Cover of The darkest evening

The darkest evening

by William Durbin

Reading Level 5 Moderate (Lvl 3) Ages 9-12

The text is written at a 5th grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for middle graders (ages 9–12), and the content has moderate intensity with some emotionally heavy themes.

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About This Book

Set in the 1930s, a young Finnish-American boy faces the challenges of relocating with his family to Karelia, a communist region in Russia. As his father’s dream of a perfect communist society begins to crumble, the boy discovers the complexities of loyalty, hope, and reality in a changing world.

Representation & Themes

MulticulturalEmigration and ImmigrationHistoricalFamilySocial Justice

For Parents

Content Intensity

Level 3 — Moderate
Gentle Mild Moderate Intense Very Intense

Real stakes and emotional weight. May include sustained danger, loss, or bullying.

Content Flags

Historical Conflict Political Ideology Family Change
Data confidence: standard

Details

ISBN
0439373077
Pages
232
Publisher
Orchard (NY)
Published
2004
Type
Fiction
Word Count
40,854

Genres

Juvenile Fiction

Subjects

Finnish Americans -- Russia (Federation) -- Karelia -- Juvenile fiction.Finnish Americans -- Russia (Federation) -- Karelia -- Fiction.Emigration and immigration -- Fiction.Communism -- Fiction.Karelia (Russia) -- Fiction.Russia (Federation) -- History -- 20th century -- Fiction.CommunismFinnish AmericansJuvenile fictionFictionEmigration and immigrationHistorySt. Cloud State UniversityPublicationsFacultyImmigration and emigrationChildren's fictionEmigration and immigration, fictionCommunism, fiction

Places

Russia (Federation)KareliaKarelia (Russia)