The Midnight Diary of Zoya Blume - Hardcover

Cunningham, Laura Shaine

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0060722592 ISBN 13: 9780060722593

Publisher: HarperCollins, 2005

Synopsis

"Your first memory is your point of view," says Zoya's mother. But what is Zoya's first memory? When her mother must leave home, promising to return in seven days, Zoya Blume begins a midnight diary to keep the dark forces at bay. She writes of secrets and of nightmares -- most frightening of all the Buka, a monstrous witch, composed of shadows, who seized her once long ago and now, in her mother's absence, threatens to reclaim her forever.

Can Zoya conquer her fear by facing her past? Memories come like a chill blast from the country of her birth. Yet Zoya finds a guardian in Leon, her mother's magician friend, an ally in her Gypsy neighbor Flynn, and a beacon of hope in the Stone Girl -- a hauntingly beautiful statue in the courtyard.

Only love and truth can save Zoya Blume. On the chance she will lose everything and everyone she loves, Zoya takes the ultimate journey alone one midnight and crosses the border out of childhood and into the adult world, in which joy must coexist with the knowledge that those you love are not immortal. A heartfelt mystery tour that sheds light on every young girl's deepest feelings.

About this title

About the Author:

Laura Shaine Cunningham is the author of the acclaimed memoirs A Place in the Country and Sleeping Arrangements, and the novels Dreams of Rescue and Beautiful Bodies. She is also a playwright and journalist. Her work has been published in The New Yorker, The Atlantic Monthly, and The New York Times. Ms. Cunningham was born and raised in New York, where she now lives with her two daughters. This is her first novel for young readers.

From School Library Journal:

Grade 4-7–At age 4, Zoya Blume was adopted from a Russian orphanage by her quirky single mother, Mimi. Now 12, she has suppressed memories that haunt her in the form of the Buka, a menacing figure who lurks in dark corners waiting for its chance to capture her. Mimi is the only person who can thwart the creature and dispel the darkness, so, when she is hospitalized, Zoya's world is turned upside down. She begins a journey of self-discovery aided by Leon, a magician friend of Mimi's who has come to look after her, and the contents of the plaid suitcase that she brought with her from Russia. This is a quiet coming-of-age novel about a girl facing her fears about death and the possibility of losing the most important person in her life. The characters are unique and strongly developed, and Zoya's first-person narrative, written as a diary, is honest and sometimes lyrical. Give this book to readers who enjoyed Kevin Henkes's Olive's Ocean (Greenwillow, 2003).–Michele Capozzella, Chappaqua Public Library, NY
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About this edition

• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 0060722592
• ISBN 13: 9780060722593
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 176