After the Dancing Days: After the Dancing Days: A Golden Kite Award Winner – A Historical Novel for Young Adults About War, Healing, and Courage

by Margaret I. Rostkowski

Is War A Thing To Be Forgotten? That's what Annie's mother would like to do. She wants to forget the pain and heartache--and to keep it away from Annie, too. But Annie cannot forget the death of her favorite uncle, who was killed in France. She cannot forget Andrew, the angry young veteran she meets at the hospital where her father works. Can Annie find the courage to help Andrew? And will she ever be able to make sense of a war that took so much from so many? Drawn to the Kansas hospital where her father cares for wounded World War One veterans, Annie meets Andrew, a disfigured young soldier. As Annie helps Andrew slowly adjust to his wounds, she also faces devastating truths about war and the complex world of adulthood. ‘A girl on the brink of womanhood comes to terms with the brutal aftereffects of war in an absorbing novel.’ —BL. Notable Children’s Books of 1986 (ALA)
1986 Best Books for Young Adults (ALA)
The USA Through Children's Books (ALSC)
1986 Children's Editors' Choices (BL)
1987 Children's Book Award (IRA)
Young Adult Choices for 1988 (IRA)
100 Favorite Paperbacks 1989 (IRA/CBC)
Notable 1986 Children's Trade Books in Social Studies (NCSS/CBC)
1987 Teachers' Choices (NCTE)
1986 Golden Kite Award for Fiction (SCBW)
Judy Lopez Memorial Award Certificate of Merit
1986 Jefferson Cup Award Winner (Virginia Library Association)

Genres: Historical Fiction, Young Adult, Fiction, Historical, Middle Grade, World War I, Childrens

217 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1986

About the author

Margaret I. Rostkowski was born in 1945 in Little Rock, Arkansas, and was graduated from Middlebury College, Vermont, and the University of Kansas. She is now a high-school teacher in Ogden, Utah. "I find that my students are deeply interested in the issues of war and peace and duty to country and where one finds true heroism," she writes. "This book grew out of those questions, many of which I haven't yet answered for myself."
After the Dancing Days won first place in the young-adult category (1983) and was awarded the publication prize (1985) in the Utah Original Writing Competition.

Ms. Rostkowski lives with her husband and son in Ogden, Utah.

Reviews

[Leanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was a little reluctant when I picked up After the Dancing Days today. I have memories of loving this book, memories of sobbing at the end. Clearly, I was obsessed with romance as a preteen. All I cared about when I read the book was Annie and Andrew’s potential romance. And I obviously missed Margartet Rotkowski’s point.

This book is not a romance. Andrew is a severely wounded WWI veteran; Annie is thirteen. Clearly, I had no issues with a May/December romance as a teeny bopper, but as an adult, I was relieved to discover that the romance was mostly a concoction of my imagination (and Annie’s).

In reality, the book is about acceptance. Rotkowski is not shy about advocating women’s rights, victim’s rights, and tolerance. This message is clear to me now—and I’m afraid for my twelve-year-old self that I completely missed it the first time.

[Abby · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book definitely touched me in ways I can't explain! I love it when a school fiction book is actually really good, I love you Sonlight homeschool curriculum..haha!

WIIA: "Is War A Thing To Be Forgotten?

That's what Annie's mother would like to do. She wants to forget the pain and heartache�and to keep it away from Annie, too. But Annie cannot forget the death of her favorite uncle, who was killed in France. She cannot forget Andrew, the angry young veteran she meets at the hospital where her father works. Can Annie find the courage to help Andrew? And will she ever be able to make sense of a war that took so much from so many?

Drawn to the Kansas hospital where her father cares for wounded World War One veterans, Annie meets Andrew, a disfigured young soldier. As Annie helps Andrew slowly adjust to his wounds, she also faces devastating truths about war and the complex world of adulthood. �A girl on the brink of womanhood comes to terms with the brutal aftereffects of war in an absorbing novel.�" -goodreads description �

Pros: 1. You learned something, along with the main character. Really I learned more about what the aftermath of war must have been like in this one book then I have learned in my whole entire life. Annie did too.She lived it. 2. The characters, *sighs, you just fall in love with everyone!! I mean there is this one character and this isn't a spoiler but he died in the war; and they simply share one chapter about him and that's really all you need to know about him! You cry he's gone! Even though he was only in ONE chapter!! Some authors can't paint a good character in a whole book, and Mrs Rostkowski did it in one chapter.
3.It was inspiring it really was. At the end I ran downstairs and told my mom she had to read the book. Because it made me THINK about things differently, and I love when a great book does that. Lastly the journey throughout the book was amazing, especially the ending. Hard to explain but it was lovely!

