The Turning

Publishers Weekly

Several new entries continue favorite sagas and series. Gloria Whelan continues her history of Russia, explored through the fictional characters first introduced in Angel in the Square, set in 1913 under Tsar Nikolai II (in a starred review, PW wrote, "Whelan shows both sides of the Russian revolution in a sympathetic light"). In The Turning, readers meet Tatiana, the granddaughter of Georgi, the narrator who faced Germany's WWII invasion of Russia in Burying the Sun. The story picks up just months before the August 1991 coup attempt that led to the collapse of communism in the Soviet Union, as Tatiana, a dancer in the Kirov Ballet, decides whether to defect. Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Children's Literature

Whelan returns to her exploration of Russian history with this novel set during the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991. Tatiana, a promising young ballerina with the Kirov Ballet of St. Petersburg, is tempted to defect during an upcoming French tour. She weighs the loss of her family, a serious boyfriend, and her country against the possibility that she could be a star in a more comfortable country, sending money home. Suspense centers on whether or not she will make the trip, her friend Sashas plan to defraud an English art buyer, and, when she actually reaches Paris, how she will decide. In the background, exciting political events are taking place—Yeltsin wins an election and Tatiana is accidentally caught up in events surrounding an unsuccessful coup attempt by old guard Communists. Perhaps it is the old family tradition of political involvement that convinces her, but conveniently her friend's plans change, as well. This stand-alone story is the fourth in a set of books about 20th century Russian history that began with Angel on the Square, set during the Russian revolution. Tatianas great-grandmother Katya is the protagonist in that book; her grandfather Georgi, from The Impossible Journey and Burying the Sun still lives with her in this novel, still works for democracy for his country, and still loves the Hermitage. Heavy on the description of Russian daily life and the ballet world and light on character development, this book will be of most interest to fans of Whelans previous books and new readers who care passionately about ballet. A glossary of Russian words and French ballet terms is appended. 2006, HarperCollins, and Ages 10 to 16.
—Kathleen Isaacs

VOYA

Fans of Whelan's Russian epics will be thrilled that she has written another story focused on the history of that country. This novel, however, does not require any knowledge of the other books, although reading it will probably encourage fans to seek out the earlier epics. As is the case with most of Whelan's stories, this text portrays a strong young woman faced with difficult decisions. Seventeen-year-old Tatiana, a member of the Russian ballet, must decide if she will defect to France when she is chosen to dance with the troupe in Paris during the spring of 1991. To do so means leaving the family she loves in a country troubled and torn by political strife. Tatiana is pulled in both directions about her choice. Leaving assures a better future, whereas staying requires being hopeful for one. Readers will easily relate to what it means to make difficult decisions, for Tatiana makes many that will be familiar to them. Although the one to flee her country is certainly the most pressing, she must also decide on everyday issues of right and wrong, how she feels about an old friend who is clearly changing, and what to do to help someone she knows is in danger. As with all of this author's books, readers learn that there are no easy choices in life, only the hope for good ones. Whelan fans will want this book yesterday, but its timeless themes will keep tomorrow's fans reading as well. VOYA CODES: 4Q 2P M J (Better than most, marred only by occasional lapses; For the YA with a special interest in the subject; Middle School, defined as grades 6 to 8; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9). 2006, HarperCollins, 224p., and PLB Ages 11 to 15.
—Elaine J. O'Quinn

School Library Journal

Gr 5-8-In 1991, 17-year-old Tanya is encouraged by Vera, another member of the Kirov Ballet Corps, to defect with her when the company goes on tour to Paris. The teens come from very different backgrounds. Vera's family is rich because of her father's black-market dealings, while Tanya's family has sacrificed a lot to allow her to pursue her career. Vera dreams of escaping the dreariness of the Soviet Union, while her friend thinks of defection as a way to better her career opportunities. Tanya's personal turmoil and worries are mirrored in the political strife around her. Her grandfather has always been politically active, and there is great excitement as the struggle for power goes on between Gorbachev and Yeltsin. The author has successfully woven Russian history and culture into this story. The day-to-day rivalries and jealousies among the dancers at the ballet company are believable enough to hold readers' interest. There is also a hint of romance between Tanya and a talented artist who is almost caught up in some illegal art dealings to pay for the medicine his grandmother needs. Tanya is an appealing, thoughtful heroine whose political awareness and integrity will encourage readers to think about the importance of decisions and events in people's lives.-Carol Schene, Taunton Public Schools, MA Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

Tanya, 16 years old in 1991 and a principal dancer with Leningrad's Kirov Ballet, is both a witness to the events of a dramatic summer and a participant in Russia's fledgling steps toward democracy. Though the events of this story begin just after the Vilnius massacre in Lithuania, Tanya's focus is on the Ballet's upcoming visit to Paris, and on her own tentative plans to defect while there. Rising political tensions are felt in her family's daily discussions of events. The company's stay in Moscow, en route to Paris, gives Tanya an opportunity to convey important information from her grandfather (Georgi, the hero of Whelan's earlier Russian novels) to an official in the Kremlin. While there, she is caught up in the events of the August 19th attempted coup. Whelan deftly covers a lot of territory swiftly and a bit breathlessly, from a look at daily life in the late 20th-century USSR with its ubiquitous poverty and corruption, to a peek at momentous historical events (both Rostropovich and Yevtushenko make an appearance during the siege on the Kremlin) as nearly a century of Soviet hegemony and communism in Russia unravels. (Fiction. 10-14)