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With her father away at war to fight Hitler, a young girl gains strength by joining her community in battling polio in this Parents' Choice Silver Honor Book based on the 1944 epidemic and the "Miracle of Hickory" Hospital in Hickory, North Carolina. Ann Fay Honeycutt accepts the role of "man of the house" when her father leaves because she wants to do her part for the war. She's doing well with the extra responsibilities when a frightening polio epidemic strikes, crippling many local children. Her town of Hickory responds by creating an emergency hospital in three days. Ann Fay reads each issue of the newspaper for the latest news of the epidemic. But soon she discovers for herself just how devastating polio can be. As her challenges grow, so does her resourcefulness. In the face of tragedy, Ann Fay discovers her ability to move forward. She experiences the healing qualities of friendship and explores the depths of her own faithfulness to those she loves—even to one she never expected to love at all.
200 pages, Hardcover
First published March 1, 2006
113 people are currently reading
782 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 274 reviews
March 2, 2015
Such a moving and inspiring story that is so close to home and "real history" from our area.
February 25, 2019
Genre: Historical Fiction
Grade level- 4th-6th
Blue is a historical fiction novel written about a young girl, Ann Fay Honeycutt, during the time of World War II in the United States. Ann Fay is given a pair of overalls and the job of "man of the house" when her father goes to fight in the war. She is given the pressure of taking care of her siblings and home during such a difficult time. Soon after her father leaves, a polio outbreak is announced her county (Catawba County, NC). Polio ends up becoming detrimental to her own family while her father is away. The book covers many topics such as war, racism, gender, and disease. It is a powerful novel about this young girl in 1944. This book was a WOW book for me because of all these topics intertwined throughout the novel. It is a tear jerker that really puts you in the perspective of a child living in this time, going through these difficulties.
I would use this book by having a book club with the students. I think that this could potentially be a very difficult read for many students. The topics and events of the book are very emotionally powerful. I think it would be critical for students to discuss with one another to understand the events of the book. Disease outbreak and war can be very difficult for young students to understand. I would like them to have small book clubs to discuss the book with guiding questions.
-Etext book
Grade level- 4th-6th
Blue is a historical fiction novel written about a young girl, Ann Fay Honeycutt, during the time of World War II in the United States. Ann Fay is given a pair of overalls and the job of "man of the house" when her father goes to fight in the war. She is given the pressure of taking care of her siblings and home during such a difficult time. Soon after her father leaves, a polio outbreak is announced her county (Catawba County, NC). Polio ends up becoming detrimental to her own family while her father is away. The book covers many topics such as war, racism, gender, and disease. It is a powerful novel about this young girl in 1944. This book was a WOW book for me because of all these topics intertwined throughout the novel. It is a tear jerker that really puts you in the perspective of a child living in this time, going through these difficulties.
I would use this book by having a book club with the students. I think that this could potentially be a very difficult read for many students. The topics and events of the book are very emotionally powerful. I think it would be critical for students to discuss with one another to understand the events of the book. Disease outbreak and war can be very difficult for young students to understand. I would like them to have small book clubs to discuss the book with guiding questions.
-Etext book
April 17, 2009
Really liked this story based on the true story of a hospital for polio patients in Hickory, NC in the 1940s. The characters were realistic as were their struggles and issues(illness, death, friendship, racial segregation, responsibility, rationing, WWII). It was refreshing to hear the tale through the eyes of a 13 year old girl who was ecstatic to be left as "the man of the house" where her father left to fight WWII, although no child should ever have to go through what she went through. Unfortunately, I'm sure stories like hers are ones that could be told time and again.
The story flowed from one chapter to the next and it was difficult to put down. I highly recommend this carefully researched book. I've always said, that more times than not, YA fiction has rings around adult fiction and this novel is another testament to that fact.
(Without giving the story away)Something that surprised me: A public health official visited the a home where a teenager had been left to care for her much younger siblings. He left orders and said he'd return the next day! See if that would fly now! However, I guess at that time and especially given the circumstances there wasn't much else to be done.
The story flowed from one chapter to the next and it was difficult to put down. I highly recommend this carefully researched book. I've always said, that more times than not, YA fiction has rings around adult fiction and this novel is another testament to that fact.
(Without giving the story away)Something that surprised me: A public health official visited the a home where a teenager had been left to care for her much younger siblings. He left orders and said he'd return the next day! See if that would fly now! However, I guess at that time and especially given the circumstances there wasn't much else to be done.
November 30, 2011
INCREDIBLE!!
I already knew from watching the book trailer and talking to a friend who had read it that I would enjoy this book; but I was not prepared for just how much I would fall in love with Ann Fay Honeycutt, Junior Bledsoe, Imogene Wilfong and Joyce Moyer Hostetter's captivating writing style. If I had a full afternoon to devote to reading, this book would have been read in three hours--I did NOT want to put it down!
Blue presents not only survival during the atrocities of WWII and the devastating toll of a polio epidemic in the United States, but also a blossoming of imagination, dreams and courage in the midst of it all. Ann Fay Honeycutt becomes the "man of the house" when her father joins the war, but she has no idea the hardships she's putting on with those blue overalls or the challenges she will face with her mother and younger siblings.
This book is now on the shelf of my heart that holds my childhood's dearest novels, and I'm anxious to share it with my younger reader friends as well as my adult friends who enjoy a truly great read.
I already knew from watching the book trailer and talking to a friend who had read it that I would enjoy this book; but I was not prepared for just how much I would fall in love with Ann Fay Honeycutt, Junior Bledsoe, Imogene Wilfong and Joyce Moyer Hostetter's captivating writing style. If I had a full afternoon to devote to reading, this book would have been read in three hours--I did NOT want to put it down!
