Marvelous Middle Grade Monday Giveaway and Interview-Marsha Skrypuch

Yay for MARVELOUS MIDDLE GRADE MONDAY, started by the fabulous Shannon Whitney Messenger.  Stolen Child comes HIGHLY recommended by Curly Fry (book club kiddo). Set in the fifties, but Curly Fry totally identified with Nadia's struggles to fit in and discover (literally) who she is. Following is an interview with Marsha and...a giveaway! Plus, links to more Marvelous Middle Grade posts.

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Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch (pronounced skrip-pick) was born in Brantford, Ontario. In elementary school, she faked knowing how to read until Grade 4. Finally, she chose the thickest book she could find, Dicken’s Oliver Twist, and taught herself to read. By the time she had finished the book, she wanted to be a writer.


In high school, she wrote for her school newspaper. After graduation, she went to university to study Honours English.


Skrypuch then became the first female industrial sales rep in Canada. After four years, she returned to university and obtained her Master’s degree in Library Science.


Skrypuch worked as the Librarian at the Delhi Research Station. After the birth of her son, she began reviewing children’s books for The Expositor newspaper.


Her interest in history, especially “bits of history that people don’t know about”, inspires her stories.

How much do you love this picture of Marsha and the kids with all her books! It is fantastic and they are the reason we do what we do. Okay :) Back to the business at hand, just had to say that.


STOLEN CHILD is the book that is our giveaway.  In fact we have two copies! I read and book talked this to my group, the young lady who took it, gave it two thumbs up. And she she read it not once, but twice.

Stolen from her family by the Nazis, Nadia is a young girl who tries to make sense of her confusing memories and haunting dreams. Bit by bit she starts to uncover the truth — that the German family she grew up with, the woman who calls herself Nadia’s mother, are not who they say they are. Beyond her privileged German childhood, Nadia unearths memories of a woman singing her a lullaby, while the taste of gingersnap cookies brings her back to a strangely familiar, yet unknown, past. Piece by piece, Nadia comes to realize who her real family was. But where are they now? What became of them? And what is her real name?
This story of a Lebensborn girl — a child kidnapped for her “Aryan looks” by the Nazis in their frenzy to build a master race — reveals one child’s ierce determination to uncover her past against incredible odds.



Now, on to the interview. Marsha, welcome and thanks so much for taking part in Oh MY YA Canada. One of things I loved about STOLEN CHILD was the voice you captured. There were times when I felt  as though Nadia was sitting in the room with me. It’s the kind of book I found  myself wanting to read aloud to a group of children because of the cadence and sound of her talking (and of course for the mystery of Nadia trying to figure out who she is, kids will be pulled in by this) Is this one of the reasons you chose to tell the story in first person? Did you ever attempt to tell the story in third person?

What a great question, Deb! I have written most of my novels in third person, but Nadia as a character seemed so much a part of me that she insisted on being in first person.

Well, I'm glad she insisted. She was right!

There are some debut authors taking part in our interview and book giveaways for Oh MG YA Canada. Do you have any advice for them going into their first school or library visit?

Do not stand up there and read your book to the kids. Tell the story behind the story. Let them know how you happened upon this story and why it resonated with you so much that you had to write it. Talk about your struggles when you were a kid and how you felt different, which is why you became a writer (writers are by definition the outsiders and observers). Don’t talk about your kudos and awards -- that is just intimidating. Talk about your failures and humiliations and how you overcame them. Ask the kids questions about their reading and writing peeves and problems.

You can do a reading during the presentation, but make sure it is extremely brief. Better for them to ask for more than fall asleep. And choose the section with care. It should be an action scene that’s understandable as a stand-alone.

Do not try to talk over students who aren’t listening. Pause and make eye contact. Patiently wait for them to finish their chatting and then continue. If teachers are chatting with each other at the back of the class, use the same technique on them. They should be patterning good listening for their students. Remember, you are in control.

Excellent advice. I can tell you've  presented a time or two.


Speaking of being in front of an audience, what is one of your best school, library or book signing moments?

Oh, I have had so many. I love doing school and library presentations. I especially love presenting to tough crowds -- you know, boys who hate reading, or teens who are trying to look disinterested. I also love speaking to adult learners -- new Canadians and literacy groups.

