Anna Was Here

by Jane Kurtz

Ten-year-old Anna Nickel is moving from Colorado to Kansas, and she is not happy about leaving her friends behind! This is a moving, often humorous coming-of-age story about family, faith, God's love, and the meaning of home, perfect for fans of Katherine Paterson and The Penderwicks.

Ten-year-old Anna Nickel's worst nightmare has come true. Her father has decided to move the family back to Oakwood, Kansas—where he grew up—in order to become the minister of the church there. New friends, new school, a new community, and a family of strangers await, and what's even worse, it's all smack-dab in the middle of Tornado Alley. Anna has always prided herself on being prepared (she keeps a notebook on how to cope with disasters, from hurricanes to shark bites), but she'll be tested in Oakwood! This beautifully written novel introduces a family who takes God's teachings to heart while finding many occasions to laugh along the way, and an irrepressible and wholesome ten-year-old who, with a little help from Midnight H. (her cat), takes control of her destiny.

Genres: Middle Grade, Realistic Fiction, Family, Juvenile, Childrens, Friendship, Religion

288 pages, Hardcover

First published May 7, 2013

About the author

Jane Kurtz was born in Portland, Oregon, but when she was two years old, her parents moved to Ethiopia. Jane grew up in Maji, a small town in the southwest corner of the country.
Since there were no televisions, radios, or movies, her memories are of climbing mountains, wading in rivers by the waterfalls, listening to stories, and making up her own stories, which she and her sisters acted out for days at a time.


That love of nature has recently inspired her to write books about loving the Earth--such as WHAT DO THEY DO WITH ALL THAT POO? and PLANET JUPITER.

Jane has published more than 40 books, fiction, nonfiction, picture books, novels for young readers, and ready-to-reads. Some are based on her childhood in Ethiopia. Some draw on her own children, such as ANNA WAS HERE, a novel for young readers that asks life's big questions about pain and disaster--and offers a few puny answers.

Since her childhood in Ethiopia, Jane has lived in Illinois, Colorado, North Dakota, Kansas and--now--back in Portland, Oregon.

Reviews

[Kassi Russell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Homeschool Family read aloud - my kids gave it barely 3 stars. It has such a sweet message but the writing is unfortunately hard to follow and the plot gets confusing at times.

[Dana Grimes · Rating 2 out of 5]

The style of this story was not at all pleasing to me. It felt disjointed and I often found myself unsure of who was talking or what about. There's some big incident that has occurred in the past but you never really know what or why. And lastly it was way too full of God and the bible for me, which would have been fine if the inside jacket had warned me. I guess if you like children's books with lots of religious teachings then you might like it, just not my cup of tea.

[Betsy · Rating 3 out of 5]

One Sentence Review: Shows promise for the author in the future, though there may be a thread or two left dangling in the wind by this story's end.

[Marufa Yeasmin Mukta · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has a great storyline. I felt some thoughts are not well-connected. There are lots of discrete events or thoughts that I couldn't follow for some time. It could have been way better and more adventurous. However, I loved how Anna tried communicating with god and living heaps of questions everywhere about his existence.

[Janet · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I really don't like to describe a book as "sweet," this one was. Anna is quite a girl.

[Natalia · Rating 5 out of 5]

this was an amazing book!

[Allie Fullerton (thelightfilledreader) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A surprise in every chapter, this book is well written, fun, and quirky. Only downer is some bad theology.

[Hailey · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was too fake.

[Stacy Nyikos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anna was Here
Jane Kutz
middle grade

I'm stretching ye olde reviewing skills again with my first review after the summer siesta of the Book Review Club. Fortunately, Jane Kurtz makes my work so much easier. Anna was Here was a fun, entertaining, timeless story. Dare I say, it's a meat and potatoes book cloaked in chocolate pudding. They don't get any better than that!

Plot synopsis: Anna, daughter of a minister and university professor, must move to Kansas when her father accepts a temporary post as pastor to an ailing church in a small town. Catch: the small town is filled with relatives and uneasy family history.

This story is as much about mending broken ties in a community and family as it is about the change and discomfort that comes from a big move and new start. What struck me is how evenly balanced this story is. All of the parts - character, plot, setting - work in harmony. None is louder than the others. They each take center stage for appropriate but not prolonged solos.

While there is a religious element to this story, Kurtz does an excellent job of, again, balancing. Religion doesn't take over. The story doesn't become about religion, or faith, or belief, or what one person believes in lieu of another. Rather, it remains another story element, nicely blended, fulfilling the role Kurtz sets out for it, which is, interestingly, both dividing and unifying.

