About Music and Other Stories

Nina Dashevskaya knows exactly what each of her teenage heroes feels. The same as we all experienced. That’s why it’s so easy to recognize ourselves in her stories, no matter how different we may be. And to understand how amazing the people around us can be. How could it happen that a boy, whom everyone around considered a coward, saves the city from a flood? Why can't the one who has music inside him play it better than anyone else — and why is it so important to not be the most talented? Or why don’t we think about how interesting our unremarkable classmate can be — if we just take the time to get to know him better? “Compass Guide. Selected” is a series of reissues of our best texts. It opens with a collection of stories by Nina Dashevskaya — a holder of the IBBY Honorary Diploma (International Board on Books for Young People) in 2021 and a nominee for the largest award in children's literature — the Astrid Lindgren Prize.