Skrypuch, Marsha Forchuk. Under Attack. New York: Scholastic Press, 2025.
Some well-written novels require readers to “read between the lines” to find the hidden meanings. This is not one of those stories. Under Attack is filled with five-senses details that vividly portray the message of the story: Ukraine has been invaded, and Ukrainian children are being kidnapped. This 300-page novel – with an explanatory author’s note at the end – starts on the day Russia attacked Ukraine: February 24, 2022. It starts in the city where the full-scale invasion began: Mariupol. It is told from the point of view of 12-year-old Dariia, who flees to an underground storeroom before being captured by soldiers and taken away to be adopted by a family in Russia. There is no hiding from the horror of war in this story. But Dariia’s courage and resourcefulness are also clearly portrayed in a highly recommended book for readers 11 years old and up who appreciate realistic novels.