All of that got me to thinking about voice. I've heard the term described as so many different things, not the least of which is the tone of a piece, or an author's style. Anna was Here made me rethink those. After all, they already have their own iconic terminology. But voice is still missing its fundamental definition (at least for me, it was). So I came up with my own: voice is the result of a writer's blend of style, tone, character, setting, plot, and the various other parts of story. In other words, voice isn't any one thing. It's what is created when all of the parts are blended and create something greater than the sum of those parts = voice.

I'm pretty sure I haven't reinvented the definitional wheel on voice, but it finally makes sense to me. Thanks Jane Kurtz!

Other fall delights, are a finger's stretch away at Barrie Summy's blog. Happy reading!

[Susan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ehhh... it was a sweet premise. And as someone who moved A LOT as a child, I strongly sympathized with Anna's difficulty with her move from Colorado. But I also had some issues with the book:

1. There were just too many thematic strands. There was the move and Anna's sadness over it; Anna's anger with her father and her feelings that he has changed; the family conflicts and secrets that Anna discovers when she returns to her father's hometown; her relationship to her supposed enemy, Simon; her relationship to her cousins Caroline and Morgan, and to her great-aunts; her relationship to and feelings about God; and, finally, the ever-present threat of emergencies and Anna's desire for emergency preparedness. Instead of all blending together to create a cohesive portrait of our young main character, these elements often felt separate and underdeveloped. They swam in and out of focus as Kurtz used or ignored them throughout the story.
2. Anna was also a frustrating character (I can't decide whether this was because of her personality or the way Kurtz chose to write her story), and I was frequently aggravated that she didn't just tell someone how she was feeling---particularly her father, but also her cousins Morgan and Caroline. This is something I really can't abide in a characters, especially when there is no good reason for it. Anna's family was loving and supportive, and there was no real reason why she couldn't have talked through her concerns with them.
3. Finally, a minor concern/warning. There was a strong strain of Christian moralism throughout the book, which is not surprising considering the author is married to a minister and is the daughter of missionaries. Now that's not inherently problematic, of course. Anna's faith and her experiences are representative of those of many children, and they certainly warrant expression in books and other media. And for the most part, I didn't find the book especially preachy, but there were definitely parts that I felt were heavy-handed and read like Christian fiction. That's not what I expected in a SC Book Award Book, and my concern is that the same may be true for other young readers who pick up this book.

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good, quick read, one that was light, so full of fun. Anna lives in Colorado with her parents, and little sister, Isabella. As the daughter of a minister, Anna an her family are asked to help out a church in her father's hometown of Oakwood, Kansas. Anna is anything but thrilled to be leaving her home for the next year.

Anna is all about safety and started a club in her hometown. She is prepared for all kids of disasters, and then in Kansas there is the threat of tornadoes.

The characters in the this book were fun. Anna had a lot of spirit and a love of God. There is a lot of reference to religion in this book, but nothing over the top, in your face. It was a nice, family story about love and believing.

My only grip with this story is I think a couple side characters needed more depth. Morgan, the girl (I believe cousin) Anna befriends. It is left hanging about her father....where is he? Why does she not talk about him. Then there is her cousin Simon Stucky, the mischievous boy that causes trouble for Anna. But at the same time,not much is really said or concluded about him.

I loved the small town feel of the book. Coming from a small town, I can relate. The fact that Anna was related to half of the people in town made me chuckle even more. Once again, I can relate. I felt that portion of the story was very true of small town life!

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ten-year-old Anna Nickel loves her Colorado home, and when her minister father decides to return to his rural Kansas home, she is dismayed. Although she knows the move is temporary, Anna wants to curtail the family's stay in a place where she experiences threats at every turn. She worries about possible dangers for her beloved Midnight H. Cat. As she avoids Simon, a troubled boy intent on making her feel unwelcome, as well as tornadoes and strange foods, she also is drawn to some of her new relatives and their ways of doing things. I enjoyed Anna's imperfections and her collection of safety tips to help her avoid being unprepared for various disasters. Readers will certainly relate to her myriad anxieties while also recognizing that even the best preparation in the world can't prevent disasters and that it's impossible to avoid them. I also liked how the author threaded the faith of this family into the story in an honest way. As Anna questions the apparent lack of response to her prayers and her father's transition from an adherent of the ways of Mahatma Gandhi to a small town referee between two opposing sides, many readers will find much room for conversation. Moving is never easy, but when you're ten, it can seem like the worst possible thing that could ever happen.

