen worden steeds bovenaan het hoofdstuk aangeduid. Ook staat er steeds de datum en de tijd boven het hoofdstuk. Dit is erg prettig.
Alle personages zijn interessant en hebben op een andere manier met de ramp te maken, maar het perspectief van Joeri is misschien wel het interessantst. Hij is op het moment van de ramp aanwezig in de kerncentrale en dit geeft een schokkend beeld weer. Andy Marino heeft een prettige schrijfstijl, niet al te moeilijk en is daarom zeker geschikt om te lezen voor jongeren vanaf 12 jaar. Er wordt gebruik gemaakt van Russische uitdrukkingen en bewoording, maar deze worden achterin het boek uitgelegd. Dit zorgt er soms wel voor dat je uit het verhaal wordt getrokken. Het verhaal leest, dat erbuiten gelaten, erg vlot. De spanning wordt goed opgebouwd, maar is niet té spannend voor de jonge lezer.
De ramp van Tsjernobyl is een interessant en spannend verhaal over de kernramp die plaatsvond. Het boek is zeker een aanrader om te lezen als je geïnteresseerd bent in deze ramp of gewoon een spannend verhaal wilt lezen.
Bedankt Kluitman voor dit leesexemplaar!
January 7, 2022
I read this with my third grade son. It was a bit challenging for him because of all the Russian words and it's on a higher level for him. But he learned about the disaster and it strengthened his reading skills.
September 7, 2022
chernobyl blows up
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 13, 2024
In Escape from Chernobyl by Andy Marino, the story is told from the point of view of three different characters. The names of these characters are Yuri, Alina, and Sofiya. All of these characters were impacted by the nuclear disaster in 1986 known as Chernobyl. Alina lives in Pripyat with her brother Lev and when the nuclear event occurs both she and her brother were asleep in their beds. Yuri was doing her custodian duties when the event occurred and Sofiya was also asleep not far away from the others. The nuclear explosion changed their lives forever, and it was not for the better. This book covers the way that these characters and their families attempted to escape the effects of this nuclear event. The book also covers how these families were impacted by the event by giving the inside perspective of these people. I feel that, the story is mainly a man versus nature conflict because I feel that the nuclear event can only fall into that category, since it involved radiation in the atmosphere.
This book is similar to two recent books that I have read. Those books are Allies by Alan Gratz, and The Only Thing to Fear by Caroline Richmond. I can’t necessarily relate to the natural disaster section of this book as I have never been a part of any sort of natural disaster. However, I can relate to the frantic action of the characters in the story. It may not be due to a nuclear disaster, but I also experience this frantic feeling in other aspects of life. I feel unorganized, confused, and frantic in school all the time. I feel that this book helps to teach the reader multiple life lessons. These life lessons include the importance of staying calm, the importance of communicating, and simply the displacement of the negative effects caused by certain disasters. I learned a lot from this book and felt that it was both informative and entertaining.
Although I thought this book was outstanding, there were many positive and negative aspects that made up this book. I really valued the imagery that the author used. It allowed me to mentally visualize the scenes and almost made me feel as if I was experiencing the chaos that the characters were experiencing. Something that I disliked in this story was the diction used. I would have preferred a more dramatic and higher level of word choice. An event in the story that I did not enjoy was the way the campaign originally told the families that nothing was truly wrong. I realize that it is just a book, but I feel as if the plot could have been better developed/changed if they knew originally. Overall, this was a fantastic book that I would recommend to almost anyone.
This book is similar to two recent books that I have read. Those books are Allies by Alan Gratz, and The Only Thing to Fear by Caroline Richmond. I can’t necessarily relate to the natural disaster section of this book as I have never been a part of any sort of natural disaster. However, I can relate to the frantic action of the characters in the story. It may not be due to a nuclear disaster, but I also experience this frantic feeling in other aspects of life. I feel unorganized, confused, and frantic in school all the time. I feel that this book helps to teach the reader multiple life lessons. These life lessons include the importance of staying calm, the importance of communicating, and simply the displacement of the negative effects caused by certain disasters. I learned a lot from this book and felt that it was both informative and entertaining.
