Chapter 2
Lena's grandfather, Nikolai Nikolaevich Bessoltsev, returned to his native land after an absence of almost thirty years. He wanted to spend the rest of his life here, in his house, which was almost a hundred years old. Here he felt happy again. Even the diseases have receded. The house was in a deplorable state. Grandfather, to the best of his ability, slowly tried to restore it. In the city they were wary of the eccentric old man. They respected, but shunned. He didn't make any friends. Didn't celebrate holidays. He spent all his savings on buying rare paintings. There was no money left even for clothes. For this reason, he wore a coat that was worn to holes. There were huge patches on the sleeves. Because of them, the kids gave him the nickname “patcher.” He would have died in sadness and loneliness if his granddaughter Lenka had not appeared in his life. A twelve-year-old, awkward teenager with two pigtails sticking out in different directions.
Main characters
Lena Bessoltseva (“Scarecrow”) is the twelve-year-old granddaughter of Nikolai Nikolaevich, sent to her grandfather by her parents. Lena is an ugly girl. Behind the external unattractiveness of “Scarecrow” lies a kind and sympathetic soul. To save her friend, Lena takes the blame upon herself. For the first time in her life, she is faced with anger, selfishness, cowardice and deception. Finding herself in the position of a “hunted hare,” the girl shows courage and courage.
Nikolai Nikolaevich Bessoltsev (“The Patcher”) is Lena’s grandfather. Residents of the city consider Bessoltsev a gloomy and greedy old man. Only after his departure do many understand that Nikolai Nikolaevich is an honest and selfless person who devoted his life to art and preserving the historical memory of his native city.
Dimka Somov is Lena’s peer, the informal leader of a group of sixth-graders. In the eyes of those around him, Dimka looks like a brave and fair boy, a real hero. In fact, he is a coward and a “traitor”, capable of any meanness in order to maintain his authority.
Dimka’s company (Ryzhy, Shaggy, Valka, Mironova, etc.) are the “ringleaders” of the sixth grade, striving to control the rest of the students and turning a blind eye to their own shortcomings.
Margarita Ivanovna is a class teacher in the sixth grade. As the story progresses, the teacher gets married. Having found family happiness, the woman is inattentive to her students and becomes one of the culprits of “bullying” Lena.
Chapter 4
Lenka's classmate Valka hurried to his friends, Shaggy and Red. Today is Dimka Somov's birthday. All that remains is to wait for the beautiful Shmakova with her boyfriend Popov. What was still missing was Mironova, nicknamed the Iron Button. Principled, with a strong will, she did not let anyone down. This time, at her instigation, the thin, bespectacled Vasiliev got it for refusing to go to Dimka. Seeing Lena, the teenagers began calling her a scarecrow, demanding that she leave the city. Lena's grandfather witnessed the unpleasant scene. She had to tell him the truth.
Other characters
- Margarita Ivanovna is a young teacher, class teacher of 6-A, kind, fair, but obsessed with her personal life.
- Mironova (Iron Button) is a principled girl, embittered at the whole world, with powerful leadership abilities.
- Shmakova is the main beauty in the class, a mean and cunning girl.
- Valya is a ruthless, selfish boy who catches stray dogs and sells them to a slaughterhouse for money.
- Shaggy is the main strongman in the class, the son of a forester.
- Red is a boy who plays the role of a jester in the class.
- Vasiliev is a principled and decent, but at the same time weak-willed classmate of Lena.
Chapter 5
No matter how hard Lena tried to join the new team, her classmates did not want to accept her into their company. Friendly and sweet, a little naive, she laughed with them when the guys called her grandfather a “patcher.” She thought they were just joking. Later she realized that they are not what they seem at first glance. Evil and heartless. Their family's poverty is like a red rag to a bull. Because of her grandfather’s poverty, they began to call her Scarecrow. Only Dimka did not mock her. He even gave up his seat at the desk. One day the class was asked to spend the holidays in Moscow. The guys worked part-time, putting every ruble into a common money box.
Chapter Five: First days at a new school
Lena was new to the class. She hoped to join the team, but something did not go according to plan. The class teacher asked to introduce the girl to her classmates. Lena smiled, wanted to seem nice and friendly, but the children laughed at her. They knew the girl’s grandfather and called him “Patchmaker.” Lena thought that the guys were just joking and having fun and laughed with them. But then she began to realize that the guys were not as friendly as she thought.
