I thought this was really well done. I am very interested in Chernobyl and Pripyat and have read a few books based in the area, as well as 'walked' it in the Ukrainian (Russian, perhaps?) version of Google street view. I've read all the tour reports and obviously have read a few nonfiction books on the topic too. I assume it's too do with my obsession with all things post apocalyptic - this is one of the closest accidents we've had in real world terms rather than fiction. I also very much believe in raising awareness of the issues that still exist today for the people who lived nearby and the people that still live there, as well as the existing problems in the area, which is still not safe and will not be for hundreds of years. I try to do my Christmas shopping through Chernobyl charities, and so on!

This book is a good young adult/early teen story. I'd be happy for my ten year old to read it, knowing I'll be able to answer any questions it raises, but it may be more suited for a slightly older child. I enjoyed it an adult, also. It does, as you could imagine, talk about death, and illness, as well as the concept of government cover ups and governments betraying the trust of their people, so not a light read for a youngster. Saying that, there's nothing graphic, violent, or sexual, so it might depend on which issues you are willing to introduce to your youngster!

It reads like a coming of age adventure book about a young girl, Katya, who lives in a small village in the Ukraine, half a mile from Pripyat, and whose father works at Chernobyl Nuclear Power station. Katya likes to explore the woods and imagine fairy folk, but she also likes motorbikes and has a crush on her bike-riding neighbour. One night, after an explosion at the Power plant, her whole life changes.

What I liked most was that this was an exciting fiction story about a young girl growing up, learning who to trust and believe, and how to think for herself, amidst a backdrop of upheaval and change. It works perfectly well just as that. However, what the author has also done, is to set this in a real world setting, surrounded by actual events as they unfolded, with real facts being used in amongst the fiction. It makes the whole tragic story seem real - as it was - and much more immediate than reading one of the many factual reports on the happenings at the time. It makes Pripyat in particular come to life and you can imagine what this now infamous ghost town must have been like before the accident. It doesn't bog you down in facts and figures and doesn't get stodgy or preachy - you discover the facts along with Katya and you feel her horror as she finds out the real details, but there's also a certain level of hope and a feel of life recovering and continuing.

Its a short, quick read at only 254 pages and easy to get into, with enough interesting characters and a likeable narrator in Katya that I think most people should give this a go - they might learn something while they enjoy the story, and I look forward to discussing it, and the topics it raises, with my son fairly soon. ( )

Katya is a young girl who lives with her family in the part of the USSR known as Ukraine. Her father works at a nuclear power station called Chernobyl. Yes, it is that nuclear power station and it is that time, the hours just before and just after the station explodes.I did and I didn’t like this book. Chernobyl is a powerful setting for a novel. The little Ukrainian elements were intriguing, but I wish they had felt less like elements added to the story to give the story a genuine Ukrainian feel. Katya and her friends seemed very American to me. I couldn’t help feeling they should have done more things different from 21st century American teens, given the time and place of the story. ( )