The Blackbird Girls

by Anne Blankman

On a spring morning in 1986, neighbors Valentina Kaplan and Oksana Savchenko wake up to an angry red sky. A reactor at the nuclear power plant where their fathers work--Chernobyl--has exploded. Before they know it, the two girls, who've always been enemies, find themselves on a train bound for Leningrad to stay with Valentina's estranged grandmother, Rita Grigorievna.

In 1941 Rifka must flee Kiev before the Germans arrive. Her journey is harrowing and fraught with danger because Germans and Russians alike will revile her for her Jewish blood.

In both time periods, the girls must learn who to trust and how to have hope in the midst of horrible events.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Middle Grade, Historical, Fiction, Young Adult, Friendship, Audiobook

345 pages, Hardcover

First published March 10, 2020

About the author

Anne Blankman may have been meant to be a writer because her parents named her for Anne of Green Gables. She grew up in an old house with gables (gray, unfortunately) in upstate New York. When she wasn't writing or reading, she was rowing on the crew team, taking ballet lessons, fencing and swimming. She graduated from Union College with degrees in English and history, which comes in handy when she writes historical fiction.

After earning a master's degree in information science, Anne began working as a youth services librarian. Currently, she lives in southeastern Virginia with her family. When she's not writing young adult fiction, she's playing with her daughter, training for races with her husband, working at her amazing library branch, learning to knit (badly), and reading.

Anne Blankman is the author of PRISONER OF NIGHT AND FOG, the first in a three-book deal slated for publication in spring 2014 from Balzer + Bray | HarperCollins. She is represented by Tracey Adams of Adams Literary.

Reviews

[Hailey (Hailey in Bookland)]

I was super excited when I learned about this book! It only just came out in Canada for some reason, but I loved "Prisoner of Night and Fog" by this author and was excited to see she had another historical fiction. I have her other book but I haven't gotten to it yet, but something about this one made me more interested in reading it first. I think because I've never read anything about the Chernobyl disaster I was immediately intrigued. I didn't know before starting that this was a middle grade and while that made me apprehensive, it didn't take away from my enjoyment of the story. There's nothing wrong with middle grade at all, I just find that sometimes I'm let down by them. But this story didn't shy away from the terrible things that happened in the Chernobyl disaster even though it was written for a younger audience. Unfortunately that being said, I still didn't fall in love with the story. I enjoyed it, but I wanted more. It starts being very focused on the events of Chernobyl but I was disappointed that as the story went on that kind of faded into the background and was just a setting for other things. I wanted to learn more about the characters in relation to that. This book did deal with a lot of serious subject matter like child abuse, emotional and physical, and anti-semitism heavily, so do be wary of that going in to it. I do think the topics were broached with the care and attention they needed. I liked that it was a story about friendship prevailing through such difficulties and really enjoyed watching the growth of Valentina and Oksana. I felt like I was transported to the time period and setting of the story easily, I just wanted more information about the aftermath of the disaster. I also have kind of mixed feelings on the addition of the WW2 timeline. I understand why it was added and do like what it did, but I also felt like I wanted more from it. Basically, I did enjoy this and think it was a great educational read, it just didn't quite do all I had hoped it would. But it was still a super solid and informative read!

[Elyse Walters · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Blackbird Girls”, by Anne Blankman is an powerful well written historical fiction book geared toward middle school ages….which was plenty ‘adult’ for me.

It’s a very sad time in history — in the town Pripyat,
Ukraine, relevant today — also a very sad time today [does it even need to be said]…..
The community of Pripyat had always been assured that “an accident at the nuclear power station was a statistical impossibility”.
…..but on the morning of April 26, 1986, the Chernobyl disaster accident ‘did’ occurred. Reactor 4 had exploded.

We follow this story through two fifth grade girls and one grandmother.
Valentina Kaplan was Jewish. Oksana Savchenko was not. She and her family were prejudice against Jews, making the young girls each other‘s nemesis.
But, after both girls lose their fathers— after the explosion—both girls also get separated from their mothers.
They are thrown into a new city and a new school where they only have each other for memories of ‘home’.
The girls board a train together to stay with Valentina‘s estranged grandmother, Rifka Grigorievna.
Rita had her own history— she experienced cruelty from antisemitism growing up—and now she would be helping Oksan.
They slowly begin to overcome their hatred because of their religions.

