Whisper Academy. Book 1

Book 1 — CHILDREN OF THE RAVEN

For some reason, one night Papa left on a business trip—and after a few days, Mom and the younger brother disappeared without a trace, leaving Shurka and Tanya alone. “The Raven took them,” everyone whispers. But what kind of Raven is it, and who will show the way to it? The border between the Raven’s city and an ordinary city is easier to cross than anything—except only one way. Only once Shurka understands that the Raven is everywhere in Leningrad in 1938, will the fearless Shurka be able to rise up against its gray kingdom.

Shurka’s and Tanya’s childhood fell on a harsh time: Stalin’s terror, the war, and the postwar years. The fairy-tale novel “Children of the Raven,” the first book in the cycle “Leningrad Fairy Tales,” tells about the dark pages in the history of our country. It speaks of fear and courage, of indifference and hope—and that even in childhood, when you depend on others, on adults, you can and must remain free, despite the times.

Book 2 — THE STOLEN CITY

Leningrad under blockade. The house where Tanya, Shurka, and Bobka—who were left without parents—lived was bombed. Luckily, Aunt Vera has a key to another apartment. But winter is coming, and for some reason the children’s stomachs keep hurting; new neighbors disappear one after another; Aunt Vera is nowhere to be found; and then Tanya loses her food ration cards… The frozen, empty city seems to hunt those still alive, while those you can’t call “alive” start moving again.

Trying to save themselves, the children end up in Tuonela—a world where time has stopped and other laws apply. To get out of there, Tanya, Shurka, and even little Bobka will have to make a choice—otherwise the gray man in the squeaky cart will catch them.

“Stolen City” is the second of five books in the cycle “Leningrad Fairy Tales.” The first, “Children of the Raven,” was named the main event of 2016 in teen literature, made the short list for the “Yasnaya Polyana” literary prize, and entered the international list “White Ravens”—among the best 200 books from 60 countries.