Swimming with Spies
By (Author) Chrystyna Lucyk-Berger
Scholastic US
Scholastic US
3rd December 2024
United States
Children
Fiction
Childrens / Teenage general interest: Warfare, battles, armed forces
Childrens / Teenage fiction: Nature and animal stories
Childrens / Teenage general interest: Fish and marine life
Childrens / Teenage fiction: Friendship stories
Childrens / Teenage personal and social topics: Friends and friendships
FIC
Hardback
288
Width 140mm, Height 210mm, Spine 22mm
Its February of 2014 in the seaport city of Sevastopol in Crimea. Sofiya Oleksandrivna only wants two things: to figure out a way to get Ilya Ilyich to stop bullying her, and to convince her mother to come back home. But as battleships come to populate the waters around their city and Russian forces, including Ilyas father, start to make their presence known, an even greater threat takes over Sofiyas life. The only escape Sofiya has is the dolphinarium where her father is a trainer at the forefront of teaching sign language to a pod of dolphins. And now the Russian military has ordered the dolphinarium to hand over its animals for military use. As armed Russian troops invade Crimea and conflict and tension continue to rise, Sofiya will do everything she can to keep her pod safe. And what she knows better than any of the soldiers occupying her city, is that the most powerful force is communication. Based on the true events of the 2014 annexation of Crimea, Chrystyna Lucyk-Berger depicts a familiar world where divisions are sown by hate, but where love can make a world of difference.
Praise for Swimming with Spies
* "The rich, detailed descriptions of Sofiya's experience training the mammals, which Lucyk-Berger deftly blends with Ukrainian political history, are captivating and Sofiya's deep bond with them suffuses this affecting story of a preteen grappling with her understanding of her own Ukrainian Russian identity and the loss of her mother." -- Publisher's Weekly, starred review
"As they hatch a daring plan to rescue the dolphins, their steadfast teamwork and mutual trust against a backdrop of conflict is inspiring. A heart-pounding, thought-provoking adventure based on true events." -- Kirkus Reviews
Chrystyna Lucyk-Berger is a Ukrainian-American historical fiction writer. She started her writing career with short stories and travel narratives. She has won several awards for her short stories and novels and now primarily writes historical fiction. When she's not writing, she works as a business communications trainer, consultant, and coach.