Set in post-Revolution Russia, Kostya Ryabtsev's Diary is a book that delves into the details of changes in the Russian Education System, where, both the old and new elements of education blend to build up good Russian citizens and communists.

It is interesting to see that while the teachers treat the students like'just little children', the students want to assert their individuality by demanding to be treated like fellow socialists.

All these socio-political changes are viewed through the eyes of young Kostya Ryabtsev, who, while dealing with the usual pangs of adolescence, is extremely sensitive to a society which is changing socially, morally and culturally before his very eyes.