Kidnapped From Ukraine #1: Under Attack

Renowned Ukrainian Canadian author Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch has added another historical fiction novel to her already impressive collection. Her other titles, including Winterkill, Stolen Girl, and Don’t Tell the Enemy, show Forchuk Skrypuch’s courageous conviction to narrate in a fictional format the real-life, hard stories of children affected by war. Kidnapped from Ukraine #1: Under Attack is no exception.

On Feb. 24, 2022, when Russia invaded Ukraine, the apartment building in the city of Mariupol where fictional characters 12-year-old twin sisters Rada and Dariia Popkova and their parents lived was destroyed by a bomb. Though the family escaped, they were separated. Dariia fled with her mother, and Rada with her father.

Told from Dariia’s perspective, readers learn about the physical deprivations experienced under siege, the psychological torment of not knowing what has happened to one’s loved ones, and the constant fear of being killed, even as evidence of death is everywhere.

When Dariia and her mother finally escape the basement in which they have been holed up with others for more than six weeks, they face greater torments. Dariia is taken away from her mother, along with numerous other children, and transported to a Russian dormitory and school. There she is indoctrinated in all things Russian and taught that Ukrainians aren’t human. But Dariia and her newfound friends—her family now—know that all they are taught is a lie, and they work together with the few resources they have to plan for future deliverance.

When Dariia is “adopted” by a Russian family, she gains a deeper understanding of the lengths to which President Vladimir Putin is willing to go to defeat Ukraine, steal, and “re-educate” Ukrainian children, and make them Russian citizens. Yet, along the way, help and solutions come in surprising ways, and Dariia’s bravery and wisdom contribute to the outcome.

In an author note written in January 2024, Forchuk Skrypuch said she never imagined she would write about a war while it was happening. Though the book is a work of fiction, she writes, “the events and experiences are based on day-by-day testimony, interviews, and documented accounts. The characters are my creations, based on the experiences of people who are currently living through them.” She adds that, as of that writing, “Russia has bragged about kidnapping (they call it rescuing) 700,000 Ukrainian children. Fewer than three hundred have been returned to their homeland.” She adds that if readers would like to help save more children, they can find ways to assist on the Save Ukraine website: saveukraineua.org.

The book is recommended for children ages 8-12. However, this reader found much of the story so gut-wrenching and too mature for younger children. It is better suited to readers 12 and older, including adults.[1]

(Scholastic Press)