But there was one boy in the class, Dima Somov, he did not laugh with everyone and seemed very nice to Lena, he even let the girl sit at the desk with him, although Shmakova had sat with him before. She looked at the new girl with contempt, but sat down.
The class was invited to go on an excursion to Moscow during the holidays. They decide to earn money themselves and start working part-time. Children worked in a factory, on a state farm, in a garden, and put the money into a common piggy bank. Lena also worked with the guys, although they constantly made fun of her. Dima defended the girl all the time, which earned her favor. At the toy factory, children attacked her in animal masks, and only Dima came to her rescue.
And one day Lena saw how a boy saved a dog from the flayer Vitka and his brother Petka, who hit the boy. Then Dima became a real hero in her eyes, she invited him to be friends and kissed him. So Lena made a friend. But then Petka and Vitka returned with the caught dog, and Dima, rushing at Vitya, again received a painful blow from his older brother. Under the threat of another blow, he agreed not to hand over his brothers. After they left, he advised Lena not to get into trouble, and she agreed with him.
Chapter 6
The required amount has been collected. We decided to celebrate the event by going to the cinema. The guys run away from the last lesson, except for Shmakova and Popov. They didn't have time. They had to stay in the classroom and hide when they saw the classmate entering the office. At this time, Dimka returned for the piggy bank and caught the woman’s eye. She demanded an explanation. Dimka held out until the last moment, until she called him a coward. Lena also heard this conversation. At that moment she was standing at the door. When she and Dimka returned to the guys, Lena expected him to confess everything, but no. Dima was stubbornly silent.
Chapter 7
The guys were completely surprised by the news that there would be no trip. It's all because of the collective disruption of the lesson. The teacher herself got it from the director, but the children did not want to listen to her explanations. The class was outraged, considering the current situation unfair. They were offended and were not going to meet the class halfway. Margarita Ivanovna, succumbing to emotions, breaks the piggy bank in anger. The guys tried to figure out the traitor, and the first person to fall under suspicion was Dimka Somov. They remembered that he was returning to class. Lena waited for him to tell everything himself, but in vain. He is a coward. Taking pity on her classmate, the girl takes the blame upon herself. From that moment on, the class boycotted her, without even understanding what had happened.
Chapter 9
Lena decided to change her hairstyle and shorten her hair. Somov at first wanted to wait for her, but changed his mind. He was sure that nothing would happen to Lenka and left, leaving her alone. Classmates waylaid the girl, taking advantage of the situation. They surrounded her and began to mock her. They called her a scarecrow and a traitor. If Red's mother had not stood up for the girl, it is unclear how the matter would have ended. Vasiliev admitted to Dima that he did not believe Bessoltseva was guilty and that he had liked her for a long time. Somov asks him to try to persuade Lena to leave the city.
Chapter 10
In the evening there was a knock on the window. Lena looked out and recoiled from the glass in fear. The bear's head was staring at her. At that moment, the grandfather entered the room, enthusiastically talking about his new acquisition. The girl didn’t even understand what he was talking about. I was so impressed by what I saw. The knock was repeated. This time Nikolai Nikolaevich himself approached the window. He managed to catch the joker by tearing off his mask. Underneath it was Somov himself. Lena couldn't believe it. She refused to accept the terrible truth, naively believing that he was forced to do this. She had to be convinced of this when she found out that Dima was in cahoots with his classmates and himself was giving ideas on how to poison her more sophisticatedly.
Chapter Thirteen: Climax
The girl went to the hairdresser and shaved off all her hair (this is exactly what her distant relative (“Mashka”) looked like, painted by an artist from their family). Her grandfather described her as a heroine who, having lost her fiancé at the front, never married anyone else and dedicated her life to helping people.
At the hairdresser, Aunt Klava refused to cut Lenka’s hair after learning about her betrayal. Because of this, her son did not meet his father. But the girl told her everything, she believed and demanded that she never forgive the traitor. She wanted to console her with a new haircut, did not agree to make her bald, but Lena grabbed the scissors and cut off her hair herself.
With a bald head and a burnt dress, the girl came home to Dima. There she turned to everyone and said about Valka that he is a flayer, and the children still communicate with him, although they consider themselves ideological. She mockingly congratulated Dima on his birthday, pointing out his unnatural fear. She wished everyone fun and congratulated them on their victory over her: she’s leaving! But then the girl added that she felt sorry for everyone who tormented her. No one dared to object to her or hit her, only Valka awkwardly made excuses.
