“The Steel Hairpin”◦ is a book about the lives of several generations of children from the Siberian town of Tureni. It consists of three novels: “The Brig ‘Artemida’,” “Guadelorka,” and “A Butterfly on a Barge.”
The hero of “Guadelorka”◦ is Vanya, a fifth-grader from Moscow, who during the holidays befriended boys and girls from Tureni. Together they enthusiastically delve into unraveling the mystery of the little Russian brig “Artemida.” By getting acquainted with the fates of children from past times, today’s teenagers establish a living connection with them and begin to feel like one big family living in Tureni for three centuries. For them, the laws and traditions of long-ago childhood become reality. And one of those laws◦—the “law of the midday shot”◦—helps the young Muscovite escape trouble and find real friends…