The blackbirds mentioned in the title are resilient creatures according to the folklore which Rifka learned “a link between heaven and earth… a symbol for eternity”.

This story is well researched, and engaging….a little predictable—but I didn’t mind. It was intimate and I admire work from the author.: Anne Blankman.
In this female centered story, the girls and grandmother each struggle to find their support among one another, and slowly build inner strength which helps them survive antisemitism—-all during a time when the Chernobyl’s devastation wasn’t bad enough -for ‘all’ people — and the land they lived.

Thank you to my friend Mary, for telling me about this young person’s powerful book — I know just the young girl (my friends granddaughter), whom to pass this along to .

[Darla · Rating 5 out of 5]

A powerful portrait of an event in history that many know only by one name -- Cherobyl. Oksana and Valentina both have fathers who were at the plant when the disaster happened. Valentina is Jewish and faces teasing and bullying at school from kids like Oksana. Both girls are evacuated to Kiev once the danger is evident and only one of the mothers is approved to leave with them. From there, the stakes continue to increase. The book honestly depicts the realities of living under communism and the prejudices against Jews. In addition, a parallel narrative from 1941 shows Valentina's grandmother and her perilous journey escaping the Nazis in WW II. A heart-filled tale punctuated with peril and the power of the human spirit. I loved it. Perfect for Ruta Sepetys fans!

Thank you to Viking Books and Edelweiss for a DRC in exchange for an honest review.

[Brithanie Faith · Rating 5 out of 5]

5/5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐


ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.


I think it's worth mentioning that I've never been a huge fan of historical fiction, BUT- I requested this one because I've been trying to branch out- and the story of an unlikely friendship that blossoms following the Chernobyl disaster seemed like it'd be as good a place as any to start.

I've always been an emotional being, but it's been a while since I've read something that has been truly touching. Anne Blankman is one talented lady. I have a feeling that this book is going to stick with me for some time- and as this book is targeted at a younger audience I would recommend this to anyone else who is trying to branch out- because it has all of the impact of an adult read without being overly complicated.

[Ms. B · Rating 5 out of 5]

8/2/23 Enemies become friends in this story about Valentina and Oksana who survive the Chernobyl disaster in 1986 when they are sent to live with Valentina's grandma. Oksana's being sent away also means being away from verbal and physical abuse for the first time in her life. Abuse that she didn't even realize was happening until she saw how others lived. Give this to those who liked Fighting Words or Starfish and are looking for similar books.
5/27/23 This is the kind of book I would have loved as a tween. It was so good I had to recommend and give it to someone else to read the day after I finished it. Valentina and Oksana are frenemies whose mothers send them away from their home in Pripyat after the Chernobyl explosion in 1986 in this story about the healing strength and bonds of friendship.
Fans of The War That Saved My Life will love this. Or anyone who likes books about life behind the Iron Curtain like A Night Divided or Cloud and Wallfish.

[Scottsdale Public Library]

The Blackbird Girls is a nominee in the 2023 Grand Canyon Reader Awards "tween" category. Many of us know Chernobyl as an event that stunned the world, but we may not know the effects this disaster had on the citizens of Pripyat, Ukraine. This historical fiction novel follows the stories of three people, but centers primarily around the relationship between two young girls in 1986: Valentina Kaplan and Oksana Savchenko. Readers follow the girls as they break out of cycles of prejudice and hatred and embark on a journey of love and self-acceptance after the explosion of nuclear power plant, Chernobyl, that throws the girls’ lives wildly off balance. Readers will also witness the story of Jewish Rifka Grigorievna, who has to flee Kiev in 1941 as the Germans approach the city to cleanse the population of Jewish people. Author Anne Blankman honestly portrays the atrocities that Jewish people had to face in the early 20th century and the devastating Chernobyl accident that distressed the world. The Blackbird Girls is an informative and both heartbreaking and heartwarming tale for middle-grade, teen, and adult readers. The readers may want to be aware of mentions of abuse and anti-semitism.

