10 Great Middle Grade Books Set in Russia

1st March 2022

Circuses and sorceresses, frozen lands and winter palaces, wolves and water spirits… Wrap up warm and travel with these 10 great middle grade books set in Russia, hand selected from our Kid’s Lit Writer in Residence!

Nevertell by Katharine Orton

Illustrated by Sandra Dieckmann

Born in a Soviet prison camp, Lina has never seen the world outside until the night she escapes with her best friend, Bogdan. As the pair journey across a snowy Siberian wilderness, they are pursued by a vengeful sorceress and her pack of shadow wolves. The children will need every ounce of courage – and a whisper of magic – if they are to survive…

The Blackbird Girls by Anne Blankman

A catastrophic explosion at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant finds Valentina Kaplan and Oksana Savchenko, who’ve always been enemies, on a train bound for Leningrad to stay with Valentina’s estranged grandmother, Rita Grigorievna. In their new lives in Leningrad, they begin to learn of the power of trust and true friendship. But how far would you go to save your best friend’s life? Would you risk your own?

The Tzar’s Curious Runaways by Robin Scott-Elliot

Russia 1725. Katinka Dashkova is running for her life because everything she knows is changing. Katinka, a dazzling ballerina with a hunched back, and her friends Alexei the Giant and Nikolai the dwarf are different. That’s why they are part of Peter the Great’s Circus of Curiosities. But the Tzar is dead and they must flee the Winter Palace. Guided by a special map, they set out across Russia running for their lives.

The Ice Whisperers by Helenka Stachera

Illustrated by Marco Guadalupi

When Bela’s mother dies, she is summoned to deepest Siberia to stay with an uncle she’s never met. Exploring his strange scientific workshop, she uncovers a secret doorway that opens to an icy land, frozen in time and full of legends come to life. But this frozen land is in danger, and it’s up to Bela to find a way to save it. To succeed, she must join forces with the impossible: a long-lost sister she never knew she had, born 40,000 years before…

The Wolf Princess by Cathryn Constable

On a school trip to Russia, Sophie and her two friends find themselves on the wrong train. They are rescued by the beautiful and mysterious Princess Anna Volkonskaya, who takes them to her winter palace and mesmerises them with stories of lost diamonds and a tragic past. But as night falls and wolves prowl, Sophie discovers more than dreams in the crumbling palace of secrets.

The House with Chicken Legs by Sophie Anderson

Illustrated by Melissa Castrillon and Elisa Paganelli

Marinka dreams of a normal life, where her house stays in one place long enough for her to make friends. But her house has chicken legs and moves on without warning. For Marinka’s grandmother is Baba Yaga, who guides spirits between this world and the next. Marinka longs to change her destiny and sets out to break free from her grandmother’s footsteps, but her house has other ideas…

The Wolf Wilder by Katherine Rundell

Illustrated by Marie-Alice Harel

Feodora’s mother is a wolf wilder, and Feo is a wolf wilder in training. Together they train domesticated wolves to be able to fend for themselves in the snowy wilderness of Russia. But not everyone is enamored with the idea. And when her mother is taken captive, Feo must travel through the cold, harsh woods to save her – and learn from her wolves how to survive.

Spies in St. Petersburg by Katherine Woodfine

Translated by Karl James Mountford

It’s 1911 and Sophie is missing in action after an explosive Secret Service Bureau mission in Paris. Lil decides to take matters into her own hands, setting out to track her down in misty and mysterious St Petersburg. But can they uncover the identity of their true enemy – and can they trust anyone, even the Bureau itself? It’s time for Sophie and Lil to put their spy skills to the test. The second instalment of Taylor & Rose Secret Agents.

The Raven’s Children by Yulia Yakovleva

Translated by Ruth Ahmedzai Kemp

1938 Russia is a place of great terror; Joseph Stalin’s Secret Police are everywhere. When seven-year-old Shura’s Mama, Papa and Bobka disappear, the whispers of their neighbours are that his parents were spies, enemies of Stalin and have been taken by something mysterious called The Raven. Desperate to reunite his family, Shura decides to hunt down The Raven, finding help – and danger – in the most unexpected places.

Gamayun Tales (Volumne 1) by Alexander Utkin

Enter a world of magic and adventure in this bold and beautiful comics collection based on traditional Russian folklore. Jam-packed with stories of magical quests and talking animals, golden chests that turn into palaces and encounters with terrifying Water Spirits, there’s no end to the enchantment in these books!

We hope you enjoy our selection of 10 Great Middle Grade Books Set in Russia!

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