No one does historical middle-grade fiction like Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch. While “Under Attack’ is set in present-day Ukraine, I am sure fans of “Making Bombs for Hitler” and Skrypuch’s other historical books will enjoy it. The novel is captivating, meticulously researched, and heartbreaking. Another must-read by Skrypuch.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this book in exchange for an honest review.
I've enjoyed the author's book that I've read so I knew this one would be really good too. This book seems harder to read because this war is happening now, in our lifetime.
I'm looking forward to the next book in this series.

Dariia Popkova is outgoing, while her twin sister, Rada is quiet. She lives in Mariupol with her mom and dad. Two twin sisters wake up one morning never expecting a Russian attack on February 24, 2022, which changes their lives.

The attack separates the family while Dariia and her mom go to get groceries; their apartment building is bombed. Dariia and her mom stay in the basement of a school supply store with over 30 people, searching for food and water for weeks until it is attacked. They are humiliated and then are separated when captured by Russian officials, and Dariia is sent to a camp in Taganrog, Russia to prepare her to live with a Russian family. There, Dariia lives with two other adoptees with a woman and her son, who are paid to write pro-Russian comments on websites and sell goods that were stolen from Ukrainian households. Dariia relies on her new friends to find the best way to find her way back to her family.

This book explores a current event, making it accessible for children to understand and relate to the main character. It is heartbreaking. It shows the resilience of the Ukrainian people. The author shares that only 700,000 Ukrainian children have been kidnapped during this war and only 300 have been rescued, as the parent or a power of attorney on behalf of the parent come to claim the child.