One of my most awesome experiences was from a few years ago when I was on tour in northern Manitoba. I was in a remote area and there was a snowstorm. My one driver dropped me off at the school, but the person who was supposed to pick me up got delayed by more than an hour. I was in the library with 200+ grade 9 and 10 students, mostly boys. I had already done my presentation and I was feeling badly for these kids because they had been sitting on the hard floor all this time. When the phone call came and they announced that I’d be there for another hour, the teachers asked if I would continue on, and do another presentation with the same kids. I didn’t think the kids would be able to tolerate that, so I opened it up for a conversation, but the first boy to put up his hand said, “Would you read to us? It would be awesome to have you just read to us from one of your novels for an hour.”

I asked the kids to vote, and it was unanimous. That’s what they all wanted. So I read Hope’s War to them, starting on page one until my ride came. They sat, intently listening. Not one student whispered or fidgeted, or fell asleep! It was enchanting.

The power of story is amazing and what a way to show and share that!

In my book club I have some keen readers (of course!), but also some keen writers. They range in age from 8 to 13. When did you start writing and do you have any advice for my book clubbers?

I avoided reading until I was 9 years old and failed grade 4. Once I got the reading bug, I got the writing bug too. They often do go hand in hand. I wrote what I consider my first “novel” when I was in grade 8 -- a 64 page handwritten story with chapters about slaves escaping to Canada.

Advice? Read a LOT of books. Read every type of book you find interesting. And write everyday for about ten minutes. Don’t force yourself to write when you’re bored with writing because you will write boring stuff.

Do not listen to adult opinions on the value of your writing. Do not write to get published. Write for the joy of it. If you write, you are a writer. Don’t think that you need the validation of winning contests or seeing your story published. I have read a lot of published crap and I’ve read unpublished masterpieces. Do it for your soul, not for praise.


Speaking of my book club kids. Anything you’d like to recommend they read or we get for our library? Something that is a recent read, or a book you loved when you were a kid?

There is a terrific 4 book series by Megan Whalen Turner called The Queen’s Thief. Here are the books:

The Thief
The Queen of Attolia
The King of Attolia
A Conspiracy of Kings (and this one made it to the final three of the SLJ Battle of the books!)

Also, Valerie Sherrard’s Tumbleweed Skies is awesome.

Oh my yes on Valerie! I have Sam's Light on my shelves. Must take that into next book club meeting. So many books to share.

My all-time favourite series is Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials:

The Golden Compass
The Subtle Knife
The Amber Spyglass

From childhood? Black Beauty

Thanks so much for this! I'll be compiling a book list and all of your advice to share with my kids. They will appreciate it, I know.



Now, a couple of questions about living in Canada. What is your favourite part of living where you do?

I live in the country just outside of Brantford Ontario. I love it here. Just yesterday, four deer came right up to my window. We live far enough away from others that it is quiet, and there are beautiful walking and biking trails around me. It is important for a writer to have breathing space.

Do you have another part of Canada that you love to visit or that you’ve always wanted to but haven’t yet?

I have never been to the Northwest Territories but would love to visit. I’ve also not visited Newfoundland and would love to visit there as well.

I love the prairie provinces, especially Saskatchewan.

And to close, anything I didn’t ask that you were hoping I would ask?

You didn’t ask if there is a sequel to Stolen Child. There isn’t a sequel, but there is a companion novel and I just finished writing it yesterday. It is about Nadia’s sister Lida and her time as a slave labourer in Nazi Germany. It is called Making Bombs For Hitler and will be published by Scholastic in 2012.

Oh Marsha! Very excited to read this. I am already looking forward to Lida’s story. I so remember the moment in STOLEN CHILD where the sisters saw each other. That scene (as are so many others in the book) was so vivid.

Thanks again for doing this, Marsha. You can learn more about her and her books on her website :  www.calla.com

And now, on to the giveaway! Marsha is providing two copies of her books to give  away. The contest is open to Canada and the U.S. and you have until Midnight (MST) next Sunday, April 10.  What do you need to do? Comment with your name and email!


UPDATE: You now have until Monday, April 11 (midnight, MST).


More (yes more!) Marvelous Middle Grade Monday posts :

Joanne Fritz HERE 

Myrna Foster  HERE 

Shannon O'Donnell HERE