Igor and the Cranes' Journey

Plot Summary

Since his parents' divorce, 11-year old Igor cherishes the yearly visits to his dad, a dedicated ornithologist, who lives in the Russian countryside at a crane observation centre. On an especially rewarding trip, Igor gets to watch the impressive sight of a baby crane hatching. He names the baby “Karl”.
Back at his mother's house in the city, Igor is shocked to learn that she has decided to move them both to Israel and start a new life there. Igor wants to stay home in Russia with his dad and gets very upset when he realizes that he can’t because his dad needs to travel to complete his research mission. He is tracking the cranes on their migration to Africa and updating a website with regular blogs about the birds' progress, with special reports about baby Karl and his parents.  Migration turns out to be a very challenging experience for both Igor and Karl. Igor is lonely and unable to communicate with the other children in Israel, and Karl's parents become early victims of the hazardous migration route, leaving the baby crane alone with little chance of survival.  Igor slowly befriends Vered, a smart girl who inspires him to come up with an amazing plan: building a winter home for Karl in Israel and spare him from the last dangerous leg of the journey! Fighting for this plan with courage and imagination, Igor evolves from an outsider to a leader while his classmates start to form a close-knit team around him – but will Karl be able to make it all the way to his new home in the face of danger and adversity?