(1) YA Tolstikova's illustrated memoir recounts when her mother relocated to America for graduate school and she, twelve, was left with her grandparents in Moscow. Through present-tense narration, readers follow Dasha's experiences, from a boy crush to uncertainty during the 1991 coup d'état attempt. Pencil and ink illustrations, in mostly whites and grays, emphasize the chilly setting. Color is used sparsely but to great emotional effect.

Reviewer: Elisa Gall | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2016

(4) YA Sherlock Holmes: The Legend Begins series. This third volume in Lane's Holmes series opens with a classic locked-room mystery (spoiler: a knife made of ice is involved) but eventually lands in Moscow as the young Sherlock finds himself a part of the Great Game. While the plot is overcomplicated (but action-packed) and the writing sometimes expository, fans of the series shouldn't hesitate.

Reviewer: Roger Sutton

(2) 4-6 Ivan is one of the thousands of abandoned children living on the streets of Moscow in the mid-1990s when he is adopted by a pack of feral dogs who protect him from gangs and the harsh winter. Well-crafted sentences, lively dialogue, and a remarkable plot line (based on a true story) combine for an absorbing adventure tale that young readers will find irresistible.

Reviewer: Dean Schneider | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2013

(3) K-3 Spirin tells of the time his young son Ilya rescued an injured crow who then became part of the family. Details in the story will appeal to the picture book audience (Martha's penchant for sitting on the artist's head while he drew, for instance). The lush art set in plentiful white space beautifully portrays a Moscow of a few decades ago.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano

(4) YA At age fourteen, Olympia Dowd was one of two Vancouver dancers plucked from obscurity to dance with the Moscow City Ballet on an international tour. Assisted by color photos of performances and rehearsals, Dowd tells the story of her grueling but rewarding year on tour. Ballet fans will enjoy living Dowd's glamorous life vicariously, but the book may be a harder sell for those not already ballet-mad.

Reviewer: Norah Piehl

(4) 4-6 Cities Through Time series. Illustrated by Bob Moulder. These books deliver what their titles promise by a combination of readable text, archival photos and drawings, boxed quotations, and static illustrations. The books consider lower classes as well as middle and upper. Background artwork often creates a problem for textual legibility, but generally these are accurate, brief surveys of the cities and the culture that has evolved in each. Time lines are appended. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Frieda F. Bostian