A Time of Miracles

Bondoux, Anne-Laure. (2009). A Time of Miracles. New York: NY, Delacorte Press.

      A mother goes to extremes to keep her child safe.  Gloria is raising Blaise and tells him the story of how she rescued him from a derailed train.  In the story his mother is carted away but we never know what becomes of her and Blaise is raised by Gloria in the midst of the collapse of the Soviet Union.  Throughout the collapse is severe political unrest and Gloria and Blaise flee the civic chaos.  Gloria heads toward France but when the path becomes too dangerous she finds passage for Blaise and is left behind.  As Blaise grows up he struggles to understand his identity and searches relentlessly for his mother, but when that search proves fruitless he realizes he must find Gloria.  This story is heartbreaking and extremely insightful.  (5th grade and up).