To the Blackboard Goes... Vasilkin!

My name is Dima Vasil’kin. I study in the third “A” and I’m constantly getting into funny stories. Not all of them seem funny right away—for example, when Kostik and I got stuck at his house until late at night. But I still love such cases—telling them afterward is pure pleasure! And what I don’t like is this: “Now, to the board… Vasil’kin!”—the words our teacher, Svetlana Alekseyevna, says every day. For what reason? Doesn’t the “to the board” part mean I don’t have enough adventures? Judge for yourself!

Victoria Lederman’s new book is a collection of instructive and amusing stories from the life of a third-grader, arranged into a single “novel in stories,” gradually revealing the character to the reader. Still, the reader of this character knows him well: Vasil’kin is just like any nine-year-old school kid! Victoria Lederman writes easily and engagingly. She manages to create a truthful and memorable image—as she did in her past books that became real hits (“The Calendar of Ma(й)ya,” “Freshman Girl,” “Only Eleven! or Hugs-and-Kisses in the Fifth ‘D’,” “No Lessons!”).