From the Bookshelf of Mock Newbery 2026

The Blackbird Girls
by
Start date
November 1, 2020
Finish date
November 30, 2020
Discussion
Newbery 2021

Find A Copy At

Group Discussions About This Book

Showing 2 of 19 topics — 526 comments total
+ Newbery 2021
* 2021 ALA Newbery Awards
By Kristen · 23 posts · 244 views
last updated Mar 30, 2021 07:20PM
* 2021 Mock Newbery Winning Selections
By Kristen · 14 posts · 266 views
last updated Feb 16, 2021 02:44PM
showing 1 of 1 topics    view all »
Other topics mentioning this book
Current Poll
By Kristen · 157 posts · 771 views
last updated Sep 21, 2025 05:02PM

What Members Thought

Richie Partington
Apr 18, 2020 rated it it was amazing
Shelves: fiction
Richie’s Picks: THE BLACKBIRD GIRLS by Anna Blankman, Viking, March 2020, 352p., ISBN: 978-1-9848-3735-6

“Ain’t it good to know that you’ve got a friend”
-- Carole King (1971)

Nuclear electricity will be “too cheap to meter.”
-- Lewis L. Strauss, Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission (1954)

Most of the largest electric power plants in the world utilize steam turbines.

“In steam turbines, hot water and steam are produced by burning a fuel in a boiler or by using a heat exchanger to capture heat fro
...more
Kirsten
Beautiful historical fiction. An unusual story about the Chernobyl Nuclear explosion in April 1986 and the aftermath with the government attempting to downplay the disaster and its devastating impact on so many unsuspecting people. Also, a nice generational connection to the personal struggles families faced in WWII Russia. Family physical abuse could be triggering.
Alyson
I remember hearing about Chernobyl when I was in school. The fictional characters, Valentina and Oksana, and I would have been around the same age. I knew so little about what happened and this book felt like a behind the seen look at what occurred. The story is told from the point of view of Valentina and Oksana, both of whose fathers worked at the nuclear power plant. Both are sure their fathers are fine since they've been taught that there is an easy remedy for exposure. The town carries on l ...more
Kristin R
Feb 23, 2022 rated it really liked it
I learned a lot about the aftermath of the Chernobyl disaster in 1986. I was in high school when this happened, but was really unaware of the situation. This tells what happened from the perspective of two girls that lived nearby and their efforts to leave safely. Both their fathers worked at the nuclear power plant. The story is very well written and ties in the girls mother and grandmother and their situation and trying to flee to safety in 1941. One of the girls is Jewish. In light of current ...more
Dawn
Two 11-year-old girls who hate each other are growing up in Pripyat, Ukraine in 1986. When the Chernobyl meltdown happens, they are separated from their parents and sent off to Leningrad, Russia. Valentina is Jewish, though she doesn't really practice her religion. Oksana hates Jews because of her anti-Semitic, abusive father. Both of these things change in Leningrad, where they only have each other and Valentina's grandmother. Rifka's story is also interspersed. She is a Jewish Ukrainian girl t ...more
Jenni
Dec 29, 2020 rated it really liked it
Radiation poisoning is not the only thing these frenemies must face and escape.
Lisa Nagel
Dec 09, 2020 rated it really liked it
A powerful book about friendship, resilience, and self worth.
Regina
Nov 03, 2020 rated it it was amazing
Corey
Apr 28, 2020 rated it really liked it
Scot
Jan 29, 2021 rated it really liked it
Angie
May 05, 2020 marked it as to-read
Julie Williams
Jul 01, 2020 rated it it was amazing
Camille
Aug 06, 2020 rated it really liked it
Lisa Blouch
Feb 11, 2023 rated it it was amazing
Gina
Sep 10, 2020 rated it really liked it
Shelves: children-s-books
Mindy
Sep 14, 2021 rated it it was amazing  ·  review of another edition
Shelves: tls-2022
Becky
Nov 21, 2020 marked it as to-read
Annie
Jan 25, 2021 marked it as to-read
Shauna Yusko
Jan 02, 2022 rated it liked it
Pamsuza
Mar 01, 2021 rated it it was amazing
Kathy
Jul 27, 2022 rated it really liked it
Paige Y.
Jun 20, 2021 rated it really liked it
Julie
Feb 07, 2022 rated it it was amazing
Danielle
Apr 13, 2022 marked it as to-read
Katie
Aug 05, 2022 rated it really liked it