Swimming with Spies

by Chrystyna Lucyk-Berger

As war escalates between the Russians and Ukrainians in the port city of Sevastopol, can one girl and a pod of dolphins prove that communication is the greatest weapon of all?

It’s February of 2014 in the seaport city of Sevastopol in Crimea. Sofiya Oleksandrivna only wants two things: to figure out a way to get Ilya Ilyich to stop bullying her, and to convince her mother to come back home. But as battleships come to populate the waters around their city and Russian forces, including Ilya’s father, start to make their presence known, an even greater threat takes over Sofiya’s life.

The only escape Sofiya has is the dolphinarium where her father is a trainer at the forefront of teaching sign language to a pod of dolphins. And now the Russian military has ordered the dolphinarium to hand over its animals for military use. As armed Russian troops invade Crimea and conflict and tension continue to rise, Sofiya will do everything she can to keep her pod safe. And what she knows better than any of the soldiers occupying her city, is that the most powerful force is communication.

Based on the true events of the 2014 annexation of Crimea.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Animals, Adventure, Middle Grade, Ukraine, War, Childrens

288 pages, Hardcover

Published December 3, 2024

About the author

Award-winning historical fiction!
Chrystyna Lucyk-Berger is a Ukrainian-American who transplanted to Austria.

Born in 1969, she grew up in the culture-rich neighborhood of "Nordeast" Minneapolis and started her writing career with short stories, travel narratives, and worked as a journalist and managing magazine editor, before jumping the desk and pursuing her own writing and traveling.

Her books tackle David-vs.-Goliath themes with strong women battling for the Underdogs against a system, be it political, geographical, or industrial. Sometimes all three. "I enjoy discovering the good, the bad, and the ugly in my characters when they come into conflict," she says. "And all of my stories have been inspired by injustices I've discovered along my travels."

The RESCHEN VALLEY series is based on the South Tyrolean-Italian conflict during the interwar period and was inspired by her travels to the Reschen Lake reservoir.

Her collection of short stories, which "reads like a novel", SOUVENIRS FROM KYIV won the silver medal in the IPPY Book Awards 2020 and features six stories inspired by true accounts from WW2 Ukraine. THE WOMAN AT THE GATES is what she identifies as her magnum opus and is based on her family in WW2 Ukraine.

THE GIRL FROM THE MOUNTAINS was inspired by an anecdote about a Nazi family from Austria.

The DIPLOMAT'S WIFE trilogy (released in 2023) follows Kitty Larsson, a U.S. senator's daughter who marries an Austrian diplomat before the Anschluss, only to discover that his family is not what she thought they were. Part spy-thriller, part political-thriller, the series promises a wild romp as Kitty navigates the events of WW2 with her moral compass in hand.

And in 2024, Chrystyna's first middle-grade historical fiction novel will be published by Scholastic USA. Set in 2014 Sevastopol, SWIMMING WITH SPIES is about 12-year-old Sofiya who is forced to wrestle with her Ukrainian identity as Russians swarm her peninsula and annex it. When they threaten to seize the dolphins in her father's care, she races against time to save them from a brutal fate.

Reviews

[Mateusz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant. Swimming with Spies is a captivating middle-grade novel about friendship, loss, community-building... and dolphins. Set during the 2014 annexation of Crimea, the novel will for sure help young people understand the complexity of Ukraine's history and culture and understand the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian war and the impact armed conflicts have not only on people but also animals.

[AnnMarie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read for young adults and helps bring to light the situation in events in Ukrainian history.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

FANTASTIC book for intermediate grades/middle school students. Realistic fiction yet also closely tied to the real events in the recent Ukraine-Russian conflict to indirectly inform of more modern world events. The meticulous, and slow burning development of characters lent itself to great classroom discussion about traits, character change, and empathy! Very relatable to our current political landscape.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great young adult story. I thought it was going to be a true story, but the author clarified that it was not in her ending notes. Still it is a good story about how people can work together even if they have large differences.

[Darya]

Підлітка Софія живе в Севастополі і мріє стати морським біологом, як її тато, директор дельфінарію. Але на дворі 2014, з яким приходить не лише окупація в цілому, а й спроби віджати дельфінів із дельфінарію на військові цілі. Софія та її друзі, чиє життя на півострові розпадається, мусять спробувати їх врятувати.