-Krithika, Teen SPL Volunteer

[Grace (irisroman & evajacks' version) ✧ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remember reading this when I was a lot younger and absolutely DEVOURING IT. It is definitely not an easy book to read, touching on pressing issues such as the horrific disaster at Chernobyl and child abuse, but one that is still very enjoyable. The writing, characters and plot were all really great and middle-grade-me really loved it.

Overall, a sad but heartwarming story about one of the worst nuclear disasters in history. If you're a middle grade reader looking for a great historical fiction, I would definitely recommend this!

[Nofreeusernames Nofreeusernames · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tři dívky, dvě vypráví svůj příběh po černobylské katastrofě v roce 1986, třetí utíká z Ukrajiny před Němci o 45 let dřív během druhé světové války. Hrůzy komunistické oprese, nenávist k Židům, důsledky výbuchu jaderné elektrárny, život těch nejchudších na okraji Leningradu, domácí násilí na ženách i dětech… jak mrazivě to všechno působí, když to vidíte očima jedenáctiletých holek. Není to tak syrové čtení, jaké by mohlo být, kdyby byly hlavní hrdinky starší, přece jen je ten dětský pohled mnohem naivnější a navíc chráněný před spoustou dalších věcí, které si „vyřeší“ dospělí. Je to kniha o přátelství, které jste si nikdy neuměli představit a nakonec vám zachrání život. Celou dobu mě to drželo a chtěla jsem vědět, jak to dopadne. Konec byl na mě teda už moc rychlý a tak trochu neuspokojivý, ale jinak skvělá záležitost.

Já vím, že to lidi nemají rádi tohleto přirovnávání, ale tohle je middle grade Ruta Sepetys meets Geniální přítelkyně...

[DaNae · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I discovered this began with the Chernobyl accident I almost returned it to the library without going further. Reading in 2020 leads to a reluctance to be reminded of past atrocities. I'm so glad I stuck with it. Turns out, for me, it is one of the standout books of the year. Yes, it deals with many grim moments of the past, but it is infused with such kindness and generosity that hope lingers long after the final page.

[Abby Johnson]

So, so good. This engrossing historical novel brings Soviet Russia to life as it follows two unlikely friends during their evacuation from the Chernobyl disaster and a parallel narrative of a Jewish girl's escape during WWII. I loved the characters, I loved the rich setting. I would hand this to readers of The War That Saved My Life (and I don't say that lightly!) or Refugee. LOVED IT.

[Erin Entrada Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book. Wonderful characters. Lots of history. Compelling.

[Samm | Sassenach the Book Wizard · Rating 5 out of 5]

TW: anti-Semitism, emotional and physical child abuse

I legit have a talent for finding middle grade books that make me cry. This is not the easiest read by any means but it's so good. I love the parallels of the stories and how everything goes together. I adore the two girls and I MAY have burst out into tears for the entire last 1/3 (especially when "Blackbird Girls" was explained).

Rep: Jewish and Muslim

[Kateřina Hajžmanová · Rating 5 out of 5]

Čím víckrát jsem to přečetla, tím víckrát se mi Černobylky líbily, fakt. Je to taková univerzální knížka, kterou můžou louskat i mladší ročníky, ale stejně tak obohatí ty starší. A kromě hrozných historických kulis je tam taky hrozně důležitý přátelství, a to člověk zas tak často v knížkách nevidí, žejo, vždycky samá romantika :)) Za mě fakt velký dobrý.

[Smitha Murthy · Rating 5 out of 5]

TG: Abuse

Probably one of the most beautiful and moving children’s books I have ever read. We seem to think of children’s literature as fluff, but I have found through my increased reading of this genre that these books can bring so much meaning, joy, and understanding of the world and ourselves.

‘The Blackbird Girls’ is set in Soviet Russia at the time of the Chernobyl disaster. I hadn’t read a book on Chernobyl before, and I found Blankman lovingly take me through my ignorance. She paints a vivid picture of life then - the fear, terror, and persecution. But above all, while there are terrors, it’s the beautiful strain of friendship that holds this story together. Valentina and Oksana are two young girls bound by circumstances and the slow love that binds them - they are the blackbird girls. They made the book for me. Their friendship made me grateful for the beautiful friends I have.

