Krapivin V. The Boy with a Rapier. For Schoolchildren. Time-Tested

   Childhood is the brightest and most joyful time in everyone's life. It is during childhood
that a person's character, their attitude toward themselves and the world around them, is formed.
   The remarkable children's author Vladislav Krapivin wrote many books devoted to the stages of a teenager's personality development. In the novel "The Boy with a Sword" from the "Sails of Espada" series, the author most fully embodied his conception of the world and the child within it.
   The main character of this work is sixth-grader Seryozha Kakhovsky. An ordinary boy, an eccentric and a dreamer who firmly believes in friendship, honesty, and kindness, fights for good and justice, faces difficult trials, and learns to perform bold deeds and overcome the difficulties that arise without hesitation.
   Together with Seryozha, the "Espada" (Spanish Espada – sword) pioneer fencing squad learns to overcome difficulties. Its prototype was the "Caravela" squad, created and led by Vladislav Krapivin.
   The work, which has undergone numerous editions, is intended for middle school children.
   The text of the novel is presented without cuts, printed on good paper in a large font, and contains color illustrations by M. Ishchenko.
   The medium format and classic design of the edition make it convenient for a home or school library and a manageable weight in a student's backpack.

"The Boy with a Sword" is a trilogy by Vladislav Krapivin about the "Espada" (Spanish espada – sword) children's squad, written in 1972–1974. The novel is part of the larger "Sails of Espada" trilogy. In the novel, Krapivin's conception of the world and the child within it is most fully embodied. According to some researchers, the image of the boy with a sword created by Krapivin is a symbol of a noble person living by the laws of honor, as the sword is an attribute of the nobility