У мене дуже неоднозначні враження від цієї книжки. Це захоплива пригодницька історія, яку б я із задоволенням прочитала про будь-який інший сеттінг, де б мені не заважало знайомство з культурним контекстом. Що ж стосується саме українського культурного контексту... з одного боку, це дуже добре, що англомовні підлітки отримують з такої авторитетної серії історію, яка правильно відповідає на запитання про те, чий Крим, і взагалі знайомить з цими подіями. З іншого боку, це добрий приклад того, що просто наявність в американського автора якогось "походження" зовсім не робить його експертом в цій культурі. Багато з того, як репрезентоване життя українських підлітків, виглядає досить off - колеги навіть стверджують, що це, можливо, задля того, щоб зробити репрезентацію ближчою і впізнаванішою американському читачеві. Ну, зрештою, про конкретні деталі можна сперечатися, та і я була не підліткою в Криму, а дорослою в Києві в 2014, тож не маю аж такого авторитету, щоб стверджувати, наскільки там реалістичні які веґґі-бурґери. А от що точно дратує - це представлення, що вся справа в міжетнічній ворожнечі, що люди завжди групувалися за етнічним походженням, якщо хтось раптом має змішане походження, то це у нього огого яке гібридне становище, і взагалі, ну от, ви ж вмієте порозумітися одне з одним, так тримати. Ні?

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's 2014, and Sofiya lives with her father and grandmother in Crimea, Ukraine. Her dad runs the dolphinarium, and Sofiya helps out. She's been asked to plan a kid's camp to show the theraputic value the dolphins provide before the encroaching Russian military seizes them for military work. As the military takes over, Sofiya and her friends need to figure out a way to free the animals. While the title is pretty misleading, it's a good story to educate kids about the war in Ukraine. For those who like how animals can be of service/useful and are ready for tougher stories (AKA not heartwarming ones like Odder).

[Parker Stull · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think that the book was a little slow until the end, although the end had me on the edge of my seat. I think the book has a really good message though.

[Jubair Emiya · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wish I could rate this book 4.5! Very very good!

OVERVIEW

After Russia invaded in 2022, Scholastic asked two authors to write books about Ukraine
- Lucyk-Berger being one, this book was born from that. Scholastic is aimed at children,
so most characters in the book are children, but it still deals with mature topics maturely.

This fictional-but-based-on-real-events story centers on an earlier Russian invasion,
the 2014 annexation of Crimea, and the takeover of Sevastopol's dolphinarium, a real event.
Most if not all of the narrative is framed between the months of February to May of that year.

The main character is Sofiya, a Ukrainian girl, whose father works at the Dolphinarium,
and whose mother left Crimea to live in Moscow; her goal in life is to buy a ticket there,
find her mother, and ask why she left her behind. Before she can go, Russia comes to her.

Sofiya has a favorite dolphin, Collin, and a school rival of Russian descent, Ilya.
What happens to Crimea is known - what happens to Collin and Ilya is the soul of the book. Or,
I'd say the soul of the book is moving from caring about Crimea, to caring about Collin and Ilya.

SPECIFIC ELEMENTS

There is a character that clearly represent Russia, Sofiya herself may well represent Ukraine,
and Collin and Ilya may be said to represent Crimea - when their personal stories are
used to speak to the countries' histories and dynamics, it is done to great effect.

At a more personal level, it's - as a Crimea story perhaps has to be - about loss, about
trying to understand and forgive others, and about working together to do what's right.

I like that Sofiya and other characters don't start existing once Russia interrupts
their perfect lives: they each have their own unrelated traumas, struggles, goals.

There are what I would call "Ukraine-coded" and "Russia-coded" characters,
but the Ukraine-aligned ones don't give the right answer to an issue right away,
at times they are wrong, act immaturely, and are proper, imperfect human beings.

I don't think the most patriotic character came across, or was intended to come across,
as the wisest character. Maybe, the one I may most dislike is indeed said wisest character:
I loved how flawed, struggling, and imperfect most of the cast were depicted as throughout.

The author did a lot of research, and it is clear she watched the "Russian Roulette" Vice playlist.
That playlist, without warning, starts reporting not only on Crimea but also on Donbas/Donetsk.
The author didn't notice, and on chapter 14, page 114, it gives as Crimean an event from Donetsk.
This is an isolated instance, and most of her research, specially on dolphins, is to be commended.

I really like the end point Sofiya reaches, and the journey she took to reach that point. However,
I feel the book could have employed more "emotional realization" moments, to mark these shifts
in her thinking and goals. At times, rather than explicit, her reason behind them is hinted at most.

Chief among them, perhaps, is the goal to find and talk to her mother. It's the goal that drives her.
And while one may expect her to abandon it, I also expected her closure to a big, impactful thing.
Perhaps this is, however, just the style of the author. Implying rather than spelling out at times.

