THE SNIPER

THE SNIPER Stalingrad snipers were legends in their time. Their patience, keen eyes, & ruthlessness helped win the Battle of Stalingrad & turn the tide of the Second World War. James Riordan visited Stalingrad in 1959 & several times later. In 2006 he met Tania Chernova, whose story was so fascinating that Riordan made her the heroine of this compelling novel. The year is 1942. Legendary sniper Vasily Zaitsev, who killed a record 242 Nazis, recruits Tania to seek out & shoot German officers. At first, she finds it almost impossible to kill. But when she discovers that her beloved grandparents, along with many of her friends, have been brutally murdered by invading Nazis, she vows to break them like sticks. Following her capture & daredevil escape, she leads a handpicked unit on what seems like a suicide mission to seize Field Marshall Paulus, the Commander-in-Chief of the invading army. But Tania is no ordinary marksman. Author Riordans dramatic narrative & wealth of period detail make this story of one of the lesser-known episodes in World War II history a gripping one. ABOUT THE AUTHOR:JAMES RIORDAN has traveled the world collecting folktales and has published over 30 volumes of stories from different countires. The author of 10 novels for young people, including Match of Death and The Gift, he regularly reviews children's books for The Times (U.K.). He lives in Portsmouth, UK. ISBN: 1-84507-885-3 publish date: 06/01/2009