Ivan Series by Myrna Grant

 #1: Ivan and his sister Katya are going to the great Moscow circus to see their new friend Volodia perform the amazing triple somersault on this trapeze. But in spite of the fun they can't forget that Volodia's uncle, a great Russian poet, has been imprisoned for critcizing the Communist government. Katya and Ivan long to help. But what can a teenage boy and a ten-year-old girl do against the powerful Secret Police? Read how a key, a car, a foreign journalist and a clown suit help Ivan in one of his greatest adventures.
Pages: 160

#2:Here is Ivan in a brand new adventure. This time he is trying to outwit the Moscow Secret Police who have imprisoned his best friend, Pyotr, in a children's home. Can Ivan rescue Pyotr? Can he find a way to get Pyotr's father, Pastor Kachenko, released from prison? Read how God uses Ivan's skill at football to help his friends and get the better of the Moscow Secret Police.
Pages: 140

#3: Ivan is still having problems. He refuses to join the Communist youth organisations and his classmates make fun of him because of it. Ivan is finding it difficult to make friends as the young people at school mock his faith. Boris tries to force him off the school hockey team, and his teacher tells him that Christians are not allowed to attend any university. Just when Ivan thinks it can't get any worse, disaster strikes. Ivan is taken in for questioning by the police after he attends a secret Bible study. Suddenly even his Christian friends don't trust him anymore. Ivan knows there is an informer somewhere but everybody thinks it is him. How can Ivan clear his name? What will he do?

Pages: 99



 #4: Ivan may not be the most popular boy in the school but he is the best football player they have. However, some of the of the other boys think that Ivan should not be allowed to play on the school team because he is a Christian. The teasing and the bullying continue and Ivan struggles on. Things begin to look up when Ivan and his sister Katya get the chance to travel to the Lenin Collective Farm to help with the harvest. It will be great to have a break from school with plenty of fresh air and exercise. But there's another reason Ivan and Katya can't wait to get there - there just might be a hidden Bible somewhere on the farm - the farm that once belonged to Ivan and Katya's Grandfather!
Pages: 130

#5: Ivan and Katya are in the thick of yet another adventure - Smuggling! Can they carry off a smuggling operation right under the noses of suspicious government officials in Soviet Russia? Can they get the much needed warm clothes back to their needy friends and find out if they can take an even greater risk with Bibles. Read how a secret youth prayer meeting, a family holiday to Hungary and a suitcase of old clothes bring Katya and Ivan close to danger once again as they desperately try to outwit the Secret Police.

 #6: Ivan can't believe it. He didn't think anyone would allow a Christian to win the prize, but he won the All-Moscow History prize. He will get the chance to travel to America but the journey is full of adventure and intrigue. Once again Ivan has to face up to danger and the Secret police. He has heard of people who wish to escape from the Soviet Union and defect to the West and he comes face to face with a defector. Should he help or should he just walk away? Aren't Christians supposed to help everybody? Ivan has some difficult issues to tackle and some nerve-wracking decisions to make. Will Ivan tell the authorities about his friend or will he help them even if it means risking his own life?

Setting: Communist Russia

These books are fiction although the author had travelled extensively throughout the Soviet Union.

Reading level: 9-12 years
Paperback
Size: 109 x 178mm
Christian Focus Publications
Bible Version: none

Available as a series or individually.