The same could be said of Sofiya growing invested in Ilya fate's in the second half of the book.
She clearly is by the end - and early on - but again, a moment where she directly states she is,
and the reason, would have been nice to have, at least for me.

At one point, Sofiya loses access to Collin, yet has a way to watch him remotely.
She doesn't use it for that purpose, gaining access to him again soon enough.
I feel this was a missed opportunity to have a scene/chapter further depict
her feelings of abandonment, and being on the other side of the coin now.

I liked what was being done with the unassuming and "Russian-coded" classmates,
I would have liked to see them play a role or be present/get a mention in the climax.
I'm talking about Larissa, Vova, Antonin... a text message to Sofiya would have done.

There are two maps at the end of the book. Apart from Kyiv, one marks Lviv, Odesa and Moscow,
and the other Donetsk and Luhansk, with only the entire Crimean peninsula labelled in both.
Wouldn't it be more appropriate for the maps to mark Sevastopol and maybe Krasnodar,
which are the city the story takes place in, and a place regularly mentioned, respectively?

Finally, while the "title drop" as a chapter title was ok,
the in-dialogue "title drop" was a bit atrocious haha.

While not perfect, I really like the messages, a solid 4.5/5 from me.

And I'm looking forward to the author's next Ukraine book -
I wonder if at least one character from this won't show up.

[Chrystyna Lucyk-Berger · Rating 5 out of 5]

★ Swimming with Spies
Chrystyna Lucyk-Berger. Scholastic Press, $18.99 (288p) ISBN 978-1-33901-246-9

Talented artist and aspiring scientist Sofiya, 12, narrates Lucyk-Berger’s adroit (Scholastic) debut, set in 2014 Sevastopol on the Crimean Peninsula. Since her Russian mother left for Moscow three years earlier, Sofiya has devoted herself to helping her Ukrainian father Tato, the director of the dolphinarium, in training and caring for the dolphins. She’s simultaneously intellectually and socially engaged at her school, where Russian and Ukrainian students easily switch between the two languages. When her contentious relationship with Russian Ilya causes them to be paired on a project to raise funds for the dolphinarium, Sofiya begins learning about their interwoven past, and that her beloved sea mammals once served as “military marine systems”—i.e., spies—under the Soviet regime. If the Russians retake Crimea—as they seem poised to do—the creatures will be forced into service again; Sofiya is determined to keep that from happening. The rich, detailed descriptions of Sofiya’s experience training the mammals, which Lucyk-Berger deftly blends with Ukrainian political history, are captivating and Sofiya’s deep bond with them suffuses this affecting story of a preteen grappling with her understanding of her own Ukrainian Russian identity and the loss of her mother. Ages 8–12. (Dec.)

Link: https://www.publishersweekly.com/9781...

[Teresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

V. interesting intro to Ukraine and its struggles with Russia. It's told through the story of Sofiya, who is very invested in the fates of dolphins in an aquarium in Sevastopol, in the Crimea. Her single dad runs it, and she has grown up with the marine mammals. When Russia annexes the Crimea (2014), the center is in jeopardy, and the dolphins are in danger of being used for military purposes.
With the help of her classmates/friends, including Ilya, the son of a Russian officer, Sofiya plans an exciting solution.
Suspenseful and exciting, with real world political details woven into imaginative scenarios (e.g. After annexation, trainers had to get Russian passports to continue working at the center). The doubts Sofiya has about Ilya, including his history as the son of her missing mom's drowned best friend, adds lots of emotional depth and suspense. The author made me want to konw what Sofiya and Ilya would do next, and be doing now.
Kids and protest, invested in their country's future. Feels very pertinent now.

[Melissa R · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars for me. Great historical fiction book for kids about recent modern events. Swimming with spies shows what we can achieve when we work together to do what is right - even when we have different backgrounds and desires. It even shows the consequences that can come from doing what you think is right if it means breaking rules. I loved the tenacity of the children to work together to accomplish their goal and over come their differences. Swimming with spies touches on some of the political aspects of Russia and Ukraine because it is obviously the catalyst for the background events. But it does so in a way that is appropriate for school age children. My kids (especially my animal loving 8 year old) really liked this book.

[Ms. Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's 2014, and Sofiya loves her life in the Crimea. She lives with her father and helps care for the pod of dolphins at the facility where he works. She misses her mother, though, and hates dealing with bullies at school, like Ilya, who believes that the Crimea should belong to Russia instead of the Ukraine. Her world is upended when "little green men"--that is, Russian soldiers--invade her hometown and force a sham vote saying Russia is in control of the region. Even worse, Major Chaban, Ilya's father, is going to take over the dolphinarium and force the dolphins to become Russian spies. Sofiya is desperate to stop them, but what can one kid do against an entire army?

