Sophie L., Arundel Middle School
“The Blackbird Girls” by Anne Blankman is a powerful story about friendship that sent chills down my spine. It really opened my eyes a lot on all the hatred and discrimination in the world.
This story is based on true events about a disaster that occurred in Chernobyl in 1986. Two young girls that despise each other, Valentina Kaplan and Oksana Savchenko, must escape the Chernobyl disaster together. As they spend more time with each other, they learn to enjoy the company of one another. They learn secrets and discover mysteries that change their view of life and their views of each other.
This book has made me feel all types of emotions: sad, happy, angry, and much more. Once I started reading, I couldn’t stop because of all the curiosity about what was going to happen next. The end of this book had me hoping that there was a sequel along with it. If I could read this book for the first time again, I definitely would.
Readers can gain knowledge about communism and the importance of friendship from this book and how hatred can affect someone’s life so negatively. I recommend this book for teens who enjoy reading about relationships, disasters, history, and mysteries.
Click here to check out The Blackbird Girls by Anne Blankman