Although I thought this book was outstanding, there were many positive and negative aspects that made up this book. I really valued the imagery that the author used. It allowed me to mentally visualize the scenes and almost made me feel as if I was experiencing the chaos that the characters were experiencing. Something that I disliked in this story was the diction used. I would have preferred a more dramatic and higher level of word choice. An event in the story that I did not enjoy was the way the campaign originally told the families that nothing was truly wrong. I realize that it is just a book, but I feel as if the plot could have been better developed/changed if they knew originally. Overall, this was a fantastic book that I would recommend to almost anyone.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 3, 2022
Yuri is an intern at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. He was super excited about the position. He left his home to come live with his Aunt & Uncle and cousins Alina and Lev, but when he arrived he found that it really just means he's a janitor. His uncle is a well known radio announcer who spouts the Party stuff on the radio but lets his children listen to Western radio stations at home and isn't afraid to criticize the powers that be within his own walls. That really rubs Yuri the wrong way, but his Uncle says he'll learn. The one bright spot of his time in Pripyat has been meeting Sofiya, a friend of Alina's whose father also works at the plant. All of their lives will be forever changed on April 26, 1986 when something goes very wrong at the plant.
Marino obviously did his research. He weaves stories of all these various characters so that each of them know different truths about the disaster and how much the government is keeping from the general public and what should be done. You really get to learn what happened in and around the plant in the hours after the disaster from all these various perspectives. Most of the characters Marino made up, while a few are real. It was interesting to have characters on a spectrum of dedication to the government to see how fast each is able to accept the truth of the depth of the emergency and just how brainwashed some Soviets were at this time. There is also a character with severe anxiety who uses music and repetition to try and cope. It was an interesting choice to include such a character in a tense situation, but also makes readers aware that anxiety issues aren't new, that people in the past in these horrible circumstances also often had to deal with ongoing emotional health issues too. This isn't a very easy read, as you know many of the characters aren't going to make it, but there is hope in that some do. Due to the nature of the story and the fact that the main characters range from 12 to 16 this feels like a borderline middle grade/YA book good for those segueing from one to the other. Recommended to disaster story fans, Russian setting fans, and historical fiction fans.
Notes on content: About 2 minor swears as I remember. No sexual content. Radiation poisoning is accurately described and all that happens along with that. Some are severely injured in the explosion and there's some description of a couple of those injuries. There's one shooting that results in an injury. Others are threatened with death or know they are likely not to survive after the levels of radiation exposure they are getting.
Marino obviously did his research. He weaves stories of all these various characters so that each of them know different truths about the disaster and how much the government is keeping from the general public and what should be done. You really get to learn what happened in and around the plant in the hours after the disaster from all these various perspectives. Most of the characters Marino made up, while a few are real. It was interesting to have characters on a spectrum of dedication to the government to see how fast each is able to accept the truth of the depth of the emergency and just how brainwashed some Soviets were at this time. There is also a character with severe anxiety who uses music and repetition to try and cope. It was an interesting choice to include such a character in a tense situation, but also makes readers aware that anxiety issues aren't new, that people in the past in these horrible circumstances also often had to deal with ongoing emotional health issues too. This isn't a very easy read, as you know many of the characters aren't going to make it, but there is hope in that some do. Due to the nature of the story and the fact that the main characters range from 12 to 16 this feels like a borderline middle grade/YA book good for those segueing from one to the other. Recommended to disaster story fans, Russian setting fans, and historical fiction fans.
Notes on content: About 2 minor swears as I remember. No sexual content. Radiation poisoning is accurately described and all that happens along with that. Some are severely injured in the explosion and there's some description of a couple of those injuries. There's one shooting that results in an injury. Others are threatened with death or know they are likely not to survive after the levels of radiation exposure they are getting.
October 6, 2025
It was cover love that brought this book to me. I didn’t know that this was book one of a series and after reading this one, I don’t think I will continue with the series as the ending was disappointing to me. For me, there was no ending. As I listened to this book, I was hooked, I felt a deep connection to the characters and their fate and then, the book ended. I had been cheated. There had to be more! Was there book #2 to finish this story? No, it was over, and I felt cheated.
