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Reviewed by: Lisa Rice, Middle School Librarian Title: The Lost Year: A Survival Story of the Ukrainian Famine
Author: Katherine Marsh
Publisher: Roaring Book Press
Year: 2023 Good for Grades: 5-9 Genre/Type of Book: Historical fiction, Realistic fiction
Content Warnings, or things that other School Librarians should be aware of: Living through Covid, separation from parents, parental death, executions, enslavement, dumping bodies in mass graves, starvation. Recommended for a school library: Yes Reason(s) for choosing the book: It was recommended to me by a colleague who said it was a "must read," and I agree! As the cover states, "Three cousins, two continents, one haunting secret." How could I resist? We are now considering this book for our "One School, One Book."
If you were tasked by the publisher with writing a short quote for the back cover of this book, what would it be:
"Stories matter. All of our stories matter."
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Review:
I absolutely would recommend this book and I think it belongs in every middle school library. I love books with different points of view that somehow all come together, and this book did not disappoint! I was instantly drawn in, reliving those Covid days in 2020 when we were at home, all of the time, and seeing what it was like from Matt's point of view, living at his mom's, getting his Switch taken away because he didn't do his online homework, and his dad is overseas.
The story is told through 13-year-old Matt, living in New Jersey in 2020, and Mila in Kyiv, Ukraine, in 1932, and Helen in Brooklyn, Ny in 1932. All parts were well written and brought the struggles that each character was facing at that point in their life to the forefront. I could appreciate what Covid was like from a 13-year old's point of view, and what living under Stalin's rule was like.
There are some great teaching moments in this book, besides the historical stuff. The idea of the media not reporting accurately, and that disinformation gives people a shared enemy to blame their problems on. The idea that it is hard to know when to sit down quietly or stand up loudly. The idea that not everyone believes in Covid or masks or stay at home orders. The idea that life is full of suffering but still so very beautiful and precious. The idea that we don't always know who our family is, and sometimes the enemy comes from within. I want to use this book with a social studies class!
I hope my middle schoolers pick up this book! I like the cover, but it is "quiet cover" with a girl holding a candle, so my male students probably won't pick it up. The book is over 300+ pages and for me they flew by, but I understand that may seem too long for my middle schoolers who are not avid readers. I will definitely encourage my historical fiction lovers to grab this book.
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Find resources for The Lost Year at Teachingbooks.net
For more information about this book, see the Publishers Website
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