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The Darkest Evening
William Durbin Scholastic, Inc. © 2004 |
The Darkest Evening is a book about a family named the Makis. Their father has plans for them to move from Minnesota to the Soviet Union because he got caught up in the socialists recruiting him for mining. When the Makis get to the Soviet Union, they have it hard at first but after awhile transfer to a different city to help their daughter and two sons with a better Finnish Education. When they first transfer, things finally seem to be looking up for them but they soon realize that the NKVD, or the Russian secret police, are trying to get rid of all the Finns. After the father and one of the sons are taken by the NKVD, the rest of the family decides to escape to Finland before they get taken. When they are just hundreds of meters away, they realize the NKVD has caught up with them.
I find The Darkest Evening suitable for grades 9-12 because learning about the Soviet Union in ninth grade really helps with the understanding of this book. This book, in my view, was excellent because the main character, Jake, has to go through many things, like making new friends in a foreign country and leading his mom and sister across the borders illegally. The book was very well understood and had a good plot. I would recommend it to anyone who likes books with suspense.
~ Andrew Whaley, grade 10, Lakeview High School