writes about war from a young person's view #bannedbyrussia
Standoff will be published on Oct 7th, but I got my first author copy late last week. A shattering book to write, but I hope it will help readers step into the shoes of Rada and her father as they endure the siege of Azovstal.
It was such a pleasure to do a book chat about Silver Threads with day campers from St Sophia Religious Assn of Ukrainian Catholics, USA. Thank you, Iryna Ivankovych for the invitation. You are an inspiration, as are your students.
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Hearty congratulations to Dr. Mateusz Świetlicki for winning the 2025 book award for best monograph from the International Research Society for Children’s Literature for his groundbreaking work: Next-Generation Memory and Ukrainian Canadian Children’s Historical Fiction. The Seeds of Memory. This is the first book to explore Anglophone Ukrainian Canadian children’s historical fiction published between 1991 and 2021.
I got to read the backmatter for the Scholastic audiobook edition of Standoff, book #2 of my Kidnapped from Ukraine trilogy. Melanie Gagnon, the producer, arranged for me to do the recording at Catherine North Studios in Hamilton. Thanks, Emma Whale, producer/engineer for making the session such a great experience! This is the 8th time that I got to read my own backmatter!
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 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.
The thrilling conclusion to this trilogy will have readers reaching for tissues on the edge of their seats.
Reviews
“Throughout the poignant story, the Popkova family meets many people they grow to care about—individuals who work collectively to support Ukraine’s war efforts by making drones, creating camouflage nets, and decorating pysanky eggs to sell on Etsy to raise money for supplies. Additionally, Ukrainian citizens work together to care for stray pets displaced from their families.” Starred Review, School Library Journal
Read an excerpt here.
This morning I did another presentation with St Sophia Religious Assn of Ukrainian Catholics, USA (Philadelphia). This audience was two 10th grade classes. Thank you so much for the invitation!
It was such an honor to speak with the youth group at St. Sophia Religious Assn USA of Ukrainian Catholics this evening. Thank you, Iryna Ivankovych for the invitation. Students had read Making Bombs for Hitler and we talked about why I write what I write, Ukraine’s traumas over the last century and the intergenerational impact of war. A meaningful and heartfelt conversation.
I had seven quail eggs and two XS eggs cleaned and ready to go last week but had to put them all away because work intruded. Our family stuff was on Friday and Saturday, so on Easter Sunday and Monday, I dragged out the pysanky dyes and kistkas again, listened to music and wrote nine more pysanky. I like doing mini versions of designs I’ve already become familiar with. It’s fun doing two-toned pysanky as well, especially on the littlest eggs.
It was such a pleasure to speak with 5th grade students from Roberts Elementary in Suwanee GA on Good Friday morning. Virtually visiting Roberts has become something of an annual tradition! Here are pics from one of the participating classes. Students asked thoughtful questions and made good connections between my WWII novels and Under Attack: Kidnapped from Ukraine, set during Putin’s current war on Ukraine.
It was nice to visit with grade 7 and 8 students at Hickson Central today! I had passed right by the school in January on my way to Stratford Christian. On that day it was minus 25C. Today it was a balmy 6.5C, so I didn’t bother with a coat (or socks!)
Loved the good questions and the one-on-one with students at the end. Thank you, Mrs. Van Wyk, for the invite.