A little masterpiece, - I want to read everything you write, Anne Blankman.

[Mid-Continent Public Library]

A powerful portrait of an event in history that many know only by one name -- Chernobyl. Oksana and Valentina both have fathers who were at the plant when the disaster happened. Valentina is Jewish and faces teasing and bullying at school from kids like Oksana. Both girls are evacuated to Kiev once the danger is evident and only one of the mothers is approved to leave with them. From there, the stakes continue to increase. The book honestly depicts the realities of living under communism and the prejudices against Jews. In addition, a parallel narrative from 1941 shows Valentina's grandmother and her perilous journey escaping the Nazis in WW II. A heart-filled tale punctuated with peril and the power of the human spirit. I loved it. Perfect for Ruta Sepetys fans! *Review by Darla from Red Bridge*

[Panda Incognito · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book went down in my personal history before I ever read it. I had waited three years for my favorite living historical fiction author to release a new book, and I couldn't wait for my hold copy to arrive, and then it did arrive, on one of the few days between my last shift at the library and the entire county system shutting down because of COVID-19.

Oh, well. I had waited three years, so I could survive three months more, right? I'm glad that I did, and on June 15, the library began its first phase of reopening by providing a no-contact book return and hold pick-up arrangement. I went in that afternoon, picked up this one available hold request, and read it over that night and the next. Fortunately, even though I was afraid that the book couldn't live up to my hopeful expectations or the significant role it had played in my COVID story, I liked it even more than I expected to.

This middle grade novel tells the story of two girls from Ukraine whose families are affected by the Chernobyl disaster. At the beginning of the book, they are enemies, but as they are thrown together because of the disaster, they gradually open up to each other and develop a friendship. I usually don't like enemies-to-friends tropes, since they tend to be contrived, but this story flowed naturally, gradually resolving the tensions between the girls as they shared experiences together and learned to see past their assumptions and prejudices.

The main character is Jewish, and this is a significant driving force for the story and its themes. There are far too few novels that deal with Jewishness and anti-Semitism apart from a World War II time period, and I appreciate how this book addresses longstanding ethnic hatred in the USSR and the USSR's state-mandated atheism. This book deals well with both the ethnic and religious aspects of what it meant to be Jewish in that social and political context, and does so in a way that works as an integral part of the story, never a preachy add-on.

This book also addresses issues related to child abuse. Although this could be a triggering read for a child who has experienced physical abuse and emotional neglect, Anne Blankman deals with the issues in a sensitive, realistic way. Instead of turning her book into a stilted Public Service Announcement, she writes about abuse in a way that accurately depicts the dynamics of abuse and the thoughts and feelings that sufferers are likely to have about themselves. The character arc related to experiencing and accepting love for the first time is incredibly moving, and I was pleasantly surprised to see how well this part of the story worked.

This book is a moving testament to the power of female friendship and familial love, and I greatly enjoyed it, especially since it has such a unique context. However, the book has two significant faults that keep me from giving it a full five-star rating. One is that the Chernobyl crisis ends up taking a backseat to the rest of the plot during the second half of the book. It is the original driving force of the story, and it is a huge part of the book's marketing appeal, but the ongoing political, social, and emotional ramifications of the nuclear disaster fade out of the story much too quickly.

This isn't realistic at all, considering what tremendous trauma the girls endured, and even though I enjoyed the other elements of the story, every time I would think again about the disaster, I would wonder how the characters could be so focused on so many other things, not constantly replaying the horrible day and obsessing over fears of the impact that the radiation might have on them in the future.

Another issue with this book's story structure is how the action abruptly cuts off occasionally for family history flashbacks from the 1940s. Although I found this story interesting, it was too different from the rest of the book to fit in that form, and I wish that the history had simply been shared through dialogue, rather than dramatized in stages, interrupting the main story and lessening its suspense by totally changing gears.

