Why am I passionate about this?

I’m the author of multiple middle grade and YA historical novels, including Torch, which won the 2023 Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Young Adult Literature. Torch takes place in the aftermath of the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968, and it is especially timely in the face of the recent Russian invasion of Ukraine. The Bear (a popular symbol of the Russian Empire) has mauled many of its neighbors in the past century, not only Czechoslovakia and Ukraine but also the Baltic countries that, like Ukraine, were incorporated into the Soviet Union and the other Eastern European countries that were part of the Soviet bloc until the fall of Communism in 1989. 


I wrote

Book cover of Torch

What is my book about?

Czechoslovakia, 1969. Seventeen-year-old Pavol has watched his country’s freedoms and his own dreams disappear. To protest the oppressive new government,…

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of Winterkill

Lyn Miller-Lachmann Why did I love this book?

This Ukrainian-Canadian author’s novel for teens is banned in Russia because it tells the truth about the Holodomor—the early 1930s famine the Soviet regime under Josef Stalin imposed on a restive Ukrainian population that didn’t want to live under Communism.

Nyl’s family and the rest of the village want to keep their small farms and their religion, but soldiers sent from Moscow massacre village leaders, seize land and grain, and starve all those who remain. Today the Kharkiv region where this book is set endures regular terror bombing from Russia.

By Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Winterkill as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 8, 9, 10, and 11.

What is this book about?

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…


Book cover of The Lost Year: A Survival Story of the Ukrainian Famine

Lyn Miller-Lachmann Why did I love this book?

Dual timeline narratives connect young people’s lives today with those of family members in the past.

This one contrasts the fear and isolation Matthew feels during the 2020 Covid lockdown with the terror experienced by his great grandmother living in Kiev (now Kyiv, Ukraine) during the Holodomor. The futile efforts of a relative who escaped to alert Americans to Soviet oppression and Ukrainians’ starvation raises important questions for budding journalists who seek to tell the truth in the face of pressure and propaganda.

By Katherine Marsh,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Lost Year as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 10, 11, 12, and 13.

What is this book about?

Thirteen-year-old Matthew is miserable. His journalist dad is stuck overseas, and his mum has moved his great-grandmother in with them to ride out the pandemic, adding to his stress and isolation.

But when Matthew finds a photo in his great-grandmother's belongings, he discovers a clue to a hidden chapter of her past, one that will reveal a life-shattering family secret. Set in alternating timelines that connect the present day to the 1930s and the US to the USSR, Katherine Marsh's latest novel sheds light on the Holodomor - the horrific famine that killed millions of Ukrainians.


Book cover of The Silent Unseen: A Novel of World War II

Lyn Miller-Lachmann Why did I love this book?

While there’s no shortage of WWII books for teens, this companion to Traitor is among the few that presents the eastern front and Ukrainian and Polish resistance fighters who battled each other, the Nazis, and the Soviets.

Today’s alliance between Poland and Ukraine reflects their mutual experience of oppression at the hands of larger powers that transcends their own historic differences. The unlikely romance in The Silent Unseen serves as a microcosm of this process.

By Amanda McCrina,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Silent Unseen as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 12, 13, 14, and 15.

What is this book about?

Poland, July 1944. Sixteen-year-old Maria is making her way home after years of forced labor in Nazi Germany, only to find her village destroyed and her parents killed in a war between the Polish Resistance and Ukrainian nationalists. To Maria's shock, the local Resistance unit is commanded by her older brother, Tomek-who she thought was dead. He is now a "Silent Unseen," a special-operations agent with an audacious plan to resist a new and even more dangerous enemy sweeping in from the East. When Tomek disappears, Maria is determined to find him, but the only person who might be able…


Book cover of Between Shades of Gray

Lyn Miller-Lachmann Why did I love this book?

This bestselling novel depicts the little-known Soviet invasion of Lithuania in 1940 and the deportation of more than 100,000 ethnic Lithuanians to Siberia through the eyes of 15-year-old Lina and her family.

