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.

This is a beautifully written book that weaves some horrific things through its hopeful pages; and while it's written for children, it will resonate with adults as well.

I had my doubts about whether a book could accurately deal with genocide in a way that wouldn't leave a child marred for life. This one lets us know the shocking truth, yet leaves more a feeling of revulsion and dismay than crippling terror. There's also much to be learned here about the value of the elderly, family bonds, discerning facts from manipulative propaganda, standing up for truth, and on and on. Lest I make this sounds like a pedantic reading, the story is mesmerizing and heartfelt.

I haven't read a middle grade novel this good since The War That Saved My Life. It's one of those rare books that I would like to have a case of and pass out to everyone I know saying, "Please read this."

Thanks to NetGalley and Roaring Books Press for making this title available for an honest review.

The Lost Year by Katherine Marsh is a heartbreaking and important book about the Ukranian Holodomor in the 1930s. Marsh not only created this story based on her family's and others' experiences in a way that helps us understand the past relationship of Ukraine and Russia and how it influences current events, but she also wraps it in a narrative that kids now can relate to--going through the COVID-19 pandemic. The main character, Matthew, is stuck at home like everyone else in the early days of the COVID lockdowns. However, he can't even enjoy outdoor, masked time with friends, due to the fact that he and his mom are caring for his great-grandmother. Not only is Matthew navigating online school, boredom, and tensions with being stuck together with his mom, but he also lives in fear of his father, a journalist in Paris, getting COVID. However, Matthew's perspective changes when he has to start helping his great-grandmother go through her boxes and unearths stories she has not shared with anyone. I found this book to be incredibly moving, timely, and tragic. It is one that will get kids thinking about their own experiences and those of the larger world, and I highly recommend it.

Matthew is a 13 year-old boy living in the US during the COVID shutdowns. His father is a journalist, stuck in France due to the travel restrictions, and he and his mother are caring for his great-grandmother - affectionately known as GG - at home, to keep her safe from contagion in the nursing home she'd been in; at 100, his mother is sure that her grandmother would not have survived catching COVID.

Matthew, like many children his age, is bored and lonely, and gets in trouble - so his mother sets him a task: to sort through his great-grandmother's boxes. In them, he finds a surprise: his family history. GG lived in Ukraine at the time of the Great Famine, and much of her story had remained untold, because it was too painful for her to share. But with the patience born of love and boredom, as well as a sense of duty to his mother, Matthew perseveres in getting GG to discuss the contents of the boxes, and as she does, he learns much more about his family than he could have ever expected.

This is a beautiful work of historical fiction. Filled with authentic details based on the author's life, Katherine Marsh presents a novel that travels back and forth in time and place, between GG, her cousin Helen in New York, and her life and family in Kyiv. Recommended for middle school and up.

12 year old Mattie is going stir crazy, stuck in his house and doing online school in the spring of 2020. He's worried about his dad, a reporter working in another country, and upset that he is secluded with his mom and great-grandmother. To keep him busy he is tasked with helping his great-grandmother, GG, go through her old boxes. Reluctant at first, GG completely shuts down once Mattie discovers a photo of two young girls and starts asking questions. Mattie gradually gets GG to open up about her past and allow him to read through the papers and diaries that document the experiences of three girls during the Ukrainian famine of the 1930's: Ukrainian girls Mila and Nadiya, and Ukrainian-American Helen.

The Lost Year is a really compelling novel that tackles a historical event that I'm sure many readers won't know much about. I really enjoyed that through the three girls' different upbringings and experiences the reader got a more global view of this time in history. Helen is living in Brooklyn, where her parents immigrated. She learns about the famine through letters from relatives and through their local Ukrainian community. Reading the news in school she sees how Stalin's lies are being falsely reported, hiding the truth of what was really happening. In Ukraine, Mila's father is a prominent member of the party and she is oblivious to the struggles of people around her, believing in the party line that the people from the countryside are starving because of their own doing. Nadiya is one of those from the countryside, escaping into Kyiv out of desperation and near death from hunger. It allows us to see the effects of total control over the press, both on the citizens of the country in question and to the outside world.

Marsh draws similarities between the Soviet government's denial and lies regarding Ukrainians starving with the American government's misinformation during the COVID-19 pandemic. This comparison is heavy handed at times and verges on preaching but this could be needed for middle grade students who might not have been as aware of the national discourse in spring 2020. It does put this historical event into a context that students can possibly relate to, especially current students who experienced virtual schooling and isolation.

I love the direction of the book. Not only disappointed laying the experience the our children go through within the daily lives. But the impact on their family.
Definitely recommend for a youth bookclub.