It's April 26, 1986, the place Pripyat, Ukraine. This city was built for the individuals who would work at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. I liked the variety of characters as it gave a great view of what was happening around this event as it was unfolding,
It was Yuri who I fell for in this book. He was the one who had less at stake but gave the most. While those with higher titles, rattled off commands or walked among the clouds, Yuri was on the ground with his eyes open, watching and risking everything. Alina, Yuri’s relative, was just like him, but at times, her emotions got the best of her. Who could blame her, considering what was transpiring right in front of her. Yuri knows Chernobyl like the back of his hand. Yuri is a janitor at Chernobyl. They treat him better than a janitor but that’s still what they consider him to be. Yuri hopes that one day, yes one day, they’ll realize the potential that Yuri has and move him up into a more suitable title. While at work on April 26, Yuri notices something isn’t right. His eyes have been on the ground since day one but today, today is different. Today, there is no going back.
What was happening inside Chernobyl? Sofiya dad is an engineer at the power plant and getting his perspective as the day’s events spiraled downhill added an intensity to the drama unfolding. Despite everything, Sofiya tries to help the residents of Pripyat. Sofiya had a different emotional burning within her than Alina but together they show the confusion and turmoil that the residents faced as this event changed their world.
This book covers April 26, 1986. One day. I felt cheated as I wanted and needed to know what happened after this day. I felt a deep connection to the characters and as I closed the book, I was sad and disappointed that there wasn’t something to help bring me closure. 4 stars
It's April 26, 1986, the place Pripyat, Ukraine. This city was built for the individuals who would work at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. I liked the variety of characters as it gave a great view of what was happening around this event as it was unfolding,
It was Yuri who I fell for in this book. He was the one who had less at stake but gave the most. While those with higher titles, rattled off commands or walked among the clouds, Yuri was on the ground with his eyes open, watching and risking everything. Alina, Yuri’s relative, was just like him, but at times, her emotions got the best of her. Who could blame her, considering what was transpiring right in front of her. Yuri knows Chernobyl like the back of his hand. Yuri is a janitor at Chernobyl. They treat him better than a janitor but that’s still what they consider him to be. Yuri hopes that one day, yes one day, they’ll realize the potential that Yuri has and move him up into a more suitable title. While at work on April 26, Yuri notices something isn’t right. His eyes have been on the ground since day one but today, today is different. Today, there is no going back.
What was happening inside Chernobyl? Sofiya dad is an engineer at the power plant and getting his perspective as the day’s events spiraled downhill added an intensity to the drama unfolding. Despite everything, Sofiya tries to help the residents of Pripyat. Sofiya had a different emotional burning within her than Alina but together they show the confusion and turmoil that the residents faced as this event changed their world.
This book covers April 26, 1986. One day. I felt cheated as I wanted and needed to know what happened after this day. I felt a deep connection to the characters and as I closed the book, I was sad and disappointed that there wasn’t something to help bring me closure. 4 stars
April 16, 2022
"The national nuclear reactor of the USSR, twenty times the size of the American ones! That same TV show had taken viewers like Yuri, kneeling on the carpet in the living room of his family's Moscow apartment, on a quick tour of the glorious new power plant. The inner workings of the RBMK are a highly classified state secret, but the broadcast had been permitted to show fleeting glimpses of the polished marble stairs and stained-glass panels of Chernobyl's administration block; the sanitary locks where workers traded street clothes for white overalls, white caps, and white boots; the steel cavern of the turbine hall, all looming machinery and mysterious shadows; and finally, the concrete vault that housed and shielded the reactor core, as big as Yuri's apartment building." (p. 2)
"Weird colors swirl and dissolve." (p. 4)
"The glow forms a massive column that seems to vanish into Earth's atmosphere. Ethereal sparks dance around it: sprites of every color, winding ever upward." (p. 22)
The earth shivers
hungry
and stripped
-- Vladimir Mayakovsky, "Call to Account!"
"He knows that people believe crazy things about radiation. After all, it's as invisible as a ghost, and for many people, about as real. He has heard construction workers doing repair work on the power plant speak of shitiki, the contaminated particles in the blood created by radiation.
