6 YA Reads for Russophiles
Whether your fascination with Russia is its rich history, unique architecture, fur-tastic fashion, fraught history with the U.S., or something else entirely, YA may just have something that speaks to your Russophilia and your soul. From spies in the Cold War era to Siberia under Stalin, here are our favorite books that bring Russian history to life through stories both realistic and fantastical, and everywhere in between.
Sekret and Skandal, by Lindsay Smith
Yulia’s special abilities make her a perfect target for KGB capture and use for their own purposes in 1963 Cold War Russia. She’s quickly swept into a world of fellow teen spies with psychic abilities, who rely on each other to survive with their sanity and some measure of mental privacy intact. But in a world like hers, there’s only so much anyone can be trusted. One of my favorite duologies in YA, period, Smith’s well-researched and carefully depicted stories and settings are as educational as any history books and about a billion times more entertaining.
The Boy on the Bridge, by Natalie Standiford
It’s 1982 and American Laura Reid is studying abroad in Leningrad for the semester, where she pairs up with Russian artist Alexei, who immerses her in the culture of his country. But it’s the peak of the Cold War, and their relationship is a forbidden one…and one that can’t help leaving Laura with suspicions about Alexei’s true intentions, knowing she’s in a time and place where desperation can easily lead to betrayal.
Tsarina, by J. Nelle Patrick
Natalya and (an implicitly aged-up) Tsarevich Alexei Romanov have a magnificent future ahead, until the revolution turns Russia upside-down and brings an end to the royal line. Now Natalya is swept up in the turning tide, and the one thing that may help save her beloved country: a magical Fabergé egg. But the revolutionaries are going for the egg, too, and the more Natalya learns about life outside the aristocracy, the less certain she becomes about who should hold the key to Russia’s salvation. Some historical modification to be sure (and noted by the author at the end of the book) turns this 1917 fantasy into a lush, unexpectedly romantic, utterly magical story of politics, revolution, love, and loyalty.
Between Shades of Gray, by Ruta Sepetys
Lina is a fifteen-year-old girl living in Lithuania during World War II when she and her family are rounded up and sent to labor camps in Siberia. Separated with her mother and brother from her father, Lina gets through the brutal conditions by drawing, hoping her work will find its way to him and help reunite the family. But the danger of getting caught and the consequences of doing so is all too real, and Sepetys’s portrayal of every step from roundup to traveling north to daily life in Siberia is chilling, emotional, compelling, and deserving of every last award.
The Gathering Storm, by Robin Bridges
Katerina is of royal blood on both sides, but if she’s discovered to possess the dark power of necromancy, none of her family ties will be able to save her from the Russian law that burns witches at the stake. It doesn’t help that she’s being advised and potentially manipulated on all sides, or that she keeps bumping heads with one of the Tsar’s sons, who sees the magic in her and all its evil potential. Drawn to both him and her classmate’s brother, the prince of Montenegro, whose preternatural powers of seduction belie some dark magic of his own, Katerina must make choices about her future, her safety, and where her loyalties lie.
The Family Romanov, by Candace Fleming
The ever-intriguing and tragic Romanov family goes under the microscope in this nonfiction multi-award winner. An educational account of their history and last days told through letters, diary entries, photographs, and primary sources, and set in the greater context of the historical events surrounding Russia’s final royal family’s violent demise, this is a must-read for teen Russophiles.