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Dasha Tolstikova
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A Year Without Mom Paperback – Picture Book, March 3, 2020

by Dasha Tolstikova (Author)
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 67 ratings
See all formats and editions
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Now available in paperback, Dasha Tolstikova’s acclaimed graphic novel A Year Without Mom follows twelve-year-old Dasha through a year full of turmoil after her mother leaves for America.

It is the early 1990s in Moscow, and political change is in the air. But Dasha is more worried about her own challenges as she negotiates family, friendships and school without her mother. Just as she begins to find her own feet, she gets word that she is to join her mother in America ― a place that seems impossibly far from everything and everyone she loves.

Dasha Tolstikova’s major talent is on full display in this gorgeous and subtly illustrated graphic novel.

Key Text Features
map

Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.7
Analyze how visual and multimedia elements contribute to the meaning, tone, or beauty of a text (e.g., graphic novel, multimedia presentation of fiction, folktale, myth, poem).

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.3
Describe how a particular story's or drama's plot unfolds in a series of episodes as well as how the characters respond or change as the plot moves toward a resolution.

Previous page
  1. Reading age
    10 - 14 years
  2. Print length
    168 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Grade level
    5 - 9
  5. Dimensions
    6.5 x 0.7 x 8.5 inches
  6. Publisher
    Groundwood Books
  7. Publication date
    March 3, 2020
  8. ISBN-10
    1773063790
  9. ISBN-13
    978-1773063799
  10. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

Deceptively simple, but with great narrative sophistication . . . Fascinating and heartfelt. ― Kirkus, STARRED REVIEW

An absorbing graphic memoir. . . . Readers will wish the sequel were available instantly. ― Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW

A lovely portrayal in words and art of a year in the life of an engaging tween girl from the other side of the world. ― School Library Journal, STARRED REVIEW

The author includes authentic details . . . and, with personality and sincerity, creates an accessible, truthful, and relatable record for readers of a different generation. ― Horn Book Magazine, STARRED REVIEW

A perceptive story about change, aloneness, ambition and, ultimately, resilience. ― New York Times

A quiet, moving, and contemplative story of growth. ― Booklist

Told in quiet fragments, sewn together with ribbons of girlhood. ― National Post

Moving and beautifully illustrated . . . in sparingly coloured and expressive drawings that invite readers to linger. ― Winnipeg Free Press

The excitement of meeting a teen actor, the agony of a crush, the pain of changed friendships ― all this resonates cross-culturally. ― The Toronto Star

Tolstikova has real insight into the minds of tweens [and] a keen ear for the nuances of tween conversation.

― CM Review of Materials

Review

A Bank Street College of Education Best Children’s Book of the Year, 2016
Kirkus Best Middle-Grade Books of the Year, 2015
Kirkus Best Middle-Grade Graphic Novels of the Year, 2015
USBBY Outstanding International Books, 2016

“Deceptively simple, but with great narrative sophistication . . . Fascinating and heartfelt.” ― Kirkus, starred review

“An absorbing graphic memoir. . . . Readers will wish the sequel were available instantly.” ― Publishers Weekly, starred review

“A lovely portrayal in words and art of a year in the life of an engaging tween girl from the other side of the world.” ― School Library Journal, starred review

“The author includes authentic details . . . and, with personality and sincerity, creates an accessible, truthful, and relatable record for readers of a different generation.”― Horn Book, starred review

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Groundwood Books; Reprint edition (March 3, 2020)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 168 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1773063790
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1773063799
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 10 - 14 years
  • Grade level ‏ : ‎ 5 - 9
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.5 x 0.7 x 8.5 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 67 ratings

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Dasha Tolstikova

Dasha Tolstikova

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Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
67 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Amy Teal
5.0 out of 5 stars Daughter
Reviewed in the United States on July 18, 2023
Verified Purchase
My bonus daughter wanted this book and she said it was ok
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Julie Falatko
5.0 out of 5 stars Highly recommended illustrated memoir
Reviewed in the United States on September 22, 2015
Verified Purchase
A Year Without Mom is absolute perfection.

Every word, so carefully chosen, is like having Dasha Tolstikova sit across from you, telling her story, holding your hand, cutting deep into your heart. In the best way, I mean. The text is extraordinary, crafted in a way that conveys the emotional depth of the story right to your soul. You feel everything 12-year-old Dasha feels. This is no easy feat: To be able to write such an accessible story that carries such huge big emotion.

The illustrations carry the text perfectly. Tolstikova's style captures Moscow and adolescence like no one else's ever could. Amazingly perfect.

