Still Alive

Gr 3-7–Rada and Dariia Popkova are twin sisters who have been separated due to the ongoing war in Ukraine. The story begins in 2022, with Rada and her mother living in a ski resort in the Carpathian Mountains alongside other families who have been displaced by Russian bombings. They later ­relocate to a small prefab home, where Rada uses her creative abilities to personalize the space with beautiful paintings on the walls and ceilings. Meanwhile, her sister Dariia has been kidnapped and sent to live with another family in Russia, and they fear their father has been captured and is being held prisoner. The first half of the story is told from Rada’s perspective and details the experiences she and her mother have while trying to locate their missing family members. The second half is told in Dariia’s voice and recounts her experiences living in Russia and later returning to Ukraine. Throughout the poignant story, the Popkova family meets many people they grow to care about—individuals who work collectively to support Ukraine’s war efforts by making drones, creating camouflage nets, and decorating pysanky eggs to sell on Etsy to raise money for supplies. Additionally, ­Ukrainian citizens work together to care for stray pets displaced from their families. In the first-person narration, the characters are white and based on real people. An author’s note provides additional context.