Such a timely read. I was captivated by this story of a young boy and his grandmother. I wasn't sure at first if I would appreciate the timeline set during the pandemic, but I think it captured the feelings and reality of that time so well. I appreciated this kid's feelings and frustrations. Love that the mom gave him a consequence that ultimately allowed him an opportunity to connect with and get to know his great grandmother, GG. I was drawn right into GG's story of her time growing up in the Ukraine in the 1930s. I was not aware of the history of the famine and thought this book did a great job teaching about that in a way that still kept me caring about and connecting to the characters. It was a heartwarming and emotional read and I loved every second of it. A new favorite middle grade for sure.

This was such a thought provoking and timely story. I loved the way the author tied the entire story together and I really think preteens will love getting to know Nadiya, Mila, & Helen's story through the lens of Matthew.

Oh. My. Gosh. I have no words. This book was beyond amazing. Both informative and mind blowing. The twist at the end I never saw coming!! This is a piece of history I had no knowledge of. After having read it I feel not only better informed but also interested in learning more. I love that the author told this story from multiple perspectives and also multiple perspectives in time which usually isn't my cup of tea. Setting this during lockdown I think did wonders for the story as a whole and is something that everyone can relate to within a tale that most of us could never imagine. Amazingly done.

This dual-timeline narrative begins in 2020 with 12-year-old Matthew, homebound because of Covid lockdowns and separated from his journalist father posted to Europe. Because his 100-year-old great-grandmother, known as GG, lives with him, he can’t even see his friends for fear of endangering her. After a bit of destructive horseplay, Matthew’s mother orders him to go through GG’s storage boxes, where he finds letters and photos that contain a shocking secret. Matthew’s chapters are interspersed with Mila’s in Ukraine and Helen’s in Brooklyn in 1932-33. Both of these girls—GG’s cousins, she says—are 12 years old at the time of the Holodomor, the famine that Soviet leaders imposed on the Ukrainian countryside that led to the starvation of millions. GG, whose name is Nadiya, survived the Holodomor that killed the rest of her family in the countryside. When Nadiya walks to Kyiv, Mila hides her from her father, a Soviet apparatchik who helped to steal farmers’ grain and execute resisters. Helen, safe in Brooklyn with her immigrant family, tries to reconcile news of the famine with the sunny views of the Soviet Union in the mainstream press. She wants to collect evidence to convince Walter Duranty, the notorious Moscow-based New York Times reporter who denied the existence of this genocide.

Marsh, a journalist, explores both the Holodomor and journalistic ethics through the experiences of her three point of view characters. While Matthew adds a connection to today’s readers, the stories of Mila and Helen will keep them turning the pages. All of the young characters confront a world based on lies, and how each of them recognizes the truth and acts on that knowledge can spark reflection and discussion.

This review was published in The Historical Novel Review, spring 2023

I absolutely enjoyed this book. There have been a lot of books where the setting is COVID, but this was unique. It was a way for the main character to be with his great grandmother and unravel the mystery of who she was. The alternating characters was a great way to show all points of view. I could not put this down and every student I have handed to has enjoyed it a lot.

Cover: This cover is very appealing and students in grades 6th-8th would be comfortable checking it out.

This is not how Matthew expect this year to go. The world has shut down because of Covid. His journalist dad is stuck overseas and his mom just moved his 100 year old great grandmother in with them to keep her safe. And when his mom takes away his only fun, his video games, he finds a new way to occupy his time, helping GG go through her boxes full of memorabilia. In those boxes he finds clues to a history he does not know, abed her sets it to get GG to share her story.

As GG opens up to Matthew, we get two perspectives from the 1930s. Mila in Kyiv, Ukraine and Helen in Brooklyn, New York. All three perspectives help tell the story of the famine in Ukraine in the 1930s and make a commentary on who and what gets to define the truth.
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I love reading books that open my eyes to parts of history previously unknown to me, and this book does that in a such a carefully crafted way. The way the story was woven through the three perspectives fleshed it out more and made the characters more three dimensional.

There are some horrific things that happen in this novel, but I think they were presented tactfully where the reader gets the picture without having to experience all the gritty details.

Overall I enjoyed this book and because it opened my eyes to a new part of history, it will be one that I think about for years to come.
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Content Note: This book addresses the 1930s famine in Soviet Ukraine, so there are descriptions of abuse and people starving to death. Other things to be aware of are: antisemitism, bullying, execution, classist rhetoric, and descriptions of 2020 Covid pandemic. As such, I highly suggest parents or guardians read this one alongside their children to discuss with them.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

A very captivating read about a lesser known part of history. I appreciated the dual timelines between Covid and the Ukranian Famine to explore how the media covers ugly truths about situations - this was nicely done without outright blaming the media. I wonder if kids will pick up on this? I appreciated the boy narrator - so often missing in middle grade fiction, Will include in my classroom library!

