Under Attack (Kidnapped From Ukraine #1)
-
-
5.0 • 1 Rating
-
-
- $5.99
Publisher Description
This gripping, accessible novel by celebrated Ukrainian Canadian author Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch follows two sisters as they struggle to survive the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
12-year-old twin sisters Rada and Dariia Popkova couldn’t be more different. Dariia is outgoing and chatty while Rada is a quieter and artsy. But what they have in common is their love for each other and their home. The family lives in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol, which is attacked by the Russians on Feb 24th, 2022.
The attack separates the family -- Dariia is with her mom and Rada with her dad. Dariia and her mother are then separated by Russian officials and Dariia is sent to live with a Russian family. As the war rages around them, the sisters and their family must overcome unimaginable hardships. But they will learn how powerful hope is in the face of disaster.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Set in Mariupol and opening on the day Russia attacked Ukraine in February 2022, this grim novel by Skrypuch (Winterkill) follows 12-year-old narrator Dariia as she undergoes the horrific experiences of the first year of the war that quickly ensues. Like many Ukrainians, Dariia, her twin sister Rada, and their parents speak Russian and don't consider Russia an enemy ("We had heard that the Russians might be attacking, but I didn't believe it"). The first bomb hits while Dariia and her mother are grocery shopping, separating them from Rada and her father. Dariia and her mother shelter in an overcrowded basement for two months without a toilet, water, or consistent supply of digestible food. Conditions worsen when the shelter is bombed and, after further harrowing and dehumanizing experiences, Dariia becomes one of the 700,000 Ukrainian children kidnapped by Russians and adopted by a Russian family. Often pedestrian language lessens the emotional impact of the appalling effects of war in this important and tough to read novel, which fictionalizes, in harsh detail, true events from a child's point of view. An author's note and further information conclude. Ages 8–12.
