Burying the Sun

October 1, 2004
In Burying the Sun by Gloria Whelan, the third title in the series that began with Angel on the Square, 14-year-old Georgi (the younger brother of Marya who narrated The Impossible Journey) and his family face a German invasion in the midst of WWII. Starvation, icy temperatures and death plague Leningrad, as the Russians struggle to survive. .

November 1, 2004
Gr 5-8-Haunting images and elegant prose make this companion to The Impossible Journey (2003) and Angel on the Square (2001, both HarperCollins) memorable. Fourteen-year-old Georgi; his sister, Marya; and their mother live in a tiny apartment in Leningrad in 1941. As news of the advancing German army reaches the city, the residents prepare for war. Georgi, too young to join the Russian army, volunteers wherever he can. Marya works at the Hermitage museum, where she helps pack up the magnificent artwork to be shipped away for safe storage. As the German army moves closer and begins bombing, the city is cut off from outside help. Starvation sets in, and the citizens struggle to survive. Georgi, his family, and their neighbors keep hope alive by focusing on the beauty in the world, from a chocolate bar to a Shostakovich symphony. The lilting writing style and simple dignity of the characters help construct an honest portrait of everyday life in extraordinary circumstances. From the renowned poet Anna Akhmatova reading her work on the radio to the first bloom of spring flowers, the people cling to visions of light. The plot moves quickly, but the bleak details of war are not spared. The staunch determination of the human spirit will linger with readers long after the last page is turned.-Kristen Oravec, Cuyahoga County Public Library, Strongsville, OH

Copyright 2004 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from October 15, 2004
Gr. 5-8. This companion book to " Angel on the Square" (2001) and " The Impossible Journey " (2003) continues the story of a Russian family struggling for survival in troubled times. The narrator is 15-year-old Georgi, the year is 1941, and the setting is Leningrad, where German forces are bombing and blockading the city. Georgi's sister, Marya, a Hermitage employee, escapes with museum artwork for safe keeping; their mother goes to the front as a nurse. Georgi and his friends remain to cope with the relentless cold, their debilitating hunger, and the death and destruction around them. Despite the first-person narration, the story is a bit reserved, refusing to milk the characters' suffering for an easy emotional response. Instead, Whelan creates a memorable, perhaps indelible, picture of a particular time and place. A recurring theme is the power of art, represented by the paintings and by the symphony written by Shostakovich for his imperiled city. No art lover should miss the absurd, yet ultimately moving, scene in which Georgi gives a farmer-turned-soldier his first tour of the Hermitage. Pointing to empty frame after empty frame, Georgi describes in vivid detail the paintings that belong within them. A brief author's note, a glossary, and a bibliography are appended. (Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2004, American Library Association.)