THE FALL OF THE RED STAR

A gripping account of the Hungarian uprising of 1956. Szablya, who escaped from Hungary during the revolution, and Anderson (Safe At Home!, 1992, etc.) tell the story of Stephen, a 14-year-old freedom-fighter whose father was taken away years before. Memories of that trauma haunt his dreams, but his waking hours are even more of a nightmare as he learns to face death and to kill. With an unerring ability to convey the reality of Stephen's hopeless cause without wallowing in excessive gore, the authors effectively portray the street battles, the lurking in basements, the casual and senseless brutality and destruction, and yet the humanity of both the oppressed and the oppressors. It is an intimate story; Stephen and his family and friends struggle to win, to survive, and ultimately to escape, but only hints of the larger sweep of events penetrate the ruined buildings of their Budapest neighborhood. A page-turner from beginning to end, Stephen's story is a powerful introduction to an important event in history. (map, glossary) (Fiction. 12+)