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4.49 AVERAGE
4.49 AVERAGE
4.5 stars
I hated this book when I was 50% of the way through because I thought that everyone (Matthew and a little bit Mila) was being bratty. Then abruptly the entire narrative shifted, and it picked up, and it twisted and the characters grew deeply as people. This is actually an extremely good exploration of the concepts of trauma on survivors, and particularly the way that they do or do not communicate their stories. I'm going to be thinking about this for a while, especially in relation to my own grandmother and the Cultural Revolution.
My only complaints lie in the writing itself - it's just kind of poor. Narratively extremely sound, just an unenjoyable writing style. That, and the decision to anchor it with Matthew in COVID. Matthew's narration feels extremely out of place in this story because the other kids are thinking so deeply about the world they're living in, and Matthew says "I hate my mom for taking my Switch! How will I possibly survive this pandemic!" I understand that the plot device of COVID allows for Matthew to have some extra time to spend with his grandmother, but I feel like that could've been worked in to summer break, too. Supposedly, there are parallels between the famine and between Matthew's experience of the pandemic, but Matthew's character doesn't have the depth to communicate that for me. It wasn't until the final chapter that I actually felt like he was a part of the story - but maybe that was the point.
I hated this book when I was 50% of the way through because I thought that everyone (Matthew and a little bit Mila) was being bratty. Then abruptly the entire narrative shifted, and it picked up, and it twisted and the characters grew deeply as people. This is actually an extremely good exploration of the concepts of trauma on survivors, and particularly the way that they do or do not communicate their stories. I'm going to be thinking about this for a while, especially in relation to my own grandmother and the Cultural Revolution.
My only complaints lie in the writing itself - it's just kind of poor. Narratively extremely sound, just an unenjoyable writing style. That, and the decision to anchor it with Matthew in COVID. Matthew's narration feels extremely out of place in this story because the other kids are thinking so deeply about the world they're living in, and Matthew says "I hate my mom for taking my Switch! How will I possibly survive this pandemic!" I understand that the plot device of COVID allows for Matthew to have some extra time to spend with his grandmother, but I feel like that could've been worked in to summer break, too. Supposedly, there are parallels between the famine and between Matthew's experience of the pandemic, but Matthew's character doesn't have the depth to communicate that for me. It wasn't until the final chapter that I actually felt like he was a part of the story - but maybe that was the point.
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
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
emotional
informative
sad
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:
Yes
I loved this. The pre-teen in 2020, his GG (great grandma) from Ukraine, and three girls from Ukraine in 1933 are such characters! I love how the story had me guessing at who was who (at the start) and who was going to stay in the story or not… I learned about the Holodomor and life in Stalin-ruled Ukraine in 1933, as well. I’d never heard of the Ukrainian famine in my life. I’m going to give this one 5 stars, which I rarely do. It just had so much (reporting and primary sources, and writing and interviewing, too) and kept me intrigued.
emotional
informative
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
The stories of 2020 covid in the US, combined with 1930's Ukraine and Ukrainian American families are beautifully told.
The Holodomar (the Ukrainian famine caused by soviet leaders) during that time was a brand new bit of history for me, and it is told in a devastating story of some teenage girls.
I loved the storytelling by Marsh, the resilience of the characters, and realistically heartbreaking events without being totally depressing.
The Holodomar (the Ukrainian famine caused by soviet leaders) during that time was a brand new bit of history for me, and it is told in a devastating story of some teenage girls.
I loved the storytelling by Marsh, the resilience of the characters, and realistically heartbreaking events without being totally depressing.
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
One of the best audiobook reads with my 11 year old son in 2024! We both learned SO much about Ukraine and Soviet history, and we were riveted by all of the historical storylines. While the weakest (as is almost always true) was the contemporary storyline set during the COVID lockdown year, the strength of the 1930's Brooklyn and dual 1930's Ukraine storylines kept up our engagement with the central tragedies and mysteries of the book.
Highly recommended for elementary and middle school library collections. This is a great audiobook to listen to as a family on a long drive. Opportunities to pause, reflect, provide context about Soviet and U.S. history, and to process more painful parts of the story together make this a wonderful family read-aloud or listen.
Highly recommended for elementary and middle school library collections. This is a great audiobook to listen to as a family on a long drive. Opportunities to pause, reflect, provide context about Soviet and U.S. history, and to process more painful parts of the story together make this a wonderful family read-aloud or listen.
When this book is diving into history, I liked it a lot - this is an event of which I knew very little, and each new wrinkle had me intrigued. While I appreciated some of the parallels to covid-times (and as a document to remember what covid-times were like), the "modern day" stuff wasn't quite as compelling to me...until it all came together - which, even when i figured out what was afoot, comes together in a really lovely, moving, blunt way - I appreciated that there was no sugar coating this horrific thing that happened. And of course, given our times, it's important to know more about Ukraine's history. Well worth a read.