Perfect for anyone who likes tense stories, history, or books about animals.

[Sarah Letts · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this with my 7 year old as a bedtime story as we worked through the chapters in between her library books. This book generated great questions and a lot of conversation. I loved the insightful was that it brought to both of us as we learned more. I would say that it probably would have been more beneficial for a little bit of an older child like maybe 4th-5th grade but I am still glad we read it and worked through it. I’m glad she had the ability to want to know more and I loved at the end how the author took the time to explain the fictional parts as well as how the based on true information really spelled it out for the reader .

[Rae Ann Huggins-Ledbetter · Rating 4 out of 5]

What is unique to me about this book is that it historical fiction focusing on a time that was not that long ago. It is a wonderful book for introducing children to the fact that war and conflict STILL happens in our world and the importance of togetherness. There’s quite a bit about dolphins and although I enjoy dolphins 🐬 I kind of got bored 🥱 with that part of the story but I know there are many kids that would connect with Sofiya’s love and passion for her animal family. Also, I found it repetitive in parts but I don’t think it would have bothered me as much as it did IF my kids had better reading endurance and we read it a little quicker. We read this as a family read aloud.

[Martha Meyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this terrific thriller featuring a girl and her deep love of dolphins set in Sevastapol as Crimea falls to Russia in 2014!
Without noticing, readers will learn lots of background information about the real start of the Ukrainian war. Also, this is an introduction to the world of dolphin training and communication, as Sofiya's ability to communicate via sign language with her dolphin pod is the hinge on which the plot turns.

[Emily Cottle · Rating 3 out of 5]

The ending was fantastic--action packed and a great conclusion. The rest of it was pretty boring. Sofiya changed her mind about every other chapter about whether she was mad at someone or not, which made her internal monologue really annoying at times. I was also hoping to learn a little more than I did. I came away feeling like I got very little actual information about the situation in Ukraine. There was a lot of potential, but it didn't quite live up to my expectations.

[Quinn Homan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this book was really good. It showed the true meaning of what we should do to keep our animals safe no matter what. The only thing that was a little disappointing is that it kept going back and forth between her trusting and not trusting Iyla because I would have have been fine if she just made up her mind. Overall it was a great book and I would recommend this to anyone who likes animals and historical-fiction

[Amanda Gilles · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got this book from my students' book fair. I love dolphins but also liked the tie-in to the current and relevant situations going on overseas. I think the author did a good job at tying in the current events to the story line using a go-getting female protagonist but also at a young educating level. I think it is a good read for a classroom. The different language and biology terms and map in the back of the book included were super helpful too.

[Linda Cousens · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Sevastapol, Ukraine, student Sophiya is helping her father run the dolphinarium and is so enamoured of all the sea creatures living there. In 2014, Russia decides to annex Crimea and take over the dolphinarium to train dolphins in warfare. Sophiya and her friends need to come up with a plan to save their beloved dolphins.
This is when the Russia//Ukraine war actually started.

[amy f creech · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good book for upper elementary/middle school kids who remember hearing about the annexation of Crimea and the Ukraine war. Those events are played out in the life of a girl who cares for dolphins with her father and doesn’t want to see the dolphins handed over to the Russians as they begin to occupy her city.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 This exciting and relevant historical novel is probably best for middle school rather than elementary readers. There is considerable historical and political context that may be too complex for most upper elementary students.
Nonetheless, it is a worthy novel dealing with themes of common humanity overcoming ethnic and political differences.

[Joe Holman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very good book with an important story; that of Putin's invasion of Crimea. Nicely done to focus on the dolphinarium as it's a reminder that animals and facilities like the dolphinarium suffer during war. Good lessons here about friendship and getting to know someone to better understand them.

[Wendy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great ties to current events that build background knowledge. Engaging characters.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Teenagers who love caring for dolphins try to save them during the war between Russia and Ukraine.

[Kate Sexton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Middle grade novel full of historical info and adventure. Very touching.

[Audrey · Rating 3 out of 5]

It took about half way through the book for things to pick up, but, then it was a race to the finish! Very emotional and hopeful.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

YA historical fiction
afterward and author's notes are very interesting

[Keithie Evans · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another YA book. This one during the Russian takeover of the Ukrainian Crimea. Kids working in a dolphinarium trying to save the dolphins. Fast moving.

[Brenda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Audiobook

This was an interesting book. I had no idea about the historical event (well, maybe not that historical), but it was really interesting to learn about it.

[Tina Christensen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Intriguing, well written, suspenseful.