When Harrison, the son of American diplomats, lands in Moscow at the height of the Cold War, he knows three things.
His passport will keep him safe.
His daydreams will keep him company.
His music will keep him sane.
But everything he knows is about to change.
His father has disappeared. His mother is keeping secrets. And his friend Prudence, the fearless daughter of foreign correspondents, leads him on a wild chase across the city in pursuit of a mysterious stranger.
Suddenly Harrison is on the run from mobsters and spies, who will stop at nothing to get their hands on the unlikeliest treasure: a legendary lost recording by The Beatles, a symbol of freedom in a place where rock is banned.
As international tensions threaten to ignite, Harrison holds the key to finding the album that could prevent war. All he needs is a little help from his friends - but he must decide who to trust, what to risk, and how far to go.
If you enjoyed Anthony Horowitz's Alex Rider series, Elizabeth Wein's Code Name Verity, or Ruta Sepetys's I Must Betray You, you'll love Back in the USSR.


"MASTERFUL ... EXPERTLY PACED ... RIVETING ... 10 OUT OF 10." -The BookLife Prize by Publishers Weekly
"A book about rock 'n' roll and its power to fight suppression, feed the human spirit and kick butt." -Goodreads review
"Read this in two days - couldn't put it down." -Goodreads review
"Vividly painted and irresistible ... a fun, rich, and sophisticated page-turner ... Highly recommended!" -Tim Weed, award-winning author of the young adult adventure Will Poole's Island
"Clever plot twists abound, keeping the reader spellbound up to the colorful and dramatic ending." -Laurel Davis Huber, award-winning author of the historical novel The Velveteen Daughter
"Kept me turning the page to see what happened next, all the while delighting with easter eggs, lyric references and the pure joy that The Beatles bring to the world." -Obadiah Jones, host of Beatles podcast "Gimme Some Truth