The Lithuanian-American author was inspired by her relatives’ experiences. Like Ukraine, Lithuania regained its independence after the end of Communism and the breakup of the Soviet Union, but Russia continues to threaten the small nation.

By Ruta Sepetys,

Why should I read it?

4 authors picked Between Shades of Gray as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 12, 13, 14, and 15.

What is this book about?

The haunting and powerful Second World War novel by Ruta Sepetys that inspired the feature film, ASHES IN THE SNOW, OUT NOW.

One night fifteen-year-old Lina, her mother and young brother are hauled from their home by Soviet guards, thrown into cattle cars and sent away. They are being deported to Siberia.

An unimaginable and harrowing journey has begun. Lina doesn't know if she'll ever see her father or her friends again. But she refuses to give up hope.

Lina hopes for her family.
For her country.
For her future.
For love - first love, with the boy she barely…


Book cover of This Rebel Heart

Lyn Miller-Lachmann Why did I love this book?

For those who like their history infused with magic, this historical fantasy set in Hungary in 1956 introduces Jewish folklore and history along with the lives of Hungarians fighting for their freedom.

Csilla and her aunt have tickets out of the country, but news about her parents—executed by the previous Soviet-backed regime—along with the student uprising and two beautiful and mysterious strangers compel her to stay despite the specter of a bloody Soviet invasion.

By Katherine Locke,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked This Rebel Heart as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 12, 13, 14, and 15.

What is this book about?

A tumultuous tale of the student-led 1956 Hungarian revolution—and an all too timely look at the impact of Communism and the USSR in Eastern Europe—set in a fabulist, colorless post-WWII Budapest from Sydney Taylor Honor winner Katherine Locke.

“A haunting, beautiful read that centers queer Jewish characters.” —BuzzFeed

In the middle of Budapest, there is a river. Csilla knows the river is magic. During WWII, the river kept her family safe when they needed it most--safe from the Holocaust. But that was before the Communists seized power. Before her parents were murdered by the Soviet police. Before Csilla knew things…


Explore my book 😀

Book cover of Torch

What is my book about?

Czechoslovakia, 1969. Seventeen-year-old Pavol has watched his country’s freedoms and his own dreams disappear. To protest the oppressive new government, he sets himself on fire in public, hoping to motivate a general uprising.

Instead, Pavol’s death leads the police to three of his closest friends. Štěpán, his Olympic hockey ambitions jeopardized, must conceal his sexual orientation from authorities. Tomáš struggles to follow the unwritten rules of everyday interactions, and now he must work to meet the expectations of his father, the regional leader of the Communist Party. And aspiring film director Lída, Pavol’s girlfriend, is pregnant with his child, which brands her a traitor and threatens the baby’s future. Their lives hanging in the balance, all three must decide whether to keep struggling in the country Pavol died hoping to save.

Book cover of Winterkill
Book cover of The Lost Year: A Survival Story of the Ukrainian Famine
Book cover of The Silent Unseen: A Novel of World War II

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Book cover of The Adventures of Lucky and Mr. Pickle: The Stormy Night

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Why am I passionate about this?

I grew up reading Stephen King and Michael Crichton. That combination of horror and techno-thriller greatly impacted my writing style and genre. I love a page-turner and chapters that end with a cliffhanger. I love that creepy feeling of dread that washes over you when engrossed in a scary scene. I love when you put a book down for the night, turn off the light, and then wince when you hear a strange noise in the other room. I love a story that's so believable that you can't help but wonder, "Could this happen...maybe even to me?" If you do, too, you may enjoy my books.

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What is my book about?

The Stormy Night is the first in a series of nine children's books for ages 8-12. The stories follow two dogs–a senior, disabled dog and a newly adopted puppy–as they learn to become friends and family.

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What is this book about?

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Interested in survival, the Soviet Union, and Ukraine?

Survival 203 books
The Soviet Union 379 books
Ukraine 97 books