However, despite these criticisms that I have of the book, I think that it is wonderful overall, greatly enjoyed it, and would recommend this to fellow Anne Blankman fans and people who enjoy well-written historical fiction. I would be cautious about recommending this book to young readers without knowing their sensitivity levels, since I know that I would have had a hard time dealing with the Chernobyl content and child abuse storyline when I was a middle grade reader. However, Blankman writes this book in a way that is appropriate for that target audience while also appealing to teenagers and adults. This is a great book, and I'm glad I finally got to read it.

[Swati · Rating 5 out of 5]

‘Blackbirds are almost magical, she would say, for they can walk on land like humans and swim in the sea like fish, but they can also fly into the sky. They are a link between heaven and earth, between sky and land.
“They’re a symbol for eternity…like them, our friendship could last forever.”

The Blackbird Girls is a middle grade novel set against the backdrop of two lifechanging events – the Chernobyl disaster and WW II. Valentina and Oksana live in Pripyat and attend the same school. They aren’t really friends, though, because Oksana’s father has taught her that Jews like Valentina are up to no good. Everything changes when the reactor explodes and the girls end up being evacuated from Pripyat. Separated from their families, and thrown together by circumstance, Valentina and Oksana now need to forget their differences and find a way to trust and rely on each other.

The primary themes are enduring female friendships and complex mother-daughter relationships along with grief, loss of a parent, child abuse and anti-Semitism. These are heavy topics for a middle grade novel but Blankman does an amazing job of portraying them without being too abrasive for a child.

She does that throughout by reinforcing the importance of resilience and kindness as the two catalysts that change any situation for the better. By interweaving these narratives into the story, she strips away the falsehoods and fear associated with them. A young reader stands to learn and absorb so much from the messages in this book. I was particularly moved by Babulya and Feruza. They reinforce the innate goodness of people and make cynical hearts thaw.

There are also very few books that address anti-Semitism but are not set during the WWII. This is one of them. Also, loved the descriptions and setting in 1980s USSR. A lot of the story is based on the experiences of the author’s friend’s family, which adds to the strength of the novel.

A really beautiful read.

[Mrs. Olson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chernobyl!

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was intrigued to read Blankman's first foray into middle grade and her return to 20th century historical fiction. However, this fell short for me.
The book begins with the Chernobyl disaster - introducing Valentina and Oksana, whose father's both work at the plant. Sprinkled throughout is the story of Rifka in WW2 Soviet Ukraine, fleeing east to escape the invading Nazi forces.
This book is a great story exploring friendship, religious persecution, and child abuse; however, I have no idea why Chernobyl and WW2 are in the mix. Having Chernobyl or WW2 as the inciting incident to explore these themes is odd - these huge events completely muddy what could have been a straightforward story of prejudice and family violence; what the bulk of the story is actually about. I would have thought we could analyse prejudice without a continent-wide nuclear disaster as a backdrop, but apparently not.
I wouldn't normally harp on exploring social issues through the lens of a major historical event, but this book has a cover showing the Chernobyl disaster. There is no plot reason for the story to have the setting as the Chernobyl disaster. Having the story set in late stage Soviet Union, in general, would've achieved the same end.
The exploration of the genocide of the Jews in WW2 and the subsequent clampdown on practicing any religion, leading to a disconnect from ancestors would've been the stronger book, as the historical event ties directly to the plot. However, we only explore these threads lightly through Rifka.
I applaud the author for directly addressing child abuse in a middle grade book, as many books in that age group don't properly go there (Hello, Harry Potter, does Children's Aid have a call in to the Durselys?).
Incredibly, the Author's Note fails to address that the "routine safety drill" was performed incorrectly and that the design of the reactor itself exacerbated all of the human errors that were made. I get that we simplify things for children, and I'm not a scientist, but let's at least state the basic facts if we're going to the trouble of writing an author's note.
Thank you to the publisher, via Edelweiss, for providing me with a copy for review.

[Cindy Mitchell *Kiss the Book* · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Blackbird Girls by Anne Blankman, 340 pages. Viking (Penguin Random House), 2020. $18.

Language: G (0 swears 0 'f'); Mature Content: G; Violence: PG (physical child abuse).