Cons: Well if you get upset really easily(and trust me little disturbing things, umm really disturb me!) some parts could bother you...but nothing bothered me. There is only a couple sad scenes with injured men and about the guy who died, but yeah they don't go too much into detail but enough to make you sad. So that didn't bother me but I just thought I should put it out there.

Well that's it. If you read it let me know what you thought :)
P.S. I did kinda wish for a potential Annie and Andrew relationship, so that was kinda interesting. Since Annie is 13 and he is in his twenties, I think maybe I was just dreaming :) I love the book just how it is though.

[Art · Rating 4 out of 5]

"that I had learned other things too. And the learning had begun when I first saw Andrew's face."p.212.
Interesting book with looking at what to do w/the survivors of war in whom society doesn't want to see. The wounded and battered lives of those young men who bear the scars and horrors of war and then don't have the support system that others have.

[isaYArP · Rating 4 out of 5]

The stories of world war has always intrigued me in the most painfully beautiful way and this has got to be one of them.

[Teia · Rating 2 out of 5]

World War l is over and as family comes home some try to live life as it was before, but for some the war has taken away their normal life. This is what happens in a girls' life that changes herself and her family.
Annie's family had a loss in the family, her uncle died during the war. The whole family suffered, but they looked up to Annie's father coming home. Annie's father came home from the war as being a doctor has he has decided to continue helping the soldiers who were injured in the war. Her mother does not like the war and doesn't like the decision Annie's father has made but she lets him do what he wants. As Annie's father helps treat the veterans, she decides to go with her grandfather to the hospital so she can listen to him reading a story to a friend veteran. As she visits with the soldier she meets another veteran named Andrew. She is scared at first then she develops feelings for him. In another visit, Annie noticed that her grandfather wasn't looking good. She tried to talk him out of going but he was persistent. She tells her father who calls her mother. Annie's mother comes to pick up Annie and her grandfather to go home when she sees Andrew. She does not like Andrew and after giving him a look she turns away and takes Annie away. She then tells Annie that she doesn't what her to see Andrew again and tells her that she can't go back to the hospital. Later, her grandmother, grandfather, and mother go on a trip and Annie and her father are left alone for a whole month. Annie did not tell her father what her mother said to her about the hospital visits and she continues visiting Andrew. Their time together was short and soon her mother decided to come back. Will Annie's mother find out about her visits? Will anything happen with Andrew?
I did not like this book.so I did not connect with the main character, Annie, I am different in every possible way from her. I did not like it that Annie thought that she was so grown up.
I would only recommend this book to anybody who thinks that they don't have enough drama in their life.

[Angela · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is a big deal in northern Utah because the author is from Ogden. So I'm BBQ-ing a sacred cow here by saying it's time to say goodbye to this novel.

Utah has loads and loads of amazing authors writing for children and teenagers, so we're not hard pressed to find quality books by local authors. The WWI genre has been added to since the publication of this novel, so we can find those, too. But my biggest issue with this book is the glaring inaccuracy regarding the Purple Heart. It didn't exist until 1932, yet Andrew, a veteran WWI soldier in 1919 complains about how the government is handing them out like candy, and Annie goes on a fact-finding mission to learn why her uncle didn't receive one. The Purple Heart features so prominently in the novel that it's impossible to overlook the error. I also got frustrated with how many adults speak down to Annie because she's a child, but when it's convenient to the narrative, they spill their biggest secrets to her.

It's a sweet story of Annie, approximately 14, who meets Andrew, a recovering gas-burn victim, in a veteran's hospital where her father works. The two build a friendship that helps Andrew to come to terms with his anger and Annie to transition into young adulthood. The story effectively addresses issues such as the aftermath of war, dealing with death and loss, coming of age, and privilege. It's refreshing to see a story of friendship between a girl and a boy rather than going straight for the romance angle.

Is it a bad book? Of course not. But it's time to put something else into the hands of our students.

[Maggie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read After the Dancing Days by Margaret I. Rostkowski for my English class. The book starts off in Kansas with Annie Metcalf she's going to go pick up her father from the train station with her mother. Once she gets there realizes that there is people there that are badly hurt so she decides to go and help them with her grand father while they were at the hospital she meets Timothy one of her old neighbors and another boy named Andrew. She quickly starts liking Andrew even though his face and hands are badly hurt. Her mother Katherine does not like Annie to go to the hospital where her dad works she wants to protect her from the people that are hurt. Annie continuous to help Andrew while he recovers. Andrew wants to go help other injured soldiers at a hospital in Topeka and Annie is very sad. And then at the end of the book they held a party for him and the other soldiers recovering from the hospital. Some of the main themes of the story is accepting that even though people are hurt or gone you need to accept them and the fact that they're gone. I liked this book because it really shows how even though someone is hurt or doesn't look like a normal person you can accept and help them for who they really are. I would recommend this book to anyone who liked the book Lottery Rose or historical fiction books and people who wouldn't like this book would be people who like fantasy or like Fablehaven.