[Gail Welborn · Rating 4 out of 5]

***All middle-grade readers will enjoy reading about Anna!***

Jane Kurtz draws on her own childhood moving experiences to craft Anna was Here, the tale of a nine-year-old girl who must leave the Colorado home and friends she loves when their family is reassigned to Kansas. Her father, a minister, has been called to help a sister church get "over a hump" in this sweet story of childhood adjustments, change and growth.

It wasn't that Anna wasn't used to change it's what change meant to her since she’d been named "Gold Ribbon Safety Citizen" of the fourth grade. Now there would be no more weekly meetings with her fourth grade "Safety Club." No more sitting "pretzel legs" with Jericho, the college student who looked after her when her parents were busy.

The Safety Club had started when everyone was so scared about the out-of-control Colorado wildfires last summer. That's when Jericho said if they knew what to do in emergencies they would feel better prepared and not be so afraid…Full Review: http://www.examiner.com/review/anna-w...

[Starry · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Anna Was Here" caught my eye when the New York Times Book Review described it as "a gentle, optimistic story about a devout family whose spirituality functions as both a safety net and an umbrella..." Now, I dearly love my subscription to the New York Times, but it's coverage of anything evoking sincere Christianity often borders on offensive. (Hellooooo, cynicism.) So I was pleasantly surprised that they hadn't either ignored or dissed a book that takes its faith seriously. That alone speaks volumes (PUNS ALWAYS INTENDED) for this book.

And I wasn't disappointed -- the story is well crafted with just the right amount of action and emotion. Nine-year-old Anna is believable and endearing without being annoyingly pert. I love her Safety Club -- we all know some kid who's hyper-aware of the fire exit locations and is always ready to stop-drop-and-roll. And, of course, we can't set a story in Kansas without a tornado scene, yet the people problems in the story are realistic and the ending isn't saccharine.

Well done, Ms. Kurtz. And thank you.

[Tami · Rating 4 out of 5]

Haven't received my copy yet, just received notice I had won. 2/28/14
Received my copy and hope to start soon, have 5 others plus my current read in front. 3/14/14
Started 4/19/14
Finished 4/20/14

Anna has to move from Colorado to Kansas and she is devastated. Her father has decided to move back to where he grew up to become the minister of the church there. Anna is always prepared, and the new house is directly in the middle of Tornado Alley. She has to add tornado preparedness to her notebook, but has no way to prepare for the new people and situations she finds in Kansas.

This was a quick fun read. I would say kids from about 8 up through 13 or 14 would enjoy reading this book and younger kids would probably enjoy hearing the story. I found Anna to be a realistic 10 year old with her own unique outlook on life. I was a bit disturbed that she kept thinking about disasters, but it didn't make it dark or scary for that age group. Cute story, fun characters, good book.

[TS · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wanted to read this book before my ten year old daughter did. I cannot wait for her to start reading this one. It is one of the books on South Carolina's Nominee List for 2015-2016. This was a very good book about a girl who moves from Colorado to Kansas because her father is going to help rebuild a church in his hometown of Kansas. Of course, Anna is just miserable about the move and the demands the old church has on her dad. Throughout this book, Anna learns that she cannot do things on her own. She discovers that she needs God in her life, and that God has His own purpose and plan for us. We may not always agree with God, and we may get angry with Him, but he will never leave. He will always be right next to us.
This book was a delight to read! I really enjoyed seeing Anna's relationship with God grow! I know that my daughter will have so many questions!

I would definitely recommend this book.

[Andrea Lorenz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anna Nickel is moving to Kansas, against her will and without her Safety Club (small though it may be) to back her up. She doesn't know what kind of disasters she needs to prepare for in Kansas or how she'll fit in. With Midnight H. Cat, her sister Isabella, Mom and Dad, she bravely leaves Colorado to face Kansas challenges head-on.

I love that this book captured the sense of what it's like to be 10 in a new place. I could sympathize with Anna, especially when she felt lost in a town where she knew no one but everyone knew her and everything about her. Her growth throughout the novel was realistic and sincere. I wished that there had been more information about the conflict in the town and Dad's struggles to fit in as the preacher. Also Simon - did he have an epiphany? Did he learn anything? Overall, two thumbs up though.

[Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm always on the lookout for new YA and J novels that portray youth and religion. Sometimes there's quite a stretch of time in between new finds, but I've read two in the last week - Anna was Here, and Coaltown Jesus - both well done.

