Don't Tell the Enemy by Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch

Pages: 178

Intended Audience: Mature Tweens and up

Genre: Historical / World War II

Notes for Parents: This is about the treatment of Jews and others by the Nazis so there is violence and mature content.

The Back Cover

With the closing of the ghetto gates, the Commandant decreed that any Jew found outside the ghetto without permission would be shot on sight. Slavs who gave |Jews food would be shot. And as if that wasn’t enough of a deterrent, the Nazis posted signs all over town claiming that contact with Jews could spread disease.

War is raging around Krystia’s town. Her uncle and cousin have already died at the hands of the Soviet and Nazi invaders. Now her Jewish friends face starvation in the ghetto, or death in the camps…unless she can find a way to help them.

What the cover doesn’t tell you:

The author explains in her notes that the novel was inspired by the true story of Kateryna Sikorska and her daughter Krystia. Krystia is now a senior citizen who lives in Canada. Her daughter is journalist and filmmaker Iryna Korpan, who made a documentary called She Paid the Ultimate Price about her mother’s and grandmother’s heroic actions in World War II Ukraine.

What’s good?

It’s heartbreak from beginning to end, yet a thread of hope runs through the story in a way that is completely engrossing. Told from the perspective of a young Slavic girl, Krystia, who is already dealing with the death of her father when the Russian’s move in to her small town. But there’s relief all around when the Germans push them out. However, no one expected that the Germans would be much worse. The chapters are short, and the pace is quick as Krystia and her family and neighbors must adapt to their new reality. The fear is palpable, and the desperation is strong as they all do the best they can to help each other. The tragedy of these times knows no bounds.

Best Part: Most of the story is based on true events.

What isn’t good?

I really can’t think of anything negative to say about this story. It’s not unique. It’s similar to pretty much every other fictionalized account of real events during World War II. But like every other similar story I’ve read, it’s heart-wrenching and anger-inducing. These are stories we need to hear so that we never forget what comes from hate and intolerance.

Worst part: Nothing.

Recommendation ☺☺☺☺☻ (4/5)

This poignant story is not for everyone. It’s a stark reminder of the real evils that lurk in our world. There is brutality and cruelty that some readers won’t likely understand, but it’s an important story narrated by a young girl who witnesses want can be only be equated to the fall of humanity. Recommended.

Skrypuch, Marsha Forchuk. Don’t Tell the Enemy. Toronto: Scholastic, 2018.