(3) YA Aspiring journalist Adrienne and her stepfather travel to Siberia to find a legendary family of Siberian hermits. Disaster strikes, and Adrienne is held captive by the very family about which she planned to write. Irreverent humor brings levity to Adrienne's predicament and plan to escape by seducing the Osinovs' younger son. A suspenseful plot pairs with incisive commentary on the ethics of telling others' stories.

Reviewer: Julie Hakim Azzam

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Ilya Spirin. While hunting for food in the expansive Siberian forest a tiger mother is separated from her cub when a forest fire breaks out. London's lyrical narrative skillfully depicts the mother's (successful) search for her cub. Spirin's dark and expressive illustrations in watercolor, pastel, and gouache support this emotional tale. An author's note provides additional information on Siberian tigers.

Reviewer: Pearl Higgins

(2) 4-6 When thirteen-year-old Marya's parents, deposed aristocrats, are taken by the Soviet secret police, she determines to reunite the family. Her journey with her younger brother, Georgi, is a bold adventure in exotic territory. The desperate plight of Russians under Stalin is only too real. Marya and Georgi, with their perseverance and unfailing love for their parents, win our sympathy, entreating us to see them safely to the end.

Reviewer: Lauren Adams | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2003