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ESSENTIAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

11yo Valentina Kaplan and Oksana Savchenko are in the same grade at school, but they aren't friends - Valentina is Jewish, and Oksana's father has told her all about how terrible the Jews are. But, in the spring of 1986, a nuclear reactor at Chernobyl explodes sending radiation pouring out into the air. Both girl's fathers worked at the reactor. Oksana's father has been killed and Valentina's father is taken to a hospital in Moscow. Their town of Pripyat, Ukraine has been evacuated and circumstances force them together, alone on a train to Leningrad, without their mothers, they are enroute to Valentina's grandmother, a person Valentina has never met. Oksana is worried - she will be living with Jews. But to her surprise, the things her father has always taught her are not right, Babulya is kind, poor and loves Oksana. Something she realizes she has never really felt - her father was abusive, her mother allowed it and Oksana is still recovering from the festering cigarette burn her father made on her shoulder.

I remember when this happened, Blankman has told a fascinating, powerful and sad story about Soviet society and the continued prejudice against the Jewish people. I loved the regular daily routines, the fear of being reported to the police, how careful Valentina was to not be noticed. While the abuse is included, it's age appropriate, not too graphic but could spark conversation or questions. Told in alternating chapters, the perspectives were well balanced. Both girls are well developed and their growing friendship is natural and essential. So much sacrifice - a heartbreaking story. Includes resources for children experiencing emotional or physical abuse as well as further readings to learn more about Chernobyl or life in the Soviet Union in the 1940s and 1980s.

Lisa Librarian
https://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2020...

[Cindi (Utah Mom’s Life) · Rating 5 out of 5]

THE BLACKBIRD GIRLS by Anna Blankman was on the list of books for the 7th grade Maine Reading Award so I got it for my 12yo for Christmas. After reading & enjoying ALL THIRTEEN as a family, we decided to read this one aloud too.

When we started, we didn’t know how timely it would be. The novel is set in Ukraine and begins in the town of Pripyat where the Chernobyl workers lived with their families. The accident at Chernobyl in 1986 would change the lives of 11yo Oksana and Valentina.

The novel moves about the different provinces of the Soviet Union and also tells the story of Rifka, a Jewish girl, who had to flee Kyiv as the Germans advanced on the city during WWII.

Besides being an absolutely beautiful and emotional novel, THE BLACKBIRD GIRLS has also helped us understand some of the history of the Ukraine/Russian area. I highly recommend it and my entire family was once again entranced each evening.

(Coincidentally, I was also 11 years old in 1986 so my daughters were able to understand that this history wasn’t really so long ago.)

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am always looking for middle-grade fiction about history topics that don't get a lot of air time. This is definitely one of those books. This is a story about the Chernobyl Nuclear disaster, told from the perspective of two girls whose fathers both worked in the plant. Valentina is a Jew and is ostracized because of it. Her family is very careful to not stand out, to not do anything that might draw attention. Oksana has been raised to hate Jews and frequently bullies Valentina at school. She is desperate to win her father's approval. When the nuclear plant explodes, the girls are thrown together and forced to leave the city on their own to escape the dangers of radiation poisoning.

This is a story about friendship, about learning that things you were taught your whole life were lies, and about overcoming challenges and tragedy. These girls go through so much over the course of the story, but in the end, you are left with the hope that things will get better.

You can read my full review here: http://historybookbybook.com/The_Blac...

[Christine Indorf · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two girls who lived in Chernobly during the meltdown have to get a long when they must leave without their parents. Both girls lost their father in the explosion and one girl is a Jew who is made fun of by the other girl but can both girls learn to depend on each other, especially when they are the only ones they have left. Both girl move in with the Jewish Grandmother and learn love and respect. The Jewish Grandmother has her own secrets. As a child she had to hide from the German army in WW2. Alone and scared she made a journey to people who loved and took care of her during the war, now the Grandmother wants the two girls to have each other during this difficult time. A story of love and acceptance and a must read for children and adults alike. Tragedy can either bring us closer together or tear us apart and this book shows us love. Highly recommend to all of you who wants a touching story!

[Carie · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Blackbird Girls gets the honor of sitting on my Best of 2021 bookshelf. The book focuses on the Chernobyl Disaster in 1986. This middle grade book does a fantastic job of weaving historical events with Russian and Jewish culture. Highly recommend!

