There are few historians who can match Anne Applebaum’s authority on topics that I write about so I was thrilled to be invited again to attend the Peterson Literary Foundation dinner (this past Friday), and particularly thrilled with the opportunity to listen to Applebaum in person. My copy of Red Famine looks like a porcupine with yellow quills because it has so many sticky notes in it. It was at my side as I wrote Winterkill. Needless to say, the chance to chat with Anne Applebaum was a dream come true.
Halyna Kostiuk, Ukrainian teacher extraordinaire at St. Josephat Catholic School in Etobicoke, arranged for me to visit last Thursday with grade 7 and 8 students. They had been reading as a class my novel, Stolen Girl, the Ukrainian version. Many of the students are recent refugees from Ukraine, fleeing Putin’s brutal war.
It was poignant for me to speak with them about the real history behind Stolen Girl — victims of Hitler’s Lebensborn program — the kids who were kidnapped by the Nazis and brainwashed into thinking they were German and placed into German homes. This novel was written to fulfil a promise I made to my mother-in-law before she died. She had lost half of her classmates to the Lebensborn program in WWII and she felt very guilty the rest of her life for surviving while her friends didn’t.
For these students to be able to read this book in their own language is bittersweet, seeing as Putin is now channeling Hitler, and doing his own Lebensborn program, kidnapping Ukrainian children, brainwashing them, and placing them in Russian homes. So much for “never again.”
I cannot post photos of the students for privacy reasons, but here are pics with teachers. On the table that was prepared for me to display my books, note the beautiful orange roses the students presented me with, and the Roshen chocolates — yum! It was a Ukrainian-themed day because after the visit, I dropped by Pelman Perogies factory outlet for a LOT of mushroom potato perogies, then off to Koota Ooma to buy my sister a Christmas present.
With Halyna Kostiuk and Olga ShklarWith Halyna Kostiuk and Mar’yana Chornij
There is a lot to like about this simple picture book. The text is precise and spare and would be particularly appealing to a beginning reader. The illustrations are approachable, and again, this makes it a good choice for a reader who is learning or by one who might feel intimidated by books in English. I also like the reassuring message that all of us are afraid sometimes and all of us feel alone, but there are people and moments and nature to share those moments with. I think this book would be best used in a classroom rather than as a read aloud or bedtime book at home. Why? There wasn’t really a story arc and to me the pages seemed to go on longer than necessary and sort of petered out, rather than come to a culmination. Thanks Tundra, Netgalley for the ARC.
Narwhal’s Sweet Tooth will educate its young readers about the importance of dental hygiene while entertaining all the way. Every single page spread in this 80 page graphic novel is chock full of hilarious drawings and word puns, making the underlying message go down quite easily. Kids of all ages will love it. Thanks Tundra and Netgalley for the ARC.
Everything about this picture book is perfect. I love the child’s stubborn opening attitude and their dislike of ants, and how gradually the ants themselves make them change their mind, while educating the reader about a whole lot of different ants that are out there and how each has a specific role in its community. Anna Pirolli’s illustrations are wonderful and I love Rosemary Mosco’s underlying message of inclusiveness mixed in with the wry fresh humor and ant education. Thank you Tundra Books and Netgalley for the ARC.
Whimsical and colourful, this picture book will spark the imagination of young readers into asking themselves a million new what-if questions. I particularly love the fresh and bright illustrations.
Immigrant kids learn English more quickly than their parents and so often have to translate for them. This role-reversal can be demeaning for the parent and burdensome for the child, but Jack Wong shows that there’s more to communication than knowing the right words. His illustrations have a graphic novel feel to them and they make the story very approachable. The text is everything that’s needed but no more, making it crisp and clear to read. I love that the father’s words are written both in English and Chinese.
Megan Goldin is one of my go-to authors for fast-paced thrillers that are perfect for a long flight or to relax on the beach with. Dark Corners has enough twists and turns to keep the pages turning and her stories have a freshness often missing in this genre. I particularly like her character building. Very entertaining.
This book is written by Keir Giles, who is a Senior Consulting Fellow for the Russia and Eurasia Programme at Chatham House. He speaks with authority on the topic of Russia’s world-view and goals and the risks we all are facing because we don’t take the malevolence of the Russian Federation seriously enough. Giles shows how Russia uses the west’s openness, innate decency and democracy as tools to destroy those very things. Russia’s antipathy to the west is all encompassing, as is Putin’s ruthlessness. No enemy is too small to destroy, nor too big. This book will shock and inform you. I urge you to read it. If you think the current war is just about Ukraine, you need to read this book. If you think the road to peace is negotiation, you need to read this book.
