From acclaimed author Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch, this incredibly
gripping and timely story set during the Holodomor in 1930s Ukraine
introduces young readers to a pivotal moment in history-- and how it
relates to the events of today.
Nyl is just trying to stay alive. Ever since the Soviet dictator,
Stalin, started to take control of farms like the one Nyl's family lives
on, there is less and less food to go around. On top of bad harvests and
a harsh winter, conditions worsen until it's clear the lack of food is
not just chance... but a murderous plan leading all the way to Stalin.
Alice has recently arrived from Canada with her father, who is here to
work for the Soviets... until Alice realizes that the people suffering
the most are all ethnically Ukrainian, like Nyl. Something is very
wrong, and Alice is determined to help.
Desperate, Nyl and Alice come up with an audacious plan that could save
both of them -- and their community. But can they survive long enough to
succeed?
Known as the Holodomor, or death by starvation, Ukraine's
Famine-Genocide in the 1930s was deliberately caused by the Soviets to
erase the Ukrainian people and culture. Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch brings
this deeply resonant, and remarkably timely, historical world to life in
a story about unity, perseverance, and a people's determination to
overcome.