OPENING LINES:

You have never been so hungry. You have never been so cold.

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Lev Beniov is a 17-year-old just trying to survive the siege of Leningrad by doing some petty thieving, when he is caught by the Soviet army and sentenced to death. Unless… he agrees to help a crazy colonel who wants a dozen fresh eggs.  Not the easiest thing to find in a blockaded city full of starving people.  On his quest he is joined by a another man convicted of desertion, and it is the relationship between the two as they face perils terrifying and ridiculous that form the heart of the story.  This book is just begging to be made into a movie, and a more appealing mix of buddy picture and touching coming of age story would be hard to find. Full of humor amid the horrors of war, it is the immensely appealing characters that carry this vivid WWII story.
Check the BPL Catalog for this title: City of Thieves