12-year-old twin sisters Rada and Dariia Popkova couldn't be more different. Rada is outgoing and chatty while Dariia is a 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 -- Rada is with her mom and Dariia with her dad. Rada and her mother are then separated by Russian officials and Rada is sent to live with a Russian family. As the war rages around them, Rada and her family must overcome unimaginable hardships. But they will learn how powerful hope is in the face of disaster.
12-year-old twin sisters Rada and Dariia Popkova couldn't be more different. Dariia is outgoing and chatty while Rada is a 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. Dariia and her mother are then separated by Russian officials and Dariia is sent to live with a Russian family. As the war rages around them, the sisters and their family must overcome unimaginable hardships. But they will learn how powerful hope is in the face of disaster.
This companion novel to Skrypuch's Making Bombs for Hitler follows a boy who joins the underground Ukrainian resistance in the fight against Hitler.
The Nazis took Luka from his home in Ukraine and forced him into a labor camp. Now, Luka has smuggled himself out - even though he left behind his dearest friend, Lida. Someday, he vows, he'll find her again.
But first, he must survive.
Racing through the woods and mountains, Luka evades capture by both Nazis and Soviet agents. Though he finds some allies, he never knows who to trust. As Luka makes difficult choices in order to survive, desperate rescues and guerilla raids put him in the line of fire. Can he persevere long enough to find Lida again or make it back home where his father must be waiting for him?
Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch delivers another action-packed story, inspired by true events, of daring quests and the crucial decisions we make in the face of war.
From acclaimed author Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch, this incredibly gripping and timely story set during the Holodomor in 1930s Ukraine introduces young readers to a pivotal moment in history-- and how it relates to the events of today.
Nyl is just trying to stay alive. Ever since the Soviet dictator, Stalin, started to take control of farms like the one Nyl's family lives on, there is less and less food to go around. On top of bad harvests and a harsh winter, conditions worsen until it's clear the lack of food is not just chance... but a murderous plan leading all the way to Stalin.
Alice has recently arrived from Canada with her father, who is here to work for the Soviets... until Alice realizes that the people suffering the most are all ethnically Ukrainian, like Nyl. Something is very wrong, and Alice is determined to help.
Desperate, Nyl and Alice come up with an audacious plan that could save both of them -- and their community. But can they survive long enough to succeed?
Known as the Holodomor, or death by starvation, Ukraine's Famine-Genocide in the 1930s was deliberately caused by the Soviets to erase the Ukrainian people and culture. Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch brings this deeply resonant, and remarkably timely, historical world to life in a story about unity, perseverance, and a people's determination to overcome.
World War II may be over. But two sisters are far from safe.
Inspired by true events, this is the latest gripping and powerful novel from the acclaimed author of Making Bombs for Hitler.
Sisters Krystia and Maria have been through the worst -- or so they think. World War II ravaged their native Ukraine, but they both survived, and are now reunited in a displaced persons camp.
Then another girl accuses the sisters of being Hitler Girls -- people who collaborated with the Nazis. Nothing could be further from the truth; during the horrors of the war, both sisters resisted the Nazis and everything they stood for. But the Soviets, who are now in charge, don't listen to the sisters' protests. Krystia and Maria are taken away and interrogated for crimes they never committed.
Caught in a dangerous trap, the sisters must look to each other for strength and perseverance. Can they convince their captors that they're innocent -- or escape to safety before it's too late?
The year is 1941. Krystia lives in a small Ukrainian village under the cruel -- sometimes violent -- occupation of the Soviets. So when the Nazis march into town to liberate them, many of Krystia's neighbors welcome the troops with celebrations, hoping for a better life.
But conditions don't improve as expected. Krystia's friend Dolik and the other Jewish people in town warn that their new occupiers may only bring darker days.
The worst begins to happen when the Nazis blame the Jews for murders they didn't commit. As the Nazis force Jews into a ghetto, Krystia does what she can to help Dolik and his family. But what they really need is a place to hide. Faced with unimaginable tyranny and cruelty, will Krystia risk everything to protect her friends and neighbors?
Last Airlift is the true story of the last Canadian airlift operation that left Saigon and arrived in Toronto on April 13, 1975. Son Thi Anh Tuyet was one of 57 babies and children on that flight. Based on personal interviews and enhanced with archive photos, Tuyet's story of the Saigon orphanage and her flight to Canada is an emotional and suspenseful journey brought to life by award-winning children's author, Marsha Skrypuch.