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was amazing. Actual rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars. The only thing that kept me from giving it a full 5 was that I wanted to know more about Chernobyl and it seemed like that was really only part of the beginning of the novel. Personal preference totally. Other than that, I really, really enjoyed it. I would classify this as a first purchase type of book. I am SURE my middle school readers will devour this as soon as I can get it to them.

Valentina's father works for the power plant in Chernobyl and one Saturday morning he doesn't return from his night shift. When she looks to the sky, it is red and there are strange blue clouds. Police and soldiers congregate in the town, but the official word is that nothing is wrong. Soon, they realize how much of a lie this is, since the reactor has exploded and there has been radiation leeching into the air since the fire started. Now, Valentina and Oksana, another girl from her apartment whose father also works at the plant have to try to travel to somewhere safe, somewhere away from the contamination, but also somewhere the government will let them go, since officially nothing is wrong. But Oksana and Valentina are not friends. Because Valentina is a Jew, and Oksana has been raised to distrust Jews. No, with no one else to help her, Oksana has to try to find a way to live with Valentina and her family as they travel across Russia to try to find safety.

Layered beneath this story, which would be compelling enough as it is, is another story of Rifka, a girl who flees Ukraine during WWII due to her heritage (Jewish) and has to try to escape the German soldiers. Both of these stories highlight parts of history that people might not know about and show the complicated background of Russia.

Highly recommend. Appropriate for grades 5-9.

[Ashley Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

CW physical abuse, antisemitism

This book's strength is in its emotional depth and the bonds between Valentina and Oksana, and Babulya.

The book's synopsis points to the Chernobyl disaster as a setting, but I didn't find it particularly necessary except as the driving point to send the girls to live with Rita; past the halfway mark, it was all but forgotten until the final chapter. I found the story exceptionally heavy for a middle-grade book (not to mention the page count) but I'm sure I would've devoured it had it existed when I was younger.

[Richie Partington · Rating 5 out of 5]

Richie’s Picks: THE BLACKBIRD GIRLS by Anna Blankman, Viking, March 2020, 352p., ISBN: 978-1-9848-3735-6

“Ain’t it good to know that you’ve got a friend”
-- Carole King (1971)

Nuclear electricity will be “too cheap to meter.”
-- Lewis L. Strauss, Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission (1954)

Most of the largest electric power plants in the world utilize steam turbines.

“In steam turbines, hot water and steam are produced by burning a fuel in a boiler or by using a heat exchanger to capture heat from a fluid heated with, for example, solar or geothermal energy. The steam drives a turbine, which powers a generator. The fuels or energy sources used for steam turbines include biomass, coal, geothermal energy, petroleum fluids, natural gas, nuclear energy, and solar thermal energy.”
-- U.S. Energy Information Administration, “Electricity Explained” (11/5/19)

Before the 1979 Three Mile Island nuclear disaster in Pennsylvania; the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster in the Ukraine; and the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan; I was an active opponent of nuclear power. I spent several years after college involved in the successful intervention to prevent construction of twin nuclear power plants in Jamesport, Long Island.

When the goal is to heat water to turn a turbine and generate electricity, and when there are safe, economical alternatives, it makes no sense to employ a technology that has the potential for irradiating millions of humans, harming the planet, and burdens future generations with spent nuclear fuel rods that must be stored, guarded, and monitored for 10,000 years.

My grave concerns about nuclear technology have since been borne out. It is important that young people understand the terrible price that has been paid through these three major nuclear disasters and other smaller but still deadly accidents. This gripping piece of historical fiction vividly portrays the ecological degradation and loss of human life that resulted from the Chernobyl disaster. That alone makes THE BLACKBIRD GIRLS an eye-opening book for 10-14 year old readers.

But that’s only one of the book’s issues. The other two are anti-Semitism and the physical abuse of children.

