Anna Was Here

July 22, 2013
Culture shock hits hard when nine-year-old Anna Nickel has to leave her beloved Colorado home for Oakwood, Kans., where her minister father—whose family roots are there—is called to help the church community get “over a hump.” “Gold Ribbon Safety Citizen” of the fourth grade, Anna prides herself on being prepared for Colorado emergencies like bears and wildfires, but her Safety Tips notebook holds no advice for the dangers of Oakwood, such as feuding relatives (including an especially hostile cousin) and rattlesnakes. Anna is lively and thoughtful, and her parents are sympathetic and credible, but her many relatives and church members are a little hard to keep straight. Liberally sprinkled with lists of tips for disasters ranging from earthquakes and floods to clouds and bees, Kurtz’s (The Feverbird’s Claw) book is distinguished by its comfortable treatment of God and faith, as Anna struggles to understand the unfairness and unpredictability of disasters—natural and otherwise—as well as of human beings: “What about all the people of Pompeii baking bread until fwoomp? Volcanic ash covered them.” An appealing mix of humor and substance. Ages 8–12.

Starred review from July 15, 2013
Anna, almost 10, is a worrier, so her family's temporary move from Colorado to her father's hometown in Kansas seems fraught with peril to her. Founder of her own Safety Club (with just two remaining members), which is tasked with identifying potential dangers (including escape from a pyramid) and creating appropriate safety rules, Anna is nearly always prepared for any eventuality. But when her father, a minister, receives a call to straighten out a church in Oakwood, Kan., where many of the residents are his relatives, she's unprepared and decides the best way to handle things is to "stay folded up" and studiously avoid getting settled in the new town. She manages to keep from starting school, doesn't get too friendly with her large extended family, tries to keep her cat inside and skips out on Sunday school. However, her growing attachment to that family--and a tornado sweeping through town--gives her an opportunity to see things differently. Anna's internal voice is pitch-perfect, and her pithy safety rules and ability to connect the dots between religion and life are often hilarious. She imagines an encounter with a troublesome neighbor: "I was standing there frizzy with light, shouting, 'I'm not just a girl, you know. The angel Gabriel is basically my best friend.' " An amusing and richly rewarding tale that features a very likable, one-of-kind protagonist. (Fiction. 9-12)

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September 1, 2013

Gr 3-6-When fourth-grader Anna is told that her family has to move from Colorado to rural Kansas, she is beyond upset. Her father is a minister and is needed back in his hometown, so it's off to Oakwood, where, for better or worse, nearly everyone in the small town is a relative. Having always had a preoccupation with safety (she even has her own Safety Club), Anna has a lot to prepare for. Hesitant to start a new school, she joins up with her cousin to be homeschooled on her aunt's farm. However, things go from bad to worse when her younger sister and mother head back to Colorado without her because her grandfather is ill. Anna must try to navigate her family's history, fit into a new community, and prepare for natural disasters, all while figuring out what God has planned for her and Midnight H. Cat. Filled with biblical allusions and simple discussions of faith, this is a sweet book with a lot of heart. Anna's struggles with adjusting to a new town will be relatable to kids going through a move, although the religious themes may be a bit much for some. This gentle story ultimately has a happy resolution. Anna's safety tips on everything from rattlesnakes to clouds are sure to entertain readers.-Kerry Roeder, Professional Children's School, New York City

Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 1, 2013
Grades 3-6 Anna Nickles, the Gold Ribbon Safety Citizen of her fourth grade, has no interest in changing her habitat. So her family's temporary move to Oakwood, Kansas, is far beyond all the disasters she's prepared for in her notebook, which is filled with appropriate responses to threats like tornadoes and bears. In Oakwood, she has far too many relatives, many of them no more optimistic than she is, though her preacher father works hard at peacemaking. Second-cousin Simon is actively mean, and second-cousin Morgan, who supports Anna's school and Sunday school avoidance, has her own secrets. The local history of German-speaking pacifists in WWI and the mystery of past family hurts combine with present-day concerns: Can Anna keep her cat and her four-year-old sister safe? Is anyone going to pay attention to her tenth birthday? And when the heck can they go back to Colorado? Anna's sensible disaster-preparedness lists add to the appeal of a character with whom readers will sympathize for her general unhappinessand they'll rejoice for her at the whirlwind ending, too.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)