Fifth-grader Anna is distressed to leave her Colorado home to accompany her family to her father's pastor assignment at a Kansas church. It's in the town where her dad grew up, and she'll be surrounded by extended family. Is that a good thing or not? Anna's extended family is a family that holds grudges, and divisions within the family go way back. Themes of forgiveness, peacemaking and love are strong. The last chapter, "Where Did All the Angels Go?", is a masterpiece.

I wish, however, that the character of Simon, the cause of many of the troubles experienced within the family, had been more fully developed.

[Tiffany · Rating 2 out of 5]

Anna Was Here by Jane Kurtz is a story about a little girl and her family who move to Kansas temporarily so her dad can take over as minister in a church in his childhood hometown. Almost everyone it seems is related to Anna and her family and everyone knows everyone else's business.

Anna has an unusual interest in safety and therefore there are several safety tips throughout the book. It makes for an interesting way to introduce safety to children who read this book.

Unfortunately, there isn't much excitement in the story beyond this. Aside from a Tornado that teaches Anna and her dad a lesson, the book tells a rather boring story about a kid who didn't want to move to Kansas.

I received this book through a Goodreads giveaway in exchange for my honest review.

[Susan Dunn · Rating 3 out of 5]

When Anna's pastor father returns his family to the small Kansas town where he grew up, Anna is reluctant (to put it mildly) to settle in. She doesn't like being surrounded by so many family members who know all of her business and history. And she misses her Colorado home. Anna is a careful, cautious child who worries constantly about natural disasters. She keeps a Safety Notebook with instructions for handling any kind of disaster from snakebites to floods. Unfortunately, there aren't instructions for dealing with unfriendly cousins or family feuds. And worst of all, Kansas has tornadoes! Anna is so bent on returning to Colorado that she doesn't realize that Kansas is becoming home after all. A quiet, sweet story for fans of Ruby Lavender or Ida B.

[Heidi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anna likes her life the way it is, thank you very much! So she is not at all happy to find out that her family is moving from their home in Colorado to Oakwood, Kansas, especially when she finds out her new room is PINK. While the move is supposed to be temporary, no one seems to know just how long they will be there. In addition to all that, Anna is related to much of the town and her father is a preacher. That's a lot of pressure for one kid to handle. Can she find a way to be happy where she's at even though she can't be completely prepared for everything that might come her way? A fun look at life as a preacher's kid and the challenges and joys it can bring. Recommended.

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anna is generally risk averse. Also change averse. She finds it unsettling to move to a town where everyone knows her but she knows nobody and her father who grew up there, which is why everyone knows her, becomes the minister at the local church and starts to change in her opinion. I really enjoyed the tension between those who believe in forgiveness and understanding and those who believe in an eye for an eye.

[Lorrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was clearly written from a Christian perspective and that's fine with me because I am a Christian. It wasn't an in-depth, plot-driven story, but I enjoyed reading it, nonetheless. The characters were sweet and endearing. I found it difficult to keep up with all of the aunts, great-aunts, cousins etc., so I imagine a youngster reading it would have the same issue. Other than that, though, it was a nice, light, feel-good read.

[Yellowboxdriver · Rating 1 out of 5]

I found this book to be almost unreadable. The writing lacked exposition, elaboration, and clarity. I found myself having to reread sections thinking I missed something, and then finding that I did not. The dialogue sometimes felt like a series of non-sequiturs. There was a choppiness to the prose as well - too many short sentences, and it interfered with my reading fluency.

[Wanda Stahl · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought this book because I have a 4 year old granddaughter named Anna. She has my heart and is sometimes much like the little girl in this story. Someday when she is ten I will read it to her or listen to her as she reads it to me. Good read.

[Dale Kurtz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jane, thank you for the story. I thoroughly enjoyed the various threads that wove themselves into an ending that I could not put the book down until I finished. Lots of good things to think about in life.

[Candice · Rating 3 out of 5]

The idea behind this book was a good one. However, I just couldn't get into this one. Anna did come full circle though and for that I am proud of her. She's the only character I could really identify with.

[Michele Scheffe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Family story, combining moving to a small town, a young girl who is a worrier and she creates safety plans to help her cope with her fears. Strong messages of faith and God without being preachy.

[Dawn Moews]

(0,0,1)

[Sue Barlow]

Very cute book about a family who moves to Kansas so the dad can help rebuild a church.