Horrific headline news from 2022 focusing on Mariupol during the early months of the ‘special military operation’ is the backdrop to Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch's new middle grade novel, Kidnapped from Ukraine. As the main character, 12-year-old Dariia, shares her fear, her courage, her passion for Ukraine the reader follows her beyond the headlines into a bizarre world of lies.
The only drawback is that this war story is NOT historical fiction. The middle grade kids in this story are inspired by real events happening NOW and that’s absolutely terrifying. I appreciated how deftly the author incorporated modern technology into the story. This is 2025 and the children use their savvy computer skills to stay connected and to channel their hope for the future.
My favourite character might be Anton—the brainwashed Russian boy. The author shows us how powerful the media can be in shaping a country’s people. It’s really important for youth to learn to be critically of news whether in school, on TV, or online. Who’s telling the story?
The sub-story to Anton is his mother's greed ... another important aspect of how Putin succeeds to influence Russians.
Novels like this one are great openers to discuss the power of propaganda, of the lure of money, and of the reality of war.
Favourite line, spoken by Daryia’s friend, Vadim is: “Not all soldiers hold guns.” Marsha Skrypuch is a soldier for Ukraine.
No comments:
Post a Comment