Misha's Nutcracker is a 184-page novel (for ages eight and up) about an orphan pre-teen boy, Misha. Living on the streets in St. Petersburg, Russia, he sneaks into a theatre where his life is forever changed. He meets a seamstress, a carpenter, a ballerina, and other theater workers involved in the production of the Nutcracker. They take him under their wing, and in so doing let him into a new world that he never knew existed.

Readers will learn some aspects of life in Russia. At the back of the book are two glossaries; the glossary of names helps with pronunciation, and the glossary of terms aids in understanding some of the cultural aspects of the book.

Beautiful illustrations by Alexander "Sasha" Spivak, many in full color, decorate the pages. His unique artistic style is called "Poetic Symbolism." My daughters wish these were on or near the same page as the text to which they correspond, especially to help clarify some ambiguous parts of the story.

Grisha, another street kid who is 14 years old and a friend of Misha's, smokes and drinks (sometimes to excess) and shows a small view of the harder side of the street. At times, my daughters (and husband) found the story line confusing or difficult to follow.

Hope and love prevail even though Misha endures hardships, fear, disappointment, and apparent danger. My daughters, who are ten and twelve, found the story compelling and exciting.