Under Attack (Kidnapped from Ukraine #1)

Skrypuch, Marsha Forchuk. Under Attack (Kidnapped from Ukraine #1)
January 7, 2025 by Scholastic Press

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

In Mariupol in February of 2022, Dariia Popkova is awakened by bombing sanctioned by Russian president Putin, claiming that Ukraine was suffering under a "Nazi regime". She knows this is ridiculous, and points out that President Zelensky's first language was Russian, and he is Jewish as well. Dariia's father has to report for duty, since he is in the reserves. He wants Dariia, her mother, and her twin sister Rada to stay put, but Dariia and her mother run out to the grocery store to pick up a few things. While there, a bombed is dropped on the area, and the storekeeper is killed. The two run to the mother's place of work, a nail salon, to try to take shelter there, but are concerned about the flammability of the salon products. They end up in the basement of school supply store, which is very crowded. It's a particularly brutal time, and the people are there for months. Natalia is there, with her dog Mimi, as is Rustem, whose mother is dead. Sonya, and her four year old daughter Ariadna also stay close to Dariia. There is a message from Rada, to go to Zaporizhzhia and delete phone data, but it's impossible to leave because of the constant bombing. In mid-April, the shelter is bombed. Sonya and Natalia are killed, but Dariia and her mother find a car and leave with Rustem, Ariadna, and Mimi. They don't get very far before they are stopped by the Russians. They are luckier than the people who lined up at a bread truck and were all killed, but still humiliated and abused. Eventually, the children are put on a bus, and Dariia is separated from her  mother. The children are taken to Taganrog, Russia, to the Romashka Children's Camp. At least they get a shower, clean clothes, and toothpaste, and are temporarily safe, but they are also prisoners and cut off from their families. Dariia is in a dorm with Katya and Liliya. None of the children have documents, and they are forced to go to school where they are taught to speak only Russia, and are offered "true" history. The only options after the camp are to be adopted by Russian families or to go to reeducation facilities. When Dariia speaks up, a guard tries to drown her in pool, so she learns to keep her thoughts to herself. When it is clear that the children are going to be placed with Russian families, Liliya and Vadim show the other children a shared G Mail account they have, so that all of the children can put their contact details. Rustem's Russian grandmother picks him up, and Dariia is turned over to Myroslava. She has a son, Anton, and is fostering two other Ukrainian children for money. Sasha is an infant, but Genya is Dariia's age. Myroslava, whose husband is fighting, makes money commenting on social media with pro Russian sentiments, and also sells good stolen from Ukrainians. Anton helps, and believes all of the Russian propaganda until his father shares some experiences with him. This cracks his belief enough that when Dariia and Genya tell him about what happened to them, he believes them and helps them contact their families. Eventually, Dariia's mother works with journalist to get power of attorney to come to Russia and retrieve stolen children, and Dariia, Genya, and several other Ukrainian children are rescued. 

Strengths: The author's note at the end is very helpful in laying out the real historical events on which this fictional story is based. This is a heart wrenching book, and doesn't gloss over any of the horrible things that happened to Dariia in Mariupol and beyond. Skrypuch, who has written many books about Ukraine during the 1930s and WWII, not only shows Dariia's experience, but also gives a Russian perspective from Anton. It's interesting to see his reactions as he compares the information he thinks is true with Dariia's lived experience. There is a bit of hope, since Dariia and a few other children are rescued, but the note at the end estimates that as many as 700,000 Ukrainian children may have been kidnapped, and that fewer that 300 have been found. 

Weaknesses: I wouldn't have minded a little bit more about Dariia's life before the attack, like in Senzai's Escape from Aleppo. This sort of scene setting makes it easier for my students to imagine what it would be like if something similar happened to them. 
What I really think: This is a very realistic look at a horrible, useless war, and might be a little much for elementary readers who might not have the background knowledge to understand why so many people are being brutally murdered. This is the first book I have seen on this modern historic event. We can only hope that the war ends before there are others.