Good Reading Masthead Logo
Book club icon

Book Club This Month

Our recommended best books for Book Clubs

December 2024 Book Club Pick YA

Nov 2024

You Don’t Know What War Is: The Diary of a Young Girl From Ukraine
Author: Skalietska, Yeva
Category: Children's, teenage & educational
Publisher: Bloomsbury Children's Books
ISBN: 9781526659934
RRP: 19.99
See book Details

Synopsis

***A SUNDAY TIMES BOOK OF THE YEAR*** Featured on This Morning, Steph's Packed Lunch, Radio 4- Today and Channel 4 News _______________ Everyone knows the word 'war'. But very few understand what it truly means. When you find you have to face it, you feel totally lost, walled in by fright and despair. Until you've been there, you don't know what war is. This is the gripping and moving diary of young Ukrainian refugee Yeva Skalietska. It follows twelve days in Ukraine that changed 12-year-old Yeva's life forever. She was woken in the early hours to the terrifying sounds of shelling. Russia had invaded Ukraine, and her beloved Kharkiv home was no longer the safe haven it should have been. It was while she was forced to seek shelter in a damp, cramped basement that Yeva decided to write down her story. And it is a story the world needs to hear. Yeva captured the nation's heart when she was featured on Channel 4 News with her granny as they fled Ukraine for Dublin. In You Don't Know What War Is, Yeva records what is happening hour-by-hour as she seeks safety and travels from Kharkiv to Dublin. Each eye-opening diary entry is supplemented by personal photographs, excerpts of messages between Yeva and her friends and daily headlines from around the world, while three beautifully detailed maps (by Kharkiv-native Olga Shtonda) help the reader track Yeva and her granny's journey. You Don't Know What War Is is a powerful insight into what conflict is like through the eyes of a child and an essential read for adults and older children alike. Published in association with UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, with a foreword by Michael Morpurgo. _______________ 'Everyone, absolutely everyone, should read it. You will love Yeva' Christy Lefteri, No.1 international bestselling author of The Beekeeper of Aleppo 'Yeva speaks a truth all of us must listen to' Michael Morpurgo, award-winning author of War Horse 'Exhilarating, shattering, heartbreaking, brilliant' Roddy Doyle, Booker Prize-winning author 'The most important story of our times' Viv Groskop, podcaster and writer 'A herstory of Ukraine' Olia Hercules, Ukrainian chef and food writer Yeva is a 12-year-old Ukrainian girl who grew up living with her granny in Kharkiv, near the Russian border. She loves learning languages, bowling, playing the piano and painting. Yeva wrote a diary of her experiences of fleeing war in Ukraine. She now lives in Dublin, Ireland where she has made new friends and had a go at Irish dancing, but is always missing home.

Each month Good Reading for Young Adults features a book for our online book club. Our December book selection is You Don’t Know What War Is, a powerful insight into what conflict is like through the eyes of a child. So, get your book club friends together and get reading. And don’t forget to check out the teaching notes below.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Yeva SkalietskaYeva Skalietska is teenage Ukrainian girl who grew up living with her granny in Kharkiv, near the Russian border. She loves learning languages, bowling, playing the piano and painting. Yeva wrote a diary of her experiences of fleeing war in Ukraine. She now lives in Dublin, Ireland.

Follow Yeva Skalietska on Instagram

Reader Comments

0 Comments

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Your rating
No rating

Tip: left half = .5, right half = whole star. Use arrow keys for 0.5 steps.

The Latest List

Latest Fiction Books For Great Conversation

Good Boy by Michelle Wright

Good Boy by Michelle Wright

Good People by Patmeena Sabit

Good People by Patmeena Sabit

On the Edge by Kate Horan

On the Edge by Kate Horan

Iluka by Cassie Stroud

Iluka by Cassie Stroud

The Eleventh Hour by Salman Rushdie

The Eleventh Hour by Salman Rushdie

A Great Act of Love by Heather Rose

A Great Act of Love by Heather Rose

No results found.

Latest Non-Fiction Books For Great Conversation

Reading the Seasons

Reading the Seasons

Muddy People : A memoir by Sara El Sayed

Muddy People : A memoir by Sara El Sayed

Rattled by Ellis Gunn

Rattled by Ellis Gunn

Telltale

Telltale

Raised by Wolves by Jess Ho

Raised by Wolves by Jess Ho

Sings and Wonders

Sings and Wonders

No results found.