Presentation of the book by Elena Mordovina in the art cafe “Terminal 42”

On March 26, your attention will be presented to the children’s adventure book by Elena Mordovina “The Ghost from Lukyanovka”.

What is this book about? About the adventures of schoolchildren in one big city!

When a miracle is not expected, it will definitely happen. Pupils of an ordinary Kyiv school Kostya and Anton one day see how their classmate passes through the closed door of his own house. They conduct a real detective investigation, as a result of which it turns out that Tyoma and his family are ghosts. It seems to be the most ordinary people: they study at school, work – but at the same time they can easily go “to the Other Side”. The ghosts are in trouble – they want to give the old mansion in which they live as an office center. And then they will have to leave forever in a parallel world. Four friends – Tyoma, Kostya, Anton and Sofiyka – undertake to save the situation …

What city is this? The story was written in Kiev, but it could be any ordinary city where shop windows are lit up, children go to schools, sports clubs and libraries, visit each other and ride trolleybuses and trams through the streets. That is, it could be any big city. It is no coincidence that one of the options for the title of the book was “The Ghost from Pokrovka” – in this way the author wanted to emphasize the universality of the story taking place there. It was under this title that in 2014 the story received the third prize of the Korneichuk festival, which takes place annually in Odessa.

Here is what the famous writer Vladimir Eshkilev writes about the story:

We all suspect that behind the façade of reality lies the shapes, sounds, and smells of other worlds. It can be assumed that people who know more about this walk our streets. The amazing is nearby, but it is… no, not forbidden, but simply embarrassed by its amazingness.

In the story “The Ghost from Lukyanovka”, the boy Kostya accidentally discovers someone who is able to pass through walls and even through the boundaries of dimensions. The wrong side of being is not only surmountable, but also cool. There dwell spherical essences of people, beings, things, streets – both present and past eras. There, too, not everything is simple, and the weary Guardian of the Hypersphere needs an heir.

The story captivates with lovingly written everyday details, careful and respectful consideration of the children’s dimension and perception of the world. A convincing foundation of cause-and-effect relationships is built here, and the magic of the looking-glass filled with spheres is solidly built into the logic and movement of the narrative itself.

The plot of the book (in addition to mystical intricacies) is built around how ordinary schoolchildren save an old house and a library located in it. They do it in a fun way, using intelligence, cunning, skill and a little bit of magic. Nowadays, this topic is becoming relevant in all large cities that need to grow and develop, but at the same time do it so carefully as to preserve the historical appearance and unique atmosphere of each old quarter. Therefore, children and their parents will have the opportunity to discuss the topic “Why and how should ancient buildings be preserved?”

Brief note about the author:

Elena Mordovina

Prose writer, translator, children’s writer. Graduated from the International Solomon University. Biologist by profession. The stories were published in the magazines “Khreshchatyk”, “Voices of Siberia”, “Vienna Writer”, literary almanacs and collections of prose.

Diploma winner of the international Voloshin competition in 2007 and 2008. Finalist of the “Chekhov’s Gift” award in 2011.

The author of two books for adults – Wax Dolls and White Balance, as well as a story for children “The Ghost from Lukyanovka”, which was awarded the Korneichuk Festival award in 2014.

https://uk.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olena_Mordovina