New-York Historical Society’s Annual Children’s History Book Prize Awarded to The Lost Year by Katherine Marsh

Prize Celebrates the Best American History Book for Middle Readers, Ages 9–12

The New-York Historical Society, New York’s first museum, has announced that this year’s Children’s History Book Prize has been awarded to author Katherine Marsh for The Lost Year (Roaring Brook Press/Macmillan, 2023). The prize of $10,000 is awarded annually to the best American history book for middle readers ages 9–12, fiction or nonfiction. A special ceremony at New-York Historical to celebrate the author will take place on June 13. 

Set in alternating timelines that connect the present day to the 1930s and the US to the USSR, The Lost Year tells the story of a young boy living through the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic as he starts to unravel a secret family history: the Holodomor, the horrific famine that killed millions of Ukrainians, which the Soviet government covered up for decades. Inspired by Marsh’s own family history, the book is a story of family, survival, and sacrifice.

“Katherine Marsh masterfully intertwines the past and the present in The Lost Year, evoking emotions and surprises,” said Dr. Louise Mirrer, president and CEO of New-York Historical. “The richly depicted characters and the incorporation of Katherine’s family’s history leave readers yearning to know more about the time period and how the famine was depicted in the news and history books. We’re incredibly pleased to present this year’s Children’s History Book Prize to Katherine Marsh.” 

“It is deeply meaningful to me to have the New-York Historical Society recognize a book inspired by my family’s immigrant experience in this city,” said Katherine Marsh. “The award feels like a tribute not just to The Lost Year, but to my extended family, the ultimate validation that their stories and voices are not lost and are a valued part of New York’s history.”

Katherine Marsh is an award-winning author of novels for middle-grade readers including The Lost Year, Nowhere Boy, The Night Tourist, Medusa: The Myth of Monsters, and more. Among her honors are National Book Award finalist, winner of the Edgar Award for Best Juvenile Mystery, winner of the Jane Addams Award for Children’s Chapter Books, and winner of the Middle East Book Award. Her books have also been Junior Library Guild Gold Selections, New York Times Notables, American Library Association Notables, Bank Street Best Books, on numerous state lists, and have been translated into 16 languages. A former magazine journalist, Katherine lives in Washington, DC with her husband, two children, and an astonishing array of pets. 

The Lost Year was selected by a jury comprising librarians, educators, historians, and families with middle schoolers. Finalists for this year’s Children’s History Book Prize were Remember Us by Jacqueline Woodson, World Made of Glass by Ami Polonsky, and A Sky Full of Song by Susan Lynn Meyer.

Past winners of the Children’s History Book Prize include We Own the Sky by Rodman Philbrick; How to Find What You’re Not Looking For by Veera Hiranandani; NeverCaught, The Story of Ona Judge by Erica Armstrong Dunbar and Kathleen Van Cleve; Out of Left Field by Ellen Klages; Fred Korematsu Speaks Up by Laura Atkins and‎ Stan Yogi (authors) and‎ Yutaka Houlette (illustrator); Unbound: A Novel in Verse by Ann E. Burg; Echo by Pam Muñoz; Salt: A Story of Friendship in a Time of War by Helen Frost; and The Lions of Little Rock by Kristin Levine.

The Children’s History Book Prize is part of New-York Historical’s larger efforts on behalf of children and families. The DiMenna Children’s History Museum regularly presents programs where families explore history together. New-York Historical’s work with middle school readers and their families is grounded in the belief that offering creative opportunities to engage the entire family helps young readers grow and thrive. 

About the New-York Historical Society
Experience 400 years of history through groundbreaking exhibitions, immersive films, and thought-provoking conversations among renowned historians and public figures at the New-York Historical Society, New York’s first museum. A great destination for history since 1804, the Museum and the Patricia D. Klingenstein Library convey the stories of the city and nation’s diverse populations, expanding our understanding of who we are as Americans and how we came to be. Ever-rising to the challenge of bringing little or unknown histories to light, New-York Historical will soon inaugurate a new wing housing its Tang Academy for American Democracy as well as the American LGBTQ+ Museum. These latest efforts to help forge the future by documenting the past join New-York Historical’s DiMenna Children’s History Museum and Center for Women’s History. Digital exhibitions, apps, and our For the Ages podcast make it possible for visitors everywhere to dive more deeply into history. Connect with us at nyhistory.org or at @nyhistory on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and Tumblr.