Tag: scholastic

Thanks for the pics, Jen!

Here are some pics from last night’s book launch for Standoff, book 2 in my Kidnapped from Ukraine trilogy. Thanks so much to Jen Rudyk for taking them. Had I been thinking, I would have taken a pic of the audience: it was a full house. I was very impressed with Griffin, in the blue shirt, who bought a whole whack of books, plus brought in a couple of well-thumbed copies from home to get signed. He asked such great questions and knew a lot about WWII and WWI history. Sergio from Brant blog had been waiting patiently for an interview so once all the books were signed, Jen got a pic of him doing the interview.

Standoff launch in Brantford

Thank you The Ukrainian Village presented by Village Ukraina Dancers for hosting last night’s book launch for Standoff, book 2 of the Kidnapped from Ukraine trilogy! It was wonderful to see so many people wearing blue and yellow and Ukrainian embroidered blouses in support of Ukraine. For those who were not able to make it to the launch but who still want an autographed book, please visit the Riverside Bookshelf 32A Dundas St W, Paris, ON N3L 1G2

https://brantblog.ca/2025/10/09/author-marsha-forchuk-skrypuch-launches-second-book-in-ukrainian-war-inspired-trilogy-in-brantford/
Thank you Sergio, for the great interview!

Seeing stars for Standoff!

What a wonderful book birthday present from School Library Journal. Not just such quotable quotes like these:

“brilliantly written”
“sensitive portrayal of the reality facing innocent children and families in a war zone”
“historically accurate quotes and events interwoven”
“VERDICT Purchase for all middle grade shelves.”

But a STAR. Full review here.

Bloor West Village Ukrainian Festival

What an amazing Festival! It was so nice to see so many old friends and present books one and two of my Kidnapped from Ukraine trilogy at the Speakers’ Corner.

Loved having kids from Act & Shine Kids’ Acting Studio read the opening pages of Under Attack, book #1 of my Kidnapped from Ukraine trilogy today at the BWV Toronto Ukrainian Festival.
I read and spoke, but unlike these talented kids, I neither sang nor danced!
t was nice to see Valentina Kuryliw today at the BWV Toronto Ukrainian Festival. I had the honour of working with Valentina’s Holodomor Research and Education Consortium – HREC in 2022/2023 when my Holodomor novel, Winterkill was brand new. In addition to my directly booked presentations. HREC funded 30 extra virtual visits with underfunded schools, meaning I was able to educate thousands more students who otherwise might not have known about this genocide, which in many ways is a precursor to what Putin is doing now in Ukraine. 

Standoff #1 new release!

Standoff, book 2 of my #KidnappedfromUkraine trilogy just popped up as number one for hot new releases in its category on both Amazon.com and Amazon.ca today. Standoff will be published on Oct 7th. Book 3 is also number 5 on the dot com site and 3 on the dot ca site. Readers of Under Attack, book one, have commented that reading it helped them understand on a visceral level what it’s like to be a kid in Ukraine right now. 

Students say thank you

It was such a pleasure to speak with 7th grade students at JL Simpson Middle School this May. This is the second year in a row that I’ve virtually visited with all 11 classes. Students are well-prepared and avid readers and I really admire their teachers because they know how to combo a whole lot of learning for maximum effect. I got this package in the mail — thank you notes from the kids, and also from Jennifer, media specialist extraordinaire. But these aren’t just any thank-you notes. Students created thank you notes for me to use as thank you notes! The outside of each note card has student-created art based on a scene from one of my books. On the back of the cards is the student’s name and the name of the book that inspired their art. So a learning opportunity that combines art, literature, history, communications and courtesy! Wow!