The setting of this book is the city of Stalingrad during World War II. It is about four children who have to fight for survival during the siege of Stalingrad by the Nazis. During this time, there is little food, warmth or safety. The children have no grown-ups to take care of them, they have to constantly search for food, and one of them, Vlad, is also fighting the Nazis. He spends quite a lot of time fighting with other soldiers to keep control of a building. The children feel afraid because the Nazis are everywhere. They stay in their cellar to be safe, but go out to find absolutely anything that is edible, because hunger is always present.

The story brought to life the terrible conditions in the city during the war and the never-ending fear and insecurity the people must have felt. It also made me realize some of the horrific acts the Nazis committed, such as when two of the characters find many Russian children hanged by the Nazis for supposedly spying on them. I'd recommend it because it allowed me to understand something of the Russian experience during the war.

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