In this edition of Knyzka Corner, we will be discussing Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch’s novel, Kidnapped from Ukraine: Under Attack.
In this novel, Skrypuch describes the horrific human impact of Vladimir Putin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which began on February 24, 2022. His first invasion occurred in 2014 when he took Crimea and portions of Eastern Ukraine. She explores how this invasion changed the lives of 12-year-old twin sisters Rada and Dariia Popkova from Mariupol. Skrypuch explains her own reaction to these events in the Author’s Note, “I never thought I would write a book about a war as it was happening…I am writing this note in January 2024. Ukraine is still standing. “ (p. 303)
As the invasion begins in Mariupol, Dariia and her family are appalled. Most people in Mariupol spoke Russian, and believed they were neighbors of Russia – not their enemies. Dariia and her mother go to the store to stock up on food, while her father and Rada stay in their apartment. However, while they are out shopping, the bombs start to fall. “Our plan was to go in the general direction of Azovstal but to find temporary shelter along the way.” (p. 15)
They land in a shelter with dozens of other survivors of the bombing, including several children who have been separated from their families. Dariia and her mother survive on very little food and water. They constantly worry about what happened to Rada and their father who works in the Azovostal steel plant and is part of the army reserve. Communication is almost nonexistent since electricity and cell phone service are rarely functioning. “All we could do right now was to help each other and stay alive. We hunkered down for the long haul.” (p. 38)
As the bombing continues, the situation becomes desperate. Food and water are scarce, people are dying, and bombs are falling. Eventually, the shelter’s roof fails. Dariia gets a text message from her father to leave Mariupol and head for Zaporizhzhia. As they escape, they face extreme danger from the Russian army. “This was the Russian Federation executing civilians because they were Ukrainian. It was terrifying and senseless.” (p. 89) The subsequent journey separates Dariia from her mother. She ends up in the Romashka Children’s Camp, a Russian filtration camp for Ukrainian children where they are brainwashed to forget their Ukrainian heritage and become Russians. The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova for the kidnapping of Ukrainian children.
The writer has given readers a window into the brutality of the Russian attack on the sovereign country of Ukraine. Skrypuch’s narrative reveals graphic and heart-breaking details of Ukrainian suffering at the hands of their Russian invaders. The suffering of young children is highlighted. There are also examples of actual historical events described in this novel. “The Americans offered to evacuate Zelensky, but he refused, saying, ‘The fight is here. I need ammunition, not a ride.’” (p. 29)
The last two sections at the end of the novel, Author’s Note and Five Questions (with Answers), are an important addition to the narrative to clarify questions about the historical details of this time period. This novel will appeal to younger readers, but also to those readers of any age wanting to know more about recent events in Ukraine and the struggle of the Ukrainian people to survive in the face of unspeakable Russian atrocities!
Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch is an acclaimed Ukrainian Canadian author who has written award-winning nonfiction and historical fiction. Some of her works include: Stolen Child (later published as Stolen Girl), Making Bombs for Hitler, Underground Soldier (later published as The War Below), Don’t Tell the Enemy (later published as Don’t Tell the Nazis), Trapped in Hitler’s Web, Traitors Among Us, and Winterkill. She was awarded the Order of Princess Olha by the President of Ukraine for her writing. She has also been banned for life by Russia for her writing. Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch lives with her family in Brantford, Ontario.
In Kidnapped from Ukraine, Skrypuch sends readers a powerful message about hope for Ukraine’s future, “We’ve got to clear away the death and the hate and find the life beneath all the damage. We’ll make our country fairer, our land cleaner, even better than it was before.” (p. 215)
Kidnapped from Ukraine Under Attack is available at Chapters/Indigo and Amazon (affiliate link).
–Reviewed and narrated by Myra Junyk
Skrypuch, Marsha Forchuk.
KIDNAPPED FROM UKRAINE UNDER ATTACK.
Scholastic Press, 2025. 309 p. ISBN 978-1-5461-0451-3
Available at Chapters/Indigo and Amazon
Reviewed by Myra Junyk