After Lena left, Shaggy caught Valka’s habits and exposed his vile activity. Valka threatened him with his brother, and the guys realized that it was these people who shot the hand of Shaggy’s father, the forester. After this, Valka found himself on Shaggy’s leash, but the Iron Button ordered him to be released after his plea, saying:
“I didn’t expect this from Scarecrow,” the Iron Button finally broke the silence. - I hit everyone. Not every one of you is capable of this. It’s a pity that she turned out to be a traitor, otherwise I would have become friends with her... And you are all wimps. You don't know what you want.
Valka was expelled from the team. Mironova left, despite Dima’s attempts to keep her. Shaggy and Red followed her. The remaining Shmakova told Dima everything: they heard his confession to the teacher. She told Popov to be silent, but he ran out of the room. Shmakova said that they would not tell anything, because they feared for their fate in the team, and now she and Dima should be at the same time. He obediently handed her the cake and took Popov’s place. Dima felt sorry for himself, but he could not do anything about it: he did not have the strength to take a decisive step, and all his dreams of an honest life were shattered.
Chapter 11
Dima was ashamed. He decided to apologize to Lena. In a fit of feelings and repentance, he kisses the girl. Valka saw all this. He grabbed Lenka's dress from a rope stretched in the courtyard of the house and ran out of the yard. Dima runs after him. Lenka follows him. Valka beat him to it. He talks about what he saw in Lena’s yard. Dima was surrounded in a ring. A fight broke out. He tried to admit his betrayal, but he got scared again and said that he was just joking. Lena ran into the barn and rushed to defend Dima, again taking the blame upon herself. Then the guys started throwing her dress around. When it ended up in Dima’s hands, he did not return it to the girl, but transferred it to someone else. The dress was eventually pulled over a garden scarecrow. By order of Mironova, Somov set it on fire. Lena rushed to put out the fire to remove the dress from the scarecrow. Having received a burn, she ran away in tears to the river, where no one could stop her from licking her emotional wounds.
A summary of the story “Scarecrow” in detail by chapter.
Author: Vladimir Zheleznikov
Chapter 1. Meet Lena
A sixth-grader girl runs through the streets of a provincial town home to her grandfather, she mentally turns to him, begging for an urgent move.
Chapter 2. Nikolai Nikolaevich Bessoltsev - a strange collector
The author talks about the Bessoltsev family. Nikolai Nikolaevich returns to his hometown, to his old house. He is respected, but not understood in this town.
The hero is unsociable and is engaged in restoration and collecting paintings. One day he is spotted accompanied by a girl. He declares her his granddaughter Lena. In the fall, the girl goes to 6th grade.
Chapter 3. Quarrel between grandfather and granddaughter
The beginning of autumn brought only joy to Lena, but in November everything changed. She returned home in a bad mood and asked her grandfather for money for a ticket to return to her parents.
The grandfather refused, then the girl threatened to steal and sell one of his paintings. For this she received a slap in the face and ran away without explaining the essence of the problem. Grandfather went after her.
Chapter 4. Dima Somov's birthday
All the guys are going to celebrate their birthday. Everyone except Vasiliev, for which he receives a good blow and broken glasses.
Lena, whom excited classmates meet on the road, gets even more. The girl is surrounded, teased as “Scarecrow” and demanded that she leave their city. Lena's grandfather finds this scene.
He intervenes and says that it is not fair for a crowd to go against one. But Nikolai Nikolaevich faces a decisive rebuff - the Iron Button declares that he should be ashamed of his granddaughter. And why? Let her tell it herself.
The company leaves to visit Dima, the grandfather and granddaughter go home. Nothing can drown out the fun of schoolchildren - the sounds of the holiday haunt the Bessoltsevs. Lena decides to tell her grandfather about her misfortune.
Chapter 5. The story of the unlucky “new girl”
Red introduced Lena to the class at the request of the class teacher. And everything immediately went wrong. Lena smiled widely, wanting to show that she was ready for friendship with her new classmates. But the guys laughed at her and her grandfather “Patchmaker”.
