Breaking Stalin's Nose by Eugene Yelchin, 2011

Written and illustrated by Eugene Yelchin, Breaking Stalin's Nose is set in Moscow during Stalin's reign. Sasha, a boy on the verge of declaring his devotion to the party and becoming a Young Pioneer, is thrown off kilter when his father is accused of being a traitor and arrested. Convinced that this all must be a big misunderstanding, Sasha expects to see his dad at the Young Pioneers induction ceremony. But when Sasha bumps into a bust of Comrade Stalin, his communist identity begins to unravel and he is shaken to the core.

This is a great piece of middle grade fiction grappling with communism, the Soviet Union, and Stalin, topics that seem difficult for kids (and many adults!) to wrap their heads around. I commend Yelchin for taking on such daunting subjects and creating a character and narrative through which young readers can begin to explore Russian history.  The entire story takes place in a span of 36 hours keeping the pace of the writing quick. That same energy is apparent in Yelchin's sketches which reinforce the tone and feeling whether it be images of cold Moscow nights or glaring members of State Security. Dark concepts are either mentioned or alluded to like the execution of the parents of a child in Sasha's class or the mysterious fate of Sasha's mother. The overall theme or impression left with you is that feeling of distrust that runs rampant in such a society. And instead of a happy ending, you're left feeling uneasy and, in some ways, scared. And that seems to be the point. It might be helpful for young readers to have at least some knowledge of what communism means or who Stalin was or what the USSR was before taking on this book. I suspect they will have many questions about this part of history upon finishing.

You should check out this short message from Mr. Yelchin:

Congratulations on receiving a much deserved 2012 Newbery Honor for Breaking Stalin's Nose!