Publishers Weekly
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Set in Mariupol and opening on the day Russia attacked Ukraine in February 2022, this grim novel by Skrypuch (Winterkill) follows 12-year-old narrator Dariia as she undergoes the horrific experiences of the first year of the war that quickly ensues. Like many Ukrainians, Dariia, her twin sister Rada, and their parents speak Russian and don’t consider Russia an enemy (“We had heard that the Russians might be attacking, but I didn’t believe it”). The first bomb hits while Dariia and her mother are grocery shopping, separating them from Rada and her father. Dariia and her mother shelter in an overcrowded basement for two months without a toilet, water, or consistent supply of digestible food. Conditions worsen when the shelter is bombed and, after further harrowing and dehumanizing experiences, Dariia becomes one of the 700,000 Ukrainian children kidnapped by Russians and adopted by a Russian family. Often pedestrian language lessens the emotional impact of the appalling effects of war in this important and tough to read novel, which fictionalizes, in harsh detail, true events from a child’s point of view. An author’s note and further information conclude. Ages 8–12. (Jan.)

Book list
From Booklist, Copyright © American Library Association. Used with permission.

When a bomb slams into their apartment building in Mariupol on the first day of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, 12-year-old Dariia and her mom are separated from her dad and her twin sister, Rada. Surrounded by death and destruction, Dariia and Mom shelter in a dank basement under constant bombardment for six weeks. An escape attempt leads to being captured and interrogated, and Dariia is designated an official orphan, since her mother is deemed an unfit parent. Dariia is shipped off to an orphanage deep within Russia, a quasi concentration camp where she’s fed and sheltered but also subjected to endless pro-Russian propaganda. Dariia is eventually adopted by a woman who’s only interested in Dariia’s government monthly stipend. The woman’s son, Anton, turns out to be an unexpected ally, and Dariia eventually reunites with her mom and sister in a refugee camp in the Carpathian Mountains, though her dad remains a prisoner of war. This action-packed novel is a realistic, timely, and grim political indictment of the Russian persecution of the Ukrainian people.

Kirkus
Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

War through the eyes of a 12-year-old Ukrainian girl. Early one morning in February 2022, Russia begins bombing Mariupol, Ukraine, separating Dariia and her mother, who are away from their apartment, where Dariia’s father and twin sister Rada are. They find an overcrowded basement without adequate food, water, or sanitation and hunker down with others who are in need of shelter. As the city continues to be bombed week after week, survival becomes a daily struggle, but Dariia finds comfort in the company of other children, including classmate Natalia, who’s a close friend of Rada’s, and two boys named Rustem and Asan. When a direct hit kills most of the people in the basement, Dariia, her mother, and Rustem are among those who manage to escape—only to be captured at gunpoint by Russian soldiers. The children are separated and transported to a Russian camp to be cleaned up and adopted out to Russian families. Skrypuch presents the Russian propaganda that they are “rescuing” the kidnapped children from the “Nazi regime of Zelensky” in all its absurdity. Writing in searing detail from Dariia’s point of view, the author is explicit in her portrayal of the horrors of war, depicting scenes of violence, murder, racism, and destruction. This story of innocent civilians—especially children—finding the resilience to survive in a war that, at the time of this review, is still ongoing will be eye-opening for readers. Gut-punching: This is essential reading. (author’s note, additional context)(Fiction. 10-14) Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.