Valentina Kaplan’s father is a Chernobyl power plant worker. So is the father of Valentina’s schoolmate and nemesis Oksana Savehenko, who lives in the same apartment building. After the plant explosion, the two schoolmates and their mothers rush to a nearby hospital in search of the fathers. Valentina finds her father in a sea of victims in the hospital dormitory. Although he is still alive, his body is so dangerously radioactive that a doctor unceremoniously drags the girl away from her father before she can become contaminated. Meanwhile, Oksana’s mother learns that her husband died immediately. His body will remain buried within the remnants of the reactor.

“In the case of physical, verbal, and emotional abuse, you may blame yourself for ‘not listening’ and thus make your parent or caretaker so angry that he or she yelled at you or hit you. Children tend to blame the neglect and abuse they experience on themselves, in essence saying to themselves, ‘My mother is treating me like this because I’ve been bad.”
-- Beverly Engel in Psychology Today, “Healing the Shame of Childhood Abuse Through Self-Compassion” (1/15/15)

Oksana has been horribly abused.

“She let out a deep breath, feeling her muscles relax. With Papa gone, no one would hit her ever again. She wouldn’t have to be scared.
No! She was a horrible girl for thinking such a thing. Weak and stupid and mean. Papa had been wonderful. Handsome and clever and quiet and laughing--
She couldn’t breathe.”

During the chaotic evacuation of their city, Oksana’s mother is detained by authorities and whisked away by ambulance because monitoring reveals that she has been exposed to excessive radiation. Oksana’s brutal, now-dead father has imparted his virulent anti-Semitism to her. Thus, Oksana is horrified when she ends up on an evacuation bus in the company of Jewish Valentina and her mother.

With the train system overwhelmed, Valentina’s mother can’t get three tickets for the next phase of their journey, and she sends the two girls on alone. They head, unaccompanied, to Leningrad, Russia, to stay with Valentina’s maternal grandmother. Valentina has never met the grandmother because her mother and grandmother had become estranged over the grandmother’s refusal to stop secretly practicing her Jewish religion. It turns out that the two girls will spend months in Leningrad with the grandmother and without their respective mothers.

THE BLACKBIRD GIRLS is, foremost, a coming of age story set in a perilous time. The story is told, alternatively, from the current (1986) points of views of the two girls and from the past (1941) point of view of the Jewish grandmother, then a solo teenager desperately fleeing the Nazi invasion of the Ukraine.

As would happen forty-five years later for her granddaughter, the grandmother as an adolescent found a friend in her greatest moment of need.

This is a beautiful and sometimes tragic story. While it is set a generation ago, the issues are no less relevant today. THE BLACKBIRD GIRLS is a gripping and emotional read that I could not put down.

Richie Partington, MLIS
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[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

*4.5 Stars*

The only reason I am taking off half a star is because I need to know what happens in the future. No spoilers, so I won’t say more, but this was a really great book about a period I have not read about before. Really engaging characters and no sugarcoating.

[Mattie Vandiver · Rating 4 out of 5]

First book since the beginning of July (yikes!).

I enjoyed this book a lot and the multiple perspectives between Oksana, Valentina, and Valentina’s grandmother. I expected it to be more about Chernobyl when I picked it up, but that was not the case. While it is middle grade, I don’t see it appealing to a lot of my middle schoolers (slower paced, more about friendship/coming of age than history).

Classroom library: totally clean

[Alicia · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lovingly woven story that has both tragedy and hope, there are dual storylines set in two distinct time periods. While I appreciated the historical nature of both events, it would have been a stronger book just focusing on Chernobyl and its aftermath because it's rare that a book for kids to discuss it let alone an American book. We need more stories like this.

And the irony was that I had set the book aside when I received it and realized what it was about (I was just drawn to Blankman who is a local from our area, who we've Skyped with and I saw speak) that I was reading the adult nonfiction about Chernobyl. I put that on the backburner, but I'll be picking it back up again. So the focus deviates with the second storyline in a way that is tolerable but doesn't enhance the book. With my second caveat being that with the age of the characters and a target as a middle grade, it's hefty (in size) and some of the situations seems a little unrealistic. Not the abuse, that's an important inclusion. Not the fear mongering related to religious persecution, but overall in some of the situations they were put in.

It all connected wonderfully at the end showing her skill as a writer for sure, but there's a balance of readership and interest with how the story was ultimately constructed.