Lena laughed with them, deciding that they were just very funny. The girl did not immediately understand how embittered and cruel her new “friends” were. The exception was the handsome Dima Somov. He let her sit at his desk and did not laugh with the others.
Margarita Ivanovna suggested that the class go on an excursion to Moscow during the holidays. The children were happy, they decided to earn money for the trip on their own and started a common piggy bank. The guys worked part-time in the garden, on the state farm, in the factory - all for the same purpose. Throughout the process, Lena received ridicule, but the noble Dima protected and protected her as best he could.
Once Dima saved a dog from the flayer Valka. In Lena's eyes, he finally became a hero, she kissed him and offered friendship.
Chapter 6. Truancy
On the last day before the holidays, the children skipped class, ignoring the chalk note on the blackboard. The note was erased by Valka’s older brother. The guys ran away, but not all of them. Shmakova and Popov hid in the classroom.
They witnessed a conversation between Dima Somov and Margarita Ivanovna. The boy, under pressure from the teacher, spoke about absenteeism. Lena, who was standing outside the door, heard this too. She thought. That Dima will tell everything to the others. But her friend remained silent.
Chapter 7. Boycott
The next day, schoolchildren came to class with suitcases, but the long-awaited trip was canceled. The teacher said that the class was punished for disrupting the lesson. They decided to split the money.
Mironova organized a search for the traitor. Lena hoped that Dima would confess, but he was still silent. Somov was almost declared a traitor. Lena unexpectedly took the blame upon herself. The class boycotted the girl.
Chapter 8. Bullying
Buses with schoolchildren went to Moscow. 6 "A" remained in the yard. The class surrounded Lena and Dima. The boys ran away, fleeing from their embittered classmates. They hid in the hairdresser's.
Chapter 9. Run, Scarecrow!
At the hairdresser, Lena decided to get her hair done. Dima left without waiting for her. When the girl came out. She was again surrounded by her classmates. They spat peas at her, teased her and threatened her.
Aunt Klava's comments did not help. The guys decided. That the Scarecrow must leave the city. Vasiliev helped push the crowd, and Lena ran away. A little later, the boy admitted to Somov that he liked Lena.
Chapter 10. Betrayal
Lena managed to break away from the chase. She noticed that her pursuers surrounded Dima, and decided that he would tell the truth. She was waiting for him to come. But nothing happened.
When it got dark, there was a knock on the window. Lena opened it and a terrible bear's head appeared. The girl got very scared and slammed the window.
The grandfather came, he happily told his granddaughter about his new painting, but she did not hear him. They knocked on the window glass again. The grandfather opened the window and managed to “tear off” the bear’s head. Dima was hiding behind the mask.
Lena was sure that he was forced. That he confessed and is now in trouble himself. But she was wrong. The guys were drinking tea at Dima's house. Lena's ears heard offensive words: “Scarecrow!” and “Patcher!”
Chapter 11. Failed Confession
Lena met Dima in her yard. She hung her dress up to dry. Dima asked for forgiveness and promised to tell everything today. He kissed Lena. Valka saw this. Valka tore the dress from the rope and said that he would give it to the owner only in exchange for the bear’s head.
Lena brought the mask to Dima. Dima asked if Lena’s grandfather was aware of the events. Having learned that the Patcher did not know anything, the boy was delighted and ran to confess to the guys. Lena was afraid of the consequences and rushed after him. She hid near the barn, where the whole gang had gathered.
Dima demanded to give the dress back. Valka told about the kiss. Dima was tied up. A fight ensued. Dima tried to confess his denunciation to Mironova. The guys advanced on Dima threateningly. Lena ran into the barn and again confirmed that she was a “traitor.” The dress was thrown around in a circle, when it ended up in Dima’s hands, he did not give it to Lena, but threw it to someone else.
They put the dress on a garden scarecrow, and Dima set it on fire. Lena screamed heart-rendingly. She grabbed the burning effigy and waved it around. The guys ran away in fright.
While removing the dress from the stuffed animal, Lena burned herself. Dima wanted to touch her, but the girl recoiled from him like the plague. She walked away and hid on the river.
Chapter 12. Vacation is over
On the first day of school after the holidays, Lena came to school very late and announced that she was leaving. Vasiliev came to her home and asked if she was really a traitor?
The grandfather assured the boy that Lena had not betrayed anyone. Lena put on her burnt dress and ran away from the house. Vasiliev went after her.
