Author: Marsha

I write historical fiction, mostly from the perspective of young people who are thrust in the midst of war.

I’m Afraid, said the Leaf 4/5

There is a lot to like about this simple picture book. The text is precise and spare and would be particularly appealing to a beginning reader. The illustrations are approachable, and again, this makes it a good choice for a reader who is learning or by one who might feel intimidated by books in English. I also like the reassuring message that all of us are afraid sometimes and all of us feel alone, but there are people and moments and nature to share those moments with. I think this book would be best used in a classroom rather than as a read aloud or bedtime book at home. Why? There wasn’t really a story arc and to me the pages seemed to go on longer than necessary and sort of petered out, rather than come to a culmination. Thanks Tundra, Netgalley for the ARC.

Narwhal’s Sweet Tooth 5/5

Narwhal’s Sweet Tooth will educate its young readers about the importance of dental hygiene while entertaining all the way. Every single page spread in this 80 page graphic novel is chock full of hilarious drawings and word puns, making the underlying message go down quite easily. Kids of all ages will love it. Thanks Tundra and Netgalley for the ARC.

There Are No Ants in This Book 5/5

Everything about this picture book is perfect. I love the child’s stubborn opening attitude and their dislike of ants, and how gradually the ants themselves make them change their mind, while educating the reader about a whole lot of different ants that are out there and how each has a specific role in its community. Anna Pirolli’s illustrations are wonderful and I love Rosemary Mosco’s underlying message of inclusiveness mixed in with the wry fresh humor and ant education. Thank you Tundra Books and Netgalley for the ARC.

The Words We Share 5/5

Immigrant kids learn English more quickly than their parents and so often have to translate for them. This role-reversal can be demeaning for the parent and burdensome for the child, but Jack Wong shows that there’s more to communication than knowing the right words. His illustrations have a graphic novel feel to them and they make the story very approachable. The text is everything that’s needed but no more, making it crisp and clear to read. I love that the father’s words are written both in English and Chinese.

Simple, beautiful, brilliant and universal.

Russia’s War on Everybody 5/5

This book is written by Keir Giles, who is a Senior Consulting Fellow for the Russia and Eurasia Programme at Chatham House. He speaks with authority on the topic of Russia’s world-view and goals and the risks we all are facing because we don’t take the malevolence of the Russian Federation seriously enough. Giles shows how Russia uses the west’s openness, innate decency and democracy as tools to destroy those very things. Russia’s antipathy to the west is all encompassing, as is Putin’s ruthlessness. No enemy is too small to destroy, nor too big. This book will shock and inform you. I urge you to read it. If you think the current war is just about Ukraine, you need to read this book. If you think the road to peace is negotiation, you need to read this book.

Reviews stripped from Amazon

First Russia bans me, now Amazon bans me. This past summer, Amazon stripped me of reviewing privileges, both for amazon.ca and dot com, plus they deleted years’ worth of my reviews. Why? Because they said I violated community guidelines with one of my reviews, then cited two earlier reviews. The cited review is posted below, plus I looked up the other two. One is linked below. The other is odd — I didn’t review a book that day. I keep them all logged on my goodreads profile. I don’t know how these reviews break guidelines, but I have to wonder why books about Russia are being targeted. Sooooo … now I am posting my reviews in a new spot on my website, as well as on as many other places I can think of. I do like to support my fellow authors, after all.

Amazon.com <community-help@amazon.com>Tue, Oct 3, 2:14 AM
to me
Message From Customer Service
Hello Marsha Skrypuch,

I’m sorry we haven’t been able to address your concerns to your satisfaction. However, I won’t be able to offer any additional insight or action on this matter.

We removed your posting privileges because your most recent post violated our guidelines and Conditions of Use. You previously violated our guidelines on 2023/05/31 and then again on 2023/09/07. (I posted no review on this date)

This book will shock and inform you. I urge you to read it.

This book is written by Keir Giles, who is a Senior Consulting Fellow for the Russia and Eurasia Programme at Chatham House. He speaks with authority on the topic of Russia’s world-view and goals and the risks we all are facing because we don’t take the malevolence of the Russian Federation seriously enough. Giles shows how Russia uses the west’s openness, innate decency and democracy as tools to destroy those very things. Russia’s antipathy to the west is all encompassing, as is Putin’s ruthlessness. No enemy is too small to destroy, nor too big. This book will shock and inform you. I urge you to read it. If you think the current war is just about Ukraine, you need to read this book. If you think the road to peace is negotiation, you need to read this book.

We won’t reinstate your posting permissions for this account.

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Learned by Heart 3/5

Emma Donahue is one of my favorite authors and the topic of this newest novel is fascinating. It’s the reconstruction of Anne Lister’s (aka Gentleman Jack, the 1800s openly lesbian trailblazer) year at a boarding school in York as a teen, and of Eliza Raine, her first love. The mass of research and passion that went into writing this novel is evident on every page, but the narrative bogs down from the weight of it. This novel lacks the classic narrative pull that makes an Emma Donahue book so unputdownable. I was also put off by the uncharacteristically clunky dialog tags. That said, it was still an interesting read.