The Lost Year by Katherine Marsh – Book Review

Title: The Lost Year Author: Katherine Marsh Publisher: Roaring Brook Press Release Date: January 17, 2023

For Matthew, life in 2020 has gone from isolated to worse. Due to COVID-19, he can’t go to school, see his friends, visit with his Dad (who’s stuck overseas reporting on the pandemic), and must be extra careful since his mom moved his 100-year-old great-grandmother (GG) into the house. After an incident with a bow and arrow and a near-miss with GG, Matthew’s punishment involves helping GG unpack boxes in her room. Unbeknownst to Matthew or his mother, GG’s boxes hold a painful history that precipitated a harrowing family secret that GG has kept to herself for decades. Now, it is Matthew’s job to piece together the story with GG’s help.

The Lost Year by Katherine Marsh is an instant middle grade, historical fiction classic. Told from alternating points of view of Matthew in 2020, Helen in Brooklyn 1933, and Mila in Ukraine 1933, Marsh stitches together a winding narrative that highlights the Holodomor, the Ukrainian famine that killed millions in the 1930s, and the Soviet Union’s efforts to cover it up. At the surface, one might struggle to see many connections to the present-day pandemic beyond Matthew’s family, yet Marsh subtly reveals powerful similarities through time and space. These connections serve not only to illuminate the horror of the Holodomor and the impossible dilemma GG faced but also help Matthew cope with the challenges he must endure in his own life in the modern day.

The Lost Year earns its place in middle grades classrooms. The multiple viewpoints and students’ relatability to Matthew’s circumstances will keep readers hooked while the history embedded in the text offers rich opportunities for cross-curricular work. Combined, The Lost Year is a winning addition to any classroom or curriculum. Interestingly, there have been several incredible books set in the Soviet Bloc, each one highlighting a dark, haunting chapter in this history. Whether used as part of a literature circle or a standalone novel study, teachers will not be lacking for content they could use to draw additional connections.

Classroom Applications

• Cross-Curricular Study – Teach the novel in conjunction with a History unit about the Holodomor.
• Literature Circles – Use novel for small groups or choice reading with a variety of historical fiction books set in the Soviet Union.
• Book Club or Book Exchange – Share the novel with students that enjoy reading historical fiction novels.

Nonfiction Connections

The list below outlines topics that will enrich your students’ understanding of the novel.

• Holodomor
• History of the Soviet Union
• History of Soviet Ukraine
• Soviet Propaganda

Book Companions

The following are great books to pair with The Lost Year. In parenthesis are the specific aspects students could explore when synthesizing across the texts.

• The Story That Cannot Be Told by J. Kasper Kramer (Themes, Nonfiction Connections, Character Connections)
• I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys (Themes, Nonfiction Connections, Character Connections)
• The Genius Under the Table by Eugene Yelchin (Themes, Nonfiction Connections, Character Connections)
• Night Divided by Jennifer Nielsen (Nonfiction Connections, Character Connections, Themes)
• A Boy Is Not a Bird by Edeet Ravel (Nonfiction Connections, Character Connections, Themes)

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