[Paige Jensen · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was pretty good I actually really liked to overall plot. It dragged on at parts but it was well written and easy to follow. My favorite part is when she goes to the hospital the second time and reads to Andrew because that's when Annie really starts to realize that the injured men aren't as scary as they seem. I'd recommend this book to anyone who has patience to get into it, I found it a little more on the feminine side so I'd recommend it mostly to girls.

[Maddie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very well written, but I did not love the plot. I am not a big fan of war books or anything that has to much to do about them. I did love the depth of emotion that this book did show, but I would not recommend this book to everybody. It was a pretty easy read and most people who love emotional books would love this book. Don't get me wrong I do love emotional books, but this book was just not my type.

[Abi Jewett · Rating 3 out of 5]

After the Dancing Days is a well thought out book describing the aftermath of a war. Annie is a young girl who's father volunteered as a doctor in the war. After coming back he works nearby at a hospital for war veterans. Because Uncle Paul (Annie's mother's brother) died while fighting in France, all Annie's mother wants to do is forget about the fighting and warfare. However, Annie's curious mind leads her to have different views...
Annie's dad invites her to come see the hospital he works at one day. She agrees to go along. There she meets a young man named Andrew. He was a veteran from the war who's face happened to be painfully burned. Annie takes a liking to Andrew and decides to go visit him as often as possible, almost every day. Annie's mother sees Andrew and forbids Annie from seeing him again. However, when Annie's mother has to go away from town for family reasons, Annie is free to see Andrew again. Her and Andrew continue to become good friends.
My favorite part of the book is how Annie accepts Andrew for who he is and cares about him no matter what he looks like. She shows that you should look for the beauty on the inside, not so much as the outside.
I enjoyed this book and recommend it to anyone who likes books about history and friendship. It tells about the aftermath and history of war while still focusing on the bonds of friendship.

[Stephanie A. · Rating 4 out of 5]

2006: One of the stronger post-WWI novels I've read.

2019: Pulled this out of storage after watching The Fall, whereupon my brain said, "Hey, what if we also cast Lee Pace in that one book." Conveniently forgot that Andrew's war injury is a severely burned and disfigured face. Whoops!

But pretty soon I didn't care about that any more than Annie did, because I immediately remembered how much I loved this young man, his thoughtful if sometimes brooding comments, and his conversations with the inquisitive and open-minded 13-year-old who draws him out of his shell, forming the basis for a very sweet friendship (with some tactile affection, always a bonus for me, sometimes in the context of comfort).

There are bits and pieces in the text where I feel history has been simplified for younger readers, some interactions that seem stylized more like the modern day -- or, as this reviewer mentioned, a whole anachronistic plot point -- but for the most part, I stand by what I said before. It really brings the day to day world of 1919 to life, and covers an angle about the immediate aftermath of World War I that not a lot of books do.

[Conner Knowles · Rating 2 out of 5]

The war has just ended. But is still fresh in everyone's mind. Some are excited and some are scared. As the main characters father returns home from the war (he was a doctor) she is very excited until she sees all the injured men her father is helping.

This book got way better towards the end of the book it was really slow at the beginning and middle but as soon as she started liking the injured man at her fathers hospital everything started to speed up.

My favorite part is when she is talking about when her and her deceased uncle went on a motorcycle ride. I like it because I ride four-wheelers and love to feel the wind in my face.

I would recommend this book to anyone who is willing to wait till the ending for the action to happen. You have to be willing to wait till the end but once you do... it gets good!

[Alex Kennedy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wrenching but tender book about a young girl who forms a close friendship with a U.S. Marine from WWI who was horrifically wounded in a German gas attack and now spends his days in sadness and loneliness at a Catholic Hospital for soldiers in the girl's city. The girl had lost her favorite uncle in WWI, and her father, a doctor, has devoted his career following WWI to treating wounded soldiers. The girl's relationship with the wounded soldier leads to pain, discovery, understanding, and eventually healing and strength. This book punctuates the fact that war is not glorious, but is rather a dreadful waste of young men and their hopes and dreams. This book also teaches about death, suffering, friendship, patriotism, kindness, endurance, hope, families, and love. A must read.

