• Age: 12 to 18
• Grade: 7 to 12

The evocative story of Katya's epic winter journey through Prussia and her eventual imprisonment by the Red Army. It is January 1945, the last winter of the Second World War, and East Prussian civilians flee as the feared Red Army invades Germany in the wake of the impending Nazi defeat. Katya and her two sisters join thousands of others trudging to the Baltic Sea in the hope of escaping imprisonment. But in a raid on a night-time hiding place, Katya is separated from her sisters and forced to take a long and shameful journey back into the Soviet Union, a country she fled as a child when her home was destroyed. Captured and imprisoned by the Russians, she is forced to endure hunger, back-breaking work and filthy conditions labouring in a mine deep in the Ural Mountains. But Crow Stone is also a story of friendship and the small acts of mercy that help Katya survive her ordeal. The novel is inspired by Gabriele Goldstone's mother's powerful memories of more than two years in a Soviet forced labour camp. A remarkably contemporary tale of invasion and the plight of refugees.

Gabriele Goldstone writes the books she wanted to read when she was growing up in the Winnipeg suburbs. As the daughter of immigrants, she couldn’t find her family stories in any books and instead escaped into the world of Nancy Drew. She holds a masters’ degree from the University of Manitoba, focusing on German literature, and a BA in English. She is a critically acclaimed author of books for children and young adults, including Crow Stone, Tainted Amber, and Broken Stone.

Gabriele Goldstone's profile page

"Goldstone paints the horrors of war vividly and comprehensively. [Crow Stone is] difficult, harsh, and worthy of attention."- Kirkus

"An engaging story from the start."- Booklist

"Packed with vivid detail, Crow Stone gives an unflinching view into the horrors and unbearable loss of the Second World War and its aftermath."- Barbara Nickel, BC & Yukon Book Prize winner

5 Stars "Highly Recommended"- CM: Canadian Review of Materials

Selected for Best Books for Kids and Teens

"Inspired by the powerful memories shared by Goldstone's mother, who spent over two years in a Soviet-forced labour camp, Goldstone, an award-winning author of five books, skillfully wrote this riveting, not overly graphic, compassionate survival story from a unique German-Russian perspective. Highly recommended for high school students." – BC Books for Schools