This is the best book I have read all year. The imagery, language of the narrator, the differing viewpoints, the folklore, the sass...I loved it.
Elena is a poor peasant girl in Tsarist Russia. Her father is dead, her mother is sick, one brother is a servant, and one was conscripted into the army. When a train rolls into town she "befriends" Ekaterina who is on her way to St. Petersburg with her great-aunt to meet the Tsar's godson. When the train leaves Cat (Ekaterina) fall off with their gift of a Faberge egg, Elena is left in her place. On their differing journeys they meet some interesting characters - Babi Yaga in particular, learn about themselves, and try to rescue Russia with both the Fabrege egg and a Firebird egg.
This truly was a fabulous book. My one concern is length - I don't think my students have the stamina for it and that is really too bad.
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