Marsh, Katherine. Lost Year, The. Roaring Brook, 01/2023. 354pp. Fiction. Trade $17.99. 978-1-250-31360-7. Paper $8.99. 978-1-250-90930-5. GRADES 5–8. OUTSTANDING.
During the COVID-19 lockdown, thirteen-year-old Matthew is helping his one-hundred-year-old Ukrainian great-grandmother, Nadiya (GG) unpack when they come across an old picture of GG and her two cousins. As Matthew and GG grow closer, GG shares their secret family story. Marsh brings to light the little-known historical event of The Holodomor, the man-made Ukrainian famine of 1932. Nadiya’s saga to survive and escape Ukraine with the help of her cousins drives the story and an interesting twist at the end makes it a standout. Well-paced, first-person point of view chapters are alternately narrated between Matthew in 2020, Mila in 1930s Ukraine/USSR, and Helen in 1930s U.S. This narrative style expertly illuminates the cousins’ different viewpoints: Mila living under Soviet propaganda and trying to make sense of reality, Helen getting inaccurate news and trying to help from afar, and Nadiya just trying to survive. An author’s note connects the story to Marsh’s family history and gives more information about The Holodomor. This compelling survival story brings timely historical information about Ukraine, and the themes of propaganda, fake news, and human compassion will apply to current events.
Kimberly Lauer—San Francisco Public Library