The way to expel shitiki from your body, according to these men, is to drink vodka." (p. 69)
Behold what quiet settles on the world.
-- Vladimir Mayakovsky, "Past One O'Clock..."
"After all, appearances are everything." (p. 102)
For today, for today, current flows from the RBMK!
-- Soviet song, anecdotal
"'It's nice to feel like a philosopher, working out the universe's problems on your own. There's something pure about it.'" (p. 129)
"Does radiation corrupt the passage of time like it corrupts the cells in the body?" (p. 130)
"Pripyat is a haunted place, she realizes now -- but instead of being haunted by ghosts, it's haunted by men. All of them creeping through shadows of their own making." (p. 145)
I myself feel like a Soviet factory, manufacturing happiness.
-- Vladimir Mayakovsky, "Back Home"
"Weird colors swirl and dissolve." (p. 4)
"The glow forms a massive column that seems to vanish into Earth's atmosphere. Ethereal sparks dance around it: sprites of every color, winding ever upward." (p. 22)
The earth shivers
hungry
and stripped
-- Vladimir Mayakovsky, "Call to Account!"
"He knows that people believe crazy things about radiation. After all, it's as invisible as a ghost, and for many people, about as real. He has heard construction workers doing repair work on the power plant speak of shitiki, the contaminated particles in the blood created by radiation.
The way to expel shitiki from your body, according to these men, is to drink vodka." (p. 69)
Behold what quiet settles on the world.
-- Vladimir Mayakovsky, "Past One O'Clock..."
"After all, appearances are everything." (p. 102)
For today, for today, current flows from the RBMK!
-- Soviet song, anecdotal
"'It's nice to feel like a philosopher, working out the universe's problems on your own. There's something pure about it.'" (p. 129)
"Does radiation corrupt the passage of time like it corrupts the cells in the body?" (p. 130)
"Pripyat is a haunted place, she realizes now -- but instead of being haunted by ghosts, it's haunted by men. All of them creeping through shadows of their own making." (p. 145)
I myself feel like a Soviet factory, manufacturing happiness.
-- Vladimir Mayakovsky, "Back Home"
February 5, 2023
It's really satisfying when a historical fiction book aimed at young readers respects them enough to write about complicated topics with realistic descriptions. In that regard, this book does a good job -- it shows age-appropriate violence and political problems, not shying away with how bad things CAN really be.
I think what stops this book from being very easy to get into is that there aren't enough POV chapters from Yuri, one of the boys who's actually at the plant when the explosion happens. There's a lot of political stuff going on in the other two POVs, which isn't unimportant, but without us spending a lot of time actually at the plant itself, digesting the damage, the political stuff is hard to feel threatened by. I feel like if we cut one politics-related POV character and used that space to see more of the horrors of what's happening at the plant, it'd be more impactful. The chapters where we do see Yuri face death and have to make some hard choices are great -- there's far too few of them IMO.
Also, kinda a nitpicky thing that isn't a comment on the writing/plot/etc. but still annoyed me -- the cover has the title, "Escape from Chernobyl," written with some Cyrillic letters to be quirky: "Cheяnobyl." But that "backwards looking R haha" isn't pronounced with an "R" English sound. So it just... feels like bad research to assume "well, it's Slavic-looking, and also kind of an R! So let's use it in place of an R!" The "R" sound in English is closer to the "P" Cyrillic letter. But "Chepnobyl", even though that's closer to the actual spelling Чернобыль, wouldn't be quirky-looking, I guess.
Overall, this was clearly trying to add a middle-grade lens to a complicated historical event which in general I'd say is a good thing because it's important that young readers can access even scary historical events, but I think this book as-is isn't written tightly-enough to effectively convey the sense of urgency and hopelessness that it appears to be trying to go for.
I think what stops this book from being very easy to get into is that there aren't enough POV chapters from Yuri, one of the boys who's actually at the plant when the explosion happens. There's a lot of political stuff going on in the other two POVs, which isn't unimportant, but without us spending a lot of time actually at the plant itself, digesting the damage, the political stuff is hard to feel threatened by. I feel like if we cut one politics-related POV character and used that space to see more of the horrors of what's happening at the plant, it'd be more impactful. The chapters where we do see Yuri face death and have to make some hard choices are great -- there's far too few of them IMO.