Let's talk about pacing. You could teach a class on the pacing and page turns and white space in this book. It's part of what makes it seem like Tolstikova herself is telling the story into your ear, and is a master class in how to vary the speed of a story, and when, and why. The pacing carries you through, tells you when to speed up and when to slow down, takes your hand on this ride. Brilliant.

I will not be the first person to say this, but: the genius thing about A Year Without Mom is that the trials 12-year-old Dasha goes through are common, and ones that we all can relate to. Friendships, crushes, family, trying to find our way, and going through life from places where you feel content and places where you do not. What makes this book extraordinary, and extraordinarily interesting, is the history and the setting.

Astoundingly excellent. Highly highly HIGHLY recommended, for everyone who likes books.
8 people found this helpful
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5.0 out of 5 stars A year
Reviewed in the United States on January 13, 2017
Verified Purchase
It is so interesting has pictures has a nice storyline not boring very addicting it is nice and short and makes you want to read a lot
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Janet Hamilton
4.0 out of 5 stars Familiar tween feelings from a different place and time
Reviewed in the United States on December 28, 2015
Summary: 12-year-old Dasha is crushed when she learns that her mother is spending a year at the University of Illinois, leaving Dasha with her grandparents in the Soviet Union. Her father is living in Los Angeles, so Dasha feels lonely, although her grandparents are loving and she has two best friends. During the year, she goes through some friendship difficulties, develops an unrequited crush on an older boy, and works hard to get into a better school. Meanwhile, political unrest results in a few anxious days as Boris Yeltsin replaces Mikhail Gorbachev as the Soviet leader. Things are beginning to fall into place by the spring, when her mother returns, announcing that Dasha will be joining her for the second year of her master’s program. The book ends on an uncertain note, as Dasha arrives in Urbana, Illinois, and meets a girl who just might be a new friend. 168 pages; grades 5-8.

Pros: Even though she is from a different place and time, Dasha’s feelings will be familiar to 21st century American tweens. A cross between a graphic novel and an illustrated chapter book, A Year Without Mom will appeal to both reluctant and avid middle school readers.
One person found this helpful
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mlf6
5.0 out of 5 stars A Cute Story With A Big Meaning
Reviewed in the United States on May 24, 2019
A Year Without Mom, by Dasha Tolstikova, features the author’s year without her mother, who had moved to America to further her career in advertising. As she undergoes the adjustment of living solely with her grandparents in Russia, and without the nurturing of her mother, twelve-year-old Dasha continues her struggles through school, friends, and family. Soon though, Dasha is later told to travel to America to live with her mother. After finally adjusting to living with just her grandparents and friends in Russia, she must abandon that life to go to her mother. Though the appearance of the book itself looks rather childish, as it features several simplistic drawings to accompany the short text, the plot brings a surprising depth to the story about the struggles of a young girl adjusting and adjusting again to the changes in her life.

Without her mother, Dasha Tolstikova learns how to take control of her own life, learning and gaining several experiences. Dasha Tolstikova recalls these times in her life, relaying her memories to the audience as though she were living it at that exact moment. The simplistic way that Tolstikova tells her story further immerses the audience into the time period of her memories, making it easier for the reader to understand and empathize with. I definitely recommend reading A Year Without Mom no matter what age you are. The wording itself is easy enough for middle schoolers to follow while the nuances can entertain even adults. I truly enjoyed the different approach Tolstikova took in writing her autobiography, and it was entertaining from beginning to end while still leaving food for thought.

~ A.F.
One person found this helpful
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Alexandra
5.0 out of 5 stars Great.
Reviewed in the United States on December 28, 2015
Great story about coming of age, changes, and how similar life can be over a span of many years. Relatable to many kiddos-especially those dealing with unexpected change.
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Happy Customer
1.0 out of 5 stars Not for middle school kids.
Reviewed in the United States on January 19, 2019
Verified Purchase
I goggled nonfiction books for middle schoolers.... I bought this book for my daughter who is in 8th grade. Had I know this was more of a children’s book with mild adult content I would have chosen something different. This book doesn’t go into detail about the characters, and doesn’t really seem to have a good flow. Just kind of skips around. My 5th grader writes better stories. My daughter definitely can’t do a book report on this book! Pointless to advertise this for middle school kids. I read this in under an hour!
2 people found this helpful
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Jing Kwok Chung
3.0 out of 5 stars Simple book
Reviewed in the United States on April 26, 2017
Verified Purchase
Simple words used and easy to read. Book is ok for a 7th grader. I was hoping for harder book reading for my 13 yr old.
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Top reviews from other countries

Shirish
3.0 out of 5 stars Good
Reviewed in India on August 23, 2019
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Good
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