Tag: Ukrainian

Under Attack receives Social Studies Books Award

Thrilled to learn that KIDNAPPED FROM UKRAINE #1: UNDER ATTACK has been named a Winner of the 2026 NCSS-CBC Social Studies Books Award!

Here’s the full list.

The Notable Social Studies Trade Book Awards are an annual project of the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) and the Children’s Book Council (CBC) running since 1972. This award list features K-12 annotated titles published in the previous calendar year that are exceptional books for use in social studies classrooms, selected by social studies educators.

Bond Academy virtual vist

Loved visiting with grade 6-8 students from Bond Academy in Scarborough ON yesterday. We talked about learning challenges, what makes an interesting story and my Kidnapped from Ukraine trilogy. My favourite question was a writers’ craft one: how do you fix it when you know the whole story that you’re writing but there are blank spots and details that need to be filled in.

My answer? I said that I hate to break it to you, but what you’ve got there is an outline, not a story. And then we discussed what goes into knowing your character and their world.

Another great question was what does it mean, being banned by Russia!

Another one? Why do you write?

2 more pysanky

I had an urge to do an earth toned pysanka, so the flower pysanka on the left is dyed with Ukrainian Eggcessories’ all-Canadian Maple Syrup and Okanagan wine. Getting the yellow vivid can be a challenge, so for the pysanka with the pinwheel, I just dabbed on the green for the sunflower leaves with a cotton swab instead of immersing the egg. That kept my Canola Yellow bright. The background on that pysanka is actually from a final dip in purple dye to brighten up my blue.

Riverside Elementary and why we read

Thank you, Kristin and Beth for the opportunity to speak with 5th grade Riverside Elementary students last Friday. This new crop of 5th grade students were as inquisitive, enthusiastic and respectful as always. I loved the opportunity to talk about how I wrote Making Bombs for Hitler and why I write on such serious topics for a young audience.