Also, kinda a nitpicky thing that isn't a comment on the writing/plot/etc. but still annoyed me -- the cover has the title, "Escape from Chernobyl," written with some Cyrillic letters to be quirky: "Cheяnobyl." But that "backwards looking R haha" isn't pronounced with an "R" English sound. So it just... feels like bad research to assume "well, it's Slavic-looking, and also kind of an R! So let's use it in place of an R!" The "R" sound in English is closer to the "P" Cyrillic letter. But "Chepnobyl", even though that's closer to the actual spelling Чернобыль, wouldn't be quirky-looking, I guess.
Overall, this was clearly trying to add a middle-grade lens to a complicated historical event which in general I'd say is a good thing because it's important that young readers can access even scary historical events, but I think this book as-is isn't written tightly-enough to effectively convey the sense of urgency and hopelessness that it appears to be trying to go for.
March 2, 2024
Just a little after midnight on April 26, 1986, nuclear reactor 4 exploded at the Chernobyl nuclear plant near Pripyat, Ukraine. Sixteen year old Yuri Fomichev was mopping a hallway floor in the plant at that exact moment. Knocked unconscious by the blast, he awakes to find himself in chaos.
Meanwhile, in the city of Pripyat, many citizens are awakened by the same blast. Including Yuri's cousins Alina and Lev and their parents. When they look outside their apartment window toward the plant, they see a bright beam reaching into the sky. They don't know what this means until their mother's childhood friend, who is himself an important Party official, arrives on their doorstep with his son in tow to take their family secretly to safety. Because he knows the truth: radiation is spewing into the air. And he knows another truth: the Party will try to cover this up so leaders in Moscow will not be embarrassed. Because one thing is certain: the USSR does not make mistakes.
Unfortunately for the citizens of Pripyat, a mistake was made. And their lives depend on the truth being told. So Alina and Lev decide to go back to the city for their friend Sofiya and their cousin Yuri. But Sofiya already knows the truth. Her father is an engineer at the plant. And she's trying to tell the truth to others at great risk to her own life. And Yuri? Well, he's in the belly of the beast. His body is telling him the truth as the radiation seeps into him from everywhere...
Will the truth come out in time to save the city's population?
I've shared that my husband works in nuclear plants, so I've developed an interest in things that have gone wrong. I think this was a fast-paced and well-done middle grade book about the Chernobyl incident. Some parts seemed unrealistic, but overall I think it was a good read. It's pretty intense, though, with descriptions of an explosion survivor and a KGB agent planning to kill Sofiya's father. So... not thinking my kids are ready for it. But a good look into life in a socialist/communist state.
Meanwhile, in the city of Pripyat, many citizens are awakened by the same blast. Including Yuri's cousins Alina and Lev and their parents. When they look outside their apartment window toward the plant, they see a bright beam reaching into the sky. They don't know what this means until their mother's childhood friend, who is himself an important Party official, arrives on their doorstep with his son in tow to take their family secretly to safety. Because he knows the truth: radiation is spewing into the air. And he knows another truth: the Party will try to cover this up so leaders in Moscow will not be embarrassed. Because one thing is certain: the USSR does not make mistakes.
Unfortunately for the citizens of Pripyat, a mistake was made. And their lives depend on the truth being told. So Alina and Lev decide to go back to the city for their friend Sofiya and their cousin Yuri. But Sofiya already knows the truth. Her father is an engineer at the plant. And she's trying to tell the truth to others at great risk to her own life. And Yuri? Well, he's in the belly of the beast. His body is telling him the truth as the radiation seeps into him from everywhere...
Will the truth come out in time to save the city's population?
I've shared that my husband works in nuclear plants, so I've developed an interest in things that have gone wrong. I think this was a fast-paced and well-done middle grade book about the Chernobyl incident. Some parts seemed unrealistic, but overall I think it was a good read. It's pretty intense, though, with descriptions of an explosion survivor and a KGB agent planning to kill Sofiya's father. So... not thinking my kids are ready for it. But a good look into life in a socialist/communist state.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 160 reviews