This book blew me away. I loved the dual timelines and multiple POVs. The mystery was on point and kept me picking it up for more.

The Lost Year was wonderfully written. It’s a great look at the comparison of how the Covid pandemic affected the US and divided us further with the Ukrainian famine in the 1930s. Give to readers who enjoyed Blackbird Girls, Nowhere Boy and anything by Jennifer Nielsen.

This book focused on a historical event that I was not at all aware of, the Holodomor. With its back and forth between present and past it really builds the tension until the twist that I did not expect.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me access to the free advanced digital copy of this book.

A necessary and valuable addition to the genre of children's literature--this historical fiction title about the Holodomor as focalized through three different characters across time periods is fantastic! It's gripping, informative, and serves to engage the reader to explore more about what happened in Ukraine in the 30s. This is an excellent title for the classroom as students will be able to engage more emotionally with a historical event that every American should know about!

Moving story of three cousins in the 1930s: one in the United States, one in Ukraine, and one with a powerful father in Russia. This explores how their lives are intertwined the how Holodomor affects all of their lives. Very touching story for fans of Broken Strings or Finding Junie Kim. Highly recommend.

In this middle grade novel, in her characteristic way, Katherine Marsh tells stories from various characters and different timelines to draw attention to historical events in ways that will feel relevant to children.

The story centers around Matthew, a New Jersey teenager in 2020 at the height of COVID isolation; Matthew's 100-year-old great grandmother has been moved out of the nursing home into their home in hopes of keeping her safe. Matthew struggles to connect with her, while feeling cut off from friends and classmates. He decides to use journalistic techniques to learn more of her story. In interchanging storylines, we dive into 1930s New York and Ukraine, learning about the famine Holodomor that impacted his great grandmother.

Teachers would find this a valuable classroom read, as students will resonate with Matthew's experience of virtual learning, as well as get a glimpse of how a famine was hidden from the world through propaganda.

(I received a digital ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.)

This is a superb look at a piece of history that is not often mentioned in middle grades literature, or middle grades curriculum for that matter. This would be a great addition to any classroom or school library.

A fascinating look at a piece of history that hasn't gotten a lot of attention in middle grade literature. Marsh tugs at the reader's heartstrings with a frank look at a hard time in history. It isn't easy to both introduce something new and make it impact the reader, but Marsh is very successful. Great for public or school libraries.

What a spectacular read! This is more than just a historical novel. Marsh weaves together three perspectives - two girls in the 1930s and a boy at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. While Matthew's story appears initially to just be a way to engage the reader with the historical plot, as the narrative unfolds we see more parallels. Certainly, this is a historical novel at heart. It's a tale of the Ukrainian famine and it's devastating effects on a trio of cousins. But it's also a tale of loss and fear, of isolation and your world being inexorably changed. That is part of where Matthew's story comes in. And at a higher level it is an introduction to narrative. As the characters discover, it matters who is telling the story and what their motivations might be. We learn about propaganda and state controlled media, the power of our news sources telling us what is and isn't true even without evidence. This is a story you can read multiple times and come away with a different point to reflect on each time.

This is an incredibly well written story for middle grade readers with the topical subject matter of what is going on in Ukraine and COVID. This was so full of heart and pain but written in a really emotional yet age appropriate way.

A timely story that many students will identify with while also finding the current events interesting.

The Lost Year by is the most intricately woven story with the most extensive author’s note I’ve ever seen (and I mean that in the best way!).

The story begins in 2020 in the early days of the pandemic, and the emotion and uncertainty of that time all came rushing back to me as I read. 7th grader Matthew and his mom live with 100-year-old GG, so they’re extra-cautious and stress levels are HIGH. On top of that, Matthew’s dad is stuck in France for work. Matthew’s mom tasks him with going through GG’s boxes with her, and slowly, her story, which she has never shared, unfolds.

In the meantime, the book alternates between Matthew’s 2020 experience with Helen’s 1932 experience in Brooklyn and Mila’s 1932 experience in Ukraine.

(I love books with multiple perspectives like this!)

For those who might not know (I didn’t know this), from 1932-1933, there was a famine in Ukraine, known as the Holodomor.

There was something especially chilling about reading about this Ukrainian famine and Stalin’s propaganda (and the children who whole-heartedly believed it because it’s all they knew) while war continues to rage in Ukraine as I write this.

There is so much more I could say (I was NOT expecting the twist in GG’s story at the end!), but I’ll leave it there and hope that I’ve piqued your interest.

An incredibly written and deeply thought-provoking book about a time in history that I think many of us are unfamiliar with.