Chapter 13. Exposure
Lena shaved her head at the hairdresser and came to Dima’s house. There she exposed her bald head and gave each of the guys a provocative interrogation.
Exhausted by bullying, the girl suddenly declared that she felt sorry for all her tormentors. She left. The holiday ended, the guys quarreled and went their separate ways.
Chapter 14. “Sorry, Scarecrow!”
In the morning, Lena will be awakened by a knock. Grandfather was boarding up the windows. He decided to leave home and city. Lena saw that her recent tormentors were chasing Dima Somov along the street, and ran after him. The guys ran to class. Dima jumped onto the windowsill and threatened to jump out the window.
Mironova again proposed a boycott, everyone was in favor, except Lena. When the girl was asked why, she replied that she would never participate in bullying.
The teacher entered the class and announced that grandfather Bessoltsev was leaving the city. He gave its residents his home and a priceless collection of paintings. Soon Nikolai Nikolaevich himself came, he donated his favorite painting to the school fund and took his granddaughter.
The painting depicted a beautiful girl Masha, reminiscent of Lena. The guys realized with shame that they had raised their filthy hands against the wrong people. “Forgive us, Scarecrow!” - they wrote on the board.
Chapter 12
Lena expected the teacher to tell the truth, but she had already forgotten about that incident. She goes to class to say goodbye to everyone and delight them with the news that she will soon leave the city forever. The girl asked her grandfather for forgiveness, admitting to him that she was ashamed of his appearance. Grandfather was offended to hear such words, but how could he not forgive his own blood. In the evening Vasiliev came to them and asked Nikolai Nikolaevich about Lena. Is it true that she is a traitor or not? Lena overheard the conversation and said that she would prove to everyone who the real traitor was and let everyone who considered her such be ashamed.
Chapter Three: Quarrel
In November, after the holidays, a mysterious story happened to the girl that turned her life upside down (the author has not yet said what it was).
Lena, feeling especially lonely that day, returns home upset and begs her grandfather to give her money for a ticket home to her parents. He refuses and does not understand what happened, because at the beginning of autumn everything was fine. He draws her attention to the paintings that she values so little.
The girl gets angry and threatens to steal one of her grandfather’s collectible paintings in order to sell it and get money for a ticket. For this she receives a slap in the face from Nikolai Nikolaevich. Lena runs away. The grandfather does not understand what is happening and goes after his granddaughter.
Chapter 14
Nikolai Nikolaevich firmly decided to leave the city with his granddaughter. My grandfather decided to donate his paintings to the local museum, leaving only one for himself. Lena saw through the window a crowd of classmates chasing Somov. She ran after them. Dimka was driven into the classroom. Mironova suggested boycotting him. When they saw Lena, everyone began to smile, even the Iron Button condescended to smile. Lena refused to participate in the persecution. She remembered how she herself went through this and did not want anyone to go through this. Lena's grandfather entered the class with a painting in his hands. He decided to give this painting of a girl Masha, very similar to Lena, to the school. The canvas depicted his grandmother, who taught at this school more than a century ago. The teacher felt ashamed that she did not notice what was happening in the class. Apparently the children also realized what they had done, they had unfairly offended a good and kind person. The redhead got up from his desk and went to the blackboard. He wrote on it with chalk in huge letters: “Scarecrow, forgive us!”
Chapter two: History of the Bessoltsevs
A story about the Bessoltsev family. Nikolai Nikolaevich is Lena’s grandfather, he is a collector. He returned to his hometown and began to live in his old house. The city was ancient and remembered many historical events, but none of them could destroy it. It was a picturesque place, and the old man's house was about a hundred years old. When he returned there (his wife died and he himself fell ill), the illness disappeared as if by hand: he set about repairing the orphaned, boarded-up house. There he discovered paintings by his grandfather, which he remembered from childhood, and decided to collect other paintings. For their safety, he heated all the stoves in the house every night, and almost all his money was spent on this.
His neighbors respected him, but he was unable to establish particularly warm relations with anyone; people did not understand the old man well. He collects paintings and works in restoration, and is rather unsociable. He did not like idle speeches and avoided conversations. But one day he was seen on the street with a girl...
Lena moved to her grandfather from her parents; she is in the sixth grade. This is an awkward, thin teenager of about 12 years old with pigtails and a friendly smile on his face.
