Nice book!
Egg and Spoon
By Gregory Maguire
| Interest Level | Reading Level | Reading A-Z | ATOS | Word Count |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grades 6 - 8 | Grades 3 - 8 | Y | 5.6 | 111262 |
In this tour de force, master storyteller Gregory Maguire offers a dazzling novel for fantasy lovers of all ages.
Elena Rudina lives in the impoverished Russian countryside. Her father has been dead for years. One of her brothers has been conscripted into the Tsar’s army, the other taken as a servant in the house of the local landowner. Her mother is dying, slowly, in their tiny cabin. And there is no food. But then a train arrives in the village, a train carrying untold wealth, a cornucopia of food, and a noble family destined to visit the Tsar in Saint Petersburg — a family that includes Ekaterina, a girl of Elena’s age. When the two girls’ lives collide, an adventure is set in motion, an escapade that includes mistaken identity, a monk locked in a tower, a prince traveling incognito, and — in a starring role only Gregory Maguire could have conjured — Baba Yaga, witch of Russian folklore, in her ambulatory house perched on chicken legs.
Elena Rudina lives in the impoverished Russian countryside. Her father has been dead for years. One of her brothers has been conscripted into the Tsar’s army, the other taken as a servant in the house of the local landowner. Her mother is dying, slowly, in their tiny cabin. And there is no food. But then a train arrives in the village, a train carrying untold wealth, a cornucopia of food, and a noble family destined to visit the Tsar in Saint Petersburg — a family that includes Ekaterina, a girl of Elena’s age. When the two girls’ lives collide, an adventure is set in motion, an escapade that includes mistaken identity, a monk locked in a tower, a prince traveling incognito, and — in a starring role only Gregory Maguire could have conjured — Baba Yaga, witch of Russian folklore, in her ambulatory house perched on chicken legs.
Publisher: Walker Books Ltd
ISBN-13: 9781406361087
ISBN-10: 1406361089
Published on 11/5/2015
Binding: Paperback
Number of pages: 512
Book Reviews (2)
Egg and Spoon is a Russian story about a peasant girl called Elena Rudina who lives in a countryside village, and a girl called Ekaterina, or Cat, who lives among a wealthy family and is heading to the Tsar. Elena's father passed away several years ago, her mother is very ill, and one of Elena's brothers are in the Tsar's army, Elena wishes to have some food, as they are too poor. Meanwhile, Cat is on a train heading towards St Petersburg. Afterwards, an accident happened, and both of the girls changed places, Elena on the train, and Cat in the village. Elena finds a firebird egg and Cat finds Baba Yaga(a witch in Russian legends) and her chicken legged house. At the end, Prince Anton(a prince that escaped from the Tsar's palace), Cat, Elena and Baba Yaga travel to the North Pole and meet an ice dragon who cannot sleep because of everyone's endless wants and wishes, and who is melting the ice with his fiery breath. Cat and Elena become good friends! This book is very magical and adventurous, full of Russian folk stories. I absolutely recommend it for everyone!