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4.5 AVERAGE
4.5 AVERAGE
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I loved this story! If you liked “The War That Saved My Life” or “A Night Divided”, you must read this! I didn’t know anything about the famine in Ukraine in the 1930s and know now how terrible the Holodomar was for millions of people. The book goes back and from 1933 and 2020 and is written in a fast paced way.
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
challenging
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thoughtful, informative, beautifully formatted and paced. I didn't expect this type of story to come with a twist I didn't see coming that was truly rewarding. Overall this is a beautiful story, but the appeal leans slightly more towards adults than children.
adventurous
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Told in alternating points of view between 2020 and 1930s Ukraine, this is a hard read but an important one. Personally, I didn't know about this aspect of Ukrainian history, and the author's note explains why. Framing this by having Matthew hear this story from his great-grandmother makes the overall story relatable, and almost more heartbreaking in the fact that she never told anyone her full story.
Matthew's struggles with the COVID pandemic will also be relatable to middle grade readers, though I find a lot of kids and teens don't necessarily want to read about that yet (still too fresh, I'm guessing). But putting these two historical events together makes sense, especially in showing how they affected children/young teens.
I can definitely see why this was nominated for the National Book Award. Though I do think it's one of those books that more adults will read than kids.
Matthew's struggles with the COVID pandemic will also be relatable to middle grade readers, though I find a lot of kids and teens don't necessarily want to read about that yet (still too fresh, I'm guessing). But putting these two historical events together makes sense, especially in showing how they affected children/young teens.
I can definitely see why this was nominated for the National Book Award. Though I do think it's one of those books that more adults will read than kids.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Death of parent, Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Genocide, Forced institutionalization, Grief