Six Thousand Thoughts of Lina Koval

In the book, there are two stories about Lina Koval. In the first, she is 15 years old, and in the second — two years older. Amidst the most ordinary days and events, when scarves are wrapped over jackets, the trams smell of tangerines, and maracas are played in underground passages, the heroine observes this world and matures.

At first, Lina cannot get used to the fact that her mother has a painter. Later, a real miracle happens to her — her first job, and not just any job, but a hundred-year-old marble staircase in the opera house! Here, she also finds a new friend, and together they investigate the mysterious case of the missing dress of an opera singer.

In general, you won't be bored with Lina. In the pantry, she sets up a clothing museum, composes an important poem overnight, unexpectedly falls asleep during geography class after work, worries about her neighbor and best friend Kira, and she has thoughts that are simply countless!

The writer and playwright Anastasia Maleyko is a philologist by education. She teaches students at the Institute of Culture about the history of world theater. Perhaps that's why something related to theater can be found in each of her stories.

Moreover, Anastasia is convinced that the best books are those that sit on a teenager's shelf, which parents sneakily take and devour in a couple of evenings. "That's exactly what I did when my son was thirteen," she adds. The first story about Lina Koval, "My Mom Loves the Artist," became a laureate of the V. Krapivin Prize in 2013 and was published by "KompasGid" in 2015.

The image of Lina and the atmosphere of the stories are wonderfully embodied on the cover by the artist Masha Sudovykh.