-- Publisher Commended for the 2004 Canadian Children's Book Centre Our Choice Selection, short-listed for the 2005 Red Maple Award and Rocky Mountain Book Award
When the Armenians of Turkey are marched into the desert to die in 1915, Mariam is rescued by her Turkish friend Rustem, and lives with mixed acceptance as a guest in his father's harem. Kevork is shot and left for dead in a mass grave in the desert, but is rescued by nomadic Arabs and nurtured back to health.
Both teens must choose between the security of an adopted home or the risk of death in search of family.
A sequel to the highly successful The Hunger, Nobody's Child is a stirring and engaging account of one of the twentieth century's most significant events.
The award-winning first picture book to recount the dramatic true story of a refugee family's perilous escape from Vietnam.
It is 1981. In the middle of the Pacific Ocean, a fishing boat overloaded with 60 Vietnamese refugees drifts. The motor has failed; the hull is leaking; the drinking water is nearly gone. This is the dramatic true story recounted by Tuan Ho, who was six years old when he, his mother, and two sisters dodged the bullets of Vietnam's military police for the perilous chance of boarding that boat.
Told to multi-award-winning author Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch and illustrated by the celebrated Brian Deines, Tuan's story has become Adrift At Sea, the first picture book to describe the flight of Vietnam's Boat People refugees.
Illustrated with sweeping oil paintings and complete with an expansive Author's Note, this non-fiction picture book comes as the world continues to grapple with the plight of refugees risking all for the chance at safety and a new life.
Fifteen-year-old Paula's perfectionism drives every facet of her life, from her marks in Grade 10 to the pursuit of a perfect body. A history project brings her face to face with her grandmother's early life and, as she delves deeper, she is disturbed to find eerie parallels between her own struggles and what she learns of the past.
As Paula slowly destroys the very body she's trying to perfect, her spirit is torn between settling for her imperfect life or entering the shadowy mystery of her grandmother's Armenian past. The shimmering Euphrates River beckons her, but, as she soon discovers, there are many things worse than imperfection.See below for English description.
Alors qu'elle a été volée à sa famille par les nazis, Nadia essaie de donner un sens à ses souvenirs confus et à ses cauchemars. Peu à peu, elle découvre la vérité la famille allemande au sein de laquelle elle a grandi et celle qu'elle appelait sa mère ne sont pas vraiment qui elle croyait. Mais où est sa famille à présent et qu'est devenue sa mère? Enfin, quel est son vrai nom? Cette histoire d'une fillette kidnappée par des nazis obnubilés à l'idée de créer une race supérieure et placée dans un Lebensborn à cause de son physique aryen , révèle la détermination d'une enfant à découvrir son passé.
Stolen from her family by the Nazis, Nadia is a young girl who tries to make sense of her confusing memories and haunting dreams. Bit by bit, she starts to uncover the truth: that the German family she grew up with, the woman who calls herself Nadia's mother, are not who they say they are. Piece by piece, Nadia comes to realize who her real family was. But where are they now? What became of them? And what is her real name?
This story of a Lebensborn girl -- a child kidnapped for her Aryan looks by the Nazis in their frenzy to build a master race -- reveals one child's fierce determination to uncover her past against incredible odds.
Original title: Stolen Girl
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.
Rada and her father navigate the treacherous journey from shelter to shelter as they make their way to the Azovstal plant so that her father can fight in the resistance. Meanwhile, Rada is still trying to get in contact with her sister and mother. As the war rages and each family member must contend with their own battles, their love for their country and their family keeps them going.
See below for English description.
Lida et sa petite soeur Larissa sont capturées par les nazis et séparées l'une de l'autre. Lida est envoyée dans un camp de travail. Les conditions sont extrêmement pénibles et elle oeuvre de l'aube au coucher du soleil en ne mangeant que de la soupe et du pain, vêtue d'une robe légère et sans souliers. Si elle réussit à survivre à cette affreuse guerre, comment parviendra-t-elle à retrouver sa soeur?
Lida and her younger sister are caught by the Nazis and separated. Lida is sent to a forced-labour camp, where she works from dawn to dusk with only bread and soup to eat, and clad in only a thin dress and no shoes. Even if she manages to survive the war, how will she find her sister again? Acclaimed author Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch takes us back in time with an exceptional story about survival, courage, and hope.
Original title: Making Bombs for Hitler