[Cheryth]

Set in post World War One, this book deals with the recuperating process of two individuals in very different circumstances. It's lovely, and I recommend it to everyone!

[Celia Schroeder · Rating 5 out of 5]

this was a fantastic book

[Michelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

Great message, boring presentation.

[Hannah Mozingo · Rating 4 out of 5]

War is a senseless, horrible thing. And though the Great War was not fought in Annie Metcalf’s home country of America, its influence is visible months after the end. Scarred and broken young men trickle back into normal life, a constant reminder that life will never be normal again. And the absence of her favourite uncle is keenly felt. Her Mother says the best thing to do is to forget. Her Father spends his time working with injured soldiers in an army hospital in town. And Annie? Well, Annie is torn. Torn between the longing to forget the pain and blot out the ugliness of war, but the desire to remember her uncle and his fellow soldiers. The soldiers that are irrevocably scarred by the War and are trying to learn how to live their lives again in the hospital down the road. Strangely drawn to them, Annie is faced with a decision – to either dull the pain with forced forgetfulness, or to remember the pain and confront it in order to eventually overcome it?

I really enjoyed ‘After the Dancing Days’. I believe I read it in one sitting, if my memory serves me correctly. I was fascinated by Annie’s story – of how she learned to live with the scarring, painful aftermath of the Great War. The clear picture that Rostkowski painted of the veteran’s hospital, and the wounded inhabitants who were struggling to remake their lives with life-changing injuries (both physical and mental) was powerful and sobering. I found this story encouraging because it showed, through Annie’s story that pain can and does heal, through the memories that sweeten over time. Because often, the best way to heal the pain, is to remember, to honour, and then to move on, never forgetting what went on before and looking forward to the hope of the future.

[Jenna Marie ~Scheming Scribbler~ · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Annie's father returns from working at a hospital for soldiers at the end of WWI, she assumes like most others that life will go back to normal. Then, on the train platform, she watches as injured men are brought off of the train in wheelchairs and stretchers. For these men, the battle is far from over.
One man, his face burned and misshapen from poisonous gas exposure, sticks out in Annie's memory. When she see's him again at the hospital her father now works at, Annie's first instinct is to run away. Then she finds the courage to go back and talk to this boy, Andrew, and realizes his heart is far from revolting.
Annie's mother, however, is not willing to overlook Andrew's appearance, and Annie is forbidden from visiting the hospital. Until her mother leaves town to care for her sick grandfather. With her father in control of her, Annie spends her whole summer at the hospital. The better Annie gets to know Andrew, the more she realizes what he looks like hardly matters. The two become good friends.
Then, Annie's mother comes back, and threatens yet again to put a stop to her friendship, unless she can find it in her heart to look beyond Andrew's appearance.
This book is a realistic, rarely seen look into the aftermath of WWI. The war did not end on the date peace was signed, and in this heartfelt novel, the struggle of soldiers to regain their lives is shown. It also displays the discriminations against the injured soldiers, and encourages readers not to do the same. I highly recommend this book, both for its message and its story. A great read!

[Tirzah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like Annie didn't want the summer to end, I didn't want the book to end! I checked this out, not knowing what to expect besides what I read on the jacket. Early 20th century America interests me and the title caught my eye, so I decided to try it. I really found it interesting as well as different than most war historical fiction, because it is set post-WW1, focusing on wounded soldiers struggling to return to a normal life where some are not too eager to welcome them back. In some ways, it reminded me of the 1946 film The Best Years of Our Lives. I grew to care for all the characters and the slight mystery within the plot kept me turning the pages. Annie's character development was convincing and satisfactory. I was sad when it ended; I want to know Annie's and Andrew's futures, but I will have to make then up on my own, I guess.

I definitely recommend to young history buffs, approx. 5th grade+. There are many characters, including one of the main characters, who are physically maimed from the war. It does go into detail how the main character's face/hands/torso was burned and at one point the character says the pain was so bad he would have shot himself if they hadn't taken his gun, so I will recommend caution for sensitive readers. There is an exclamation of "God," but I couldn't tell if he was crying out to God or using profanity.

[Shirley · Rating 5 out of 5]

After the Dancing Dayside was a purely enjoyable read. I was up reading it in the middle of the night and couldn’t wait to get home from work to continue reading. It was refreshing to read this after completing All Quiet on the Western Front Rostkowsi’s writing is filled with engaging writing such as this. “Steam rose above the heads of the crowd as the train huffed in under the high vault of the station and sighed to a stop.” (page 3)
The author does an excellent job of interweaving World War I facts into the story.
“The healthy men got off first, jumping off the train, running along the platform, searching faces and tumbling into embraces. Handsome, strong men who had gone off like Uncle Paul to fight in the battles we had followed on the maps, to fight because of the kings, the Russian czar and the German Kaiser, all the names I had learned in the last two years. “ (page 3)
The novel is intended for a fifth through eighth grade audience but some adults may enjoy it because it eliminates the graphic violence of most classic battle novels. The focus of the novel is the turmoil that ensues on the home front after the armistice has been declared. The consequences of war are never-ending for those who served as well as for their family and friends.

[Stephanie Pieck · Rating 3 out of 5]

Set in Kansas City just after the end of World War I, this YA novel tells the story of Annie and her family and their different approaches to the aftermath of war. Annie's father, a well-respected doctor, could have returned to a lucrative position at the county hospital but instead chooses to work at St. John's, a Catholic hospital dedicated to the treatment of returning veterans.
Annie's grandfather goes to the hospital on many days to read to a blind patient, and Annie soon joins him to see what it's like.
Meanwhile, Annie's mother just wants to forget the war and all the unpleasantness surrounding it, including the death of her brother, Paul.
The book follows these characters as they are changed by events and encounters in the summer of 1919.
It is interesting to note that, while many in society shared Annie's mother's viewpoint, Kansas City is now home to the National World War I Museum.

[Elizabeth Blackwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

After the Dancing Days is a book you pick up and find hard to put back down. Margaret Rostkowski writes simply and tenderly, and portrays her characters so vividly that you feel their pains and their heartaches as if they were your own. I’m so glad she didn’t develop a romance between Annie and Andrew either, because I feel like their relationship suited something like the one between a brother and sister much better. This amazing book fills you with sadness and joy and hope all at once, and is one of the best I’ve ever read.

[Brady · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have just read After the Dancing Days by Margaret I. Rostkowksi. I admit that I was a smidge reluctant to pick up this book as it seems that I thought it looked boring and I admit a little dumb. But I remembered the old saying "Don't judge a book by it's cover." so I reluctantly picked it up. That book was amazing. It kept me up until 1 in the morning I just couldn't put it down. The book is about this young teenage girl (Annie) who has a father working in a hospital treating victims in the war. Annie goes to visit her father one day and then meets Andrew. Margaret then spins the story into love, sadness, and joy. The main conflict of the story is when Annie meets Andrew and gasps and runs away because his face is so hideous. I liked this book and would give it 10 stars if I was able to. I would recommend this book to anyone over the age of 13. I probably wouldn't recommend it to kids in the elemantary or their first year of middle school.

[Lauren Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book about a girl and a friend she makes after world war. I really liked this book because the characters were likable and relateable. One person that I did not like at the beginning of the book was Annie's mom. She changed throughout the book and I like her now. This is definitely a good book to read.

[Eliza Slade · Rating 4 out of 5]

I felt like I do when I read Looking at the Moon. A going home sense. It was a wonderful story. Truly. The best explanation is for once the blurb on the back of the book that reads “a thoughtful story whose messages are advanced with quiet strength.” It is not a romance, it is not meant to be like that, you won’t want it to be like that, this is beautiful.

[Amanda LePage Holtgrewe · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book as a young teen and have enjoyed reading multiple times as an adult. I enjoy the story line and made me want to look more into a period of history I did not have much interest in previously.

[Maggi Andersen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A poignant book about what happens when a war is over but its effects linger, and what it means to be a "hero." On a deeper level it's about confronting things that can make us uncomfortable and angry, and I think that message is especially appropriate, today.

[Patricia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is about a girl growing up after the end of WWI confronting the changes around her. Her mother wants to forget anything and everything about the war, while Annie is drawn into the complexities of the aftermath of a war.

[Jaina A · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was genuinely one of the best books I've read all year. It deals with the harsher side of war--the aftermath that most people want to forget. It's a love story, but not a romance. It's a picture of innocence meeting suffering and both of them becoming more beautiful.

[Cole · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read After the dancing days by Margaret I Rostkowski. The book was about maturing to the horrors of the first world war and it's aftermath. The main character, Annie must accept these hard times and mature with them. The main conflict of this story is Annie leaving her fears of the wounded men and what they've been through and learning to accept them. A theme of the story is growing up and accepting more gruesome parts of our world. Annie's father returns from world war I and Annie sees wounded men at the train station when they pick him up. These men haunt her and she visits the hospital where they are to get rid of her fears. She meets Andrew, a wounded man who helps her overcome these fears. I liked this book because it shows that sometimes the aftermath is the most devastating event in a conflict, such as the wounded men who couldn't return to their normal lives. I would recommend this book to someone who wanted to hear a story about healing and accepting reality.