Blue presents not only survival during the atrocities of WWII and the devastating toll of a polio epidemic in the United States, but also a blossoming of imagination, dreams and courage in the midst of it all. Ann Fay Honeycutt becomes the "man of the house" when her father joins the war, but she has no idea the hardships she's putting on with those blue overalls or the challenges she will face with her mother and younger siblings.
This book is now on the shelf of my heart that holds my childhood's dearest novels, and I'm anxious to share it with my younger reader friends as well as my adult friends who enjoy a truly great read.
March 14, 2009
This book was amazing! It is literaly, no joke, by far the BEST book I have ever read. I loved this book. The story and all the events were great and extremely interesting and it had a lot of good facts as well. I literaly laughed out loud, and cried while reading this book!
November 25, 2012
My favorite of Hostetter's works. It will have you laughing and crying and you'll learn a lot in the process!
December 7, 2010
Local author (Hickory NC area) writes about WWII and the polio epidemic in 1944 - 1945. Very sweet, sad story that I could not put down. Stayed up way too late finishing this last night.
May 1, 2023
This was a really good story. Very poignant, it made me cry. I had no idea about the 1940s polio epidemic in Hickory. I enjoyed learning more about our state's history.
March 8, 2021
Blue is a historical fiction novel about a girl named Ann Fay Honeycutt who, after her father is deployed to fight in World War II, is expected to "become the man of the house". Ann Fay ends up not only experiencing and learning a lot about war, gender roles, and race relations, but the novel is based in a time when Polio broke out into an epidemic around the U.S., and so she quickly learns about disease. I read this once in the 4th grade, and again more recently because I remembered loving it in elementary school, and when I read it recently it was just as good! There were so many parts of this book that made me say, "Wow!", so I decided it would be a good WOW book to introduce to my students one day. I could use this book in a variety of ways in my future classroom; it is set and takes place in North Carolina, which I know 4th grade NC standards focus a lot on, so using it as a 4th grade read-aloud novel could help support student understanding of other content area subject such as NC history in social studies. I would also consider using it to focus on a science topic such as spread of disease and epidemics/pandemics, which seems more relevant now to discuss than it has for many years (due to COVID-19). Lastly, I would consider using this book as a book club book for 5th graders who are at the appropriate level to read this on their own! I think it is fairly heavy at times, so allowing space for the students to discuss their emotions and thoughts about a book that is based on true events would be helpful in processing the novel.
I think that when I read this novel in the 4th grade I loved it, but reading it again now was really a WOW moment for me due to the epidemic in the book and the effects that it had on the main character, and the current pandemic and the parallel effects it is having on so many now. I love that the book touches on gender roles and race relations, but I would also take the time to teach these specific subjects more meaningfully so that students couldn't interpret any parts of the novel inappropriately considering it was set in a time so long ago!
I think that when I read this novel in the 4th grade I loved it, but reading it again now was really a WOW moment for me due to the epidemic in the book and the effects that it had on the main character, and the current pandemic and the parallel effects it is having on so many now. I love that the book touches on gender roles and race relations, but I would also take the time to teach these specific subjects more meaningfully so that students couldn't interpret any parts of the novel inappropriately considering it was set in a time so long ago!
February 12, 2011
We read this as a reading group and it was enriching. My daughter picked it up today and is already halfway through the book. We had to practically pry it from her hands to get her to go to sleep. I would encourage people to read this one.
April 14, 2022
I found this by serendipity in the library catalog. I was interested in it because of the setting, the World War II time period, and the polio epidemic concept, but I wasn't sure if I would like it. Children's books like these can be overly serious, educational, and moralizing, but I found this one gripping from the very beginning. The authentic narrative voice, well-paced story, and suspenseful elements make it a satisfying read, and the author uses literary devices like metaphor and foreshadowing in a meaningful way, deepening the story's impact instead of just making the book seem Literary.
This novel seems like something the homeschool moms of my childhood would have adored, but I feel confident that a majority of their children would have liked it too. Even though the book deals with some very heavy topics related to war, illness, death, and racism, it is suspenseful, relatable, and moving, instead of just seeming educational. The book's power lies in its real-life details and emotions, and in the completely believable voice of the thirteen-year-old girl who narrates the story. The book also incorporates the characters' Christian beliefs and doubts in a meaningful, historically accurate way without being preachy or taking potshots at religion.
The book brings the historical period to life with vivid intensity, and since I have now lived through the COVID-19 pandemic, the details related to illness quarantines, public health crisis, and people's struggles in the midst of this all rang profoundly true. I was impressed, but not surprised, to read the author's note and see how much in-depth research she did about the era, her chosen location, and polio. This is an extremely well-crafted historical novel, and even though it is marketed towards children, it deserves a wide readership with kids, teens, and adults. I never knew about this book back when it released, but I'm glad that I came across it, and I will recommend it to others.
This novel seems like something the homeschool moms of my childhood would have adored, but I feel confident that a majority of their children would have liked it too. Even though the book deals with some very heavy topics related to war, illness, death, and racism, it is suspenseful, relatable, and moving, instead of just seeming educational. The book's power lies in its real-life details and emotions, and in the completely believable voice of the thirteen-year-old girl who narrates the story. The book also incorporates the characters' Christian beliefs and doubts in a meaningful, historically accurate way without being preachy or taking potshots at religion.
The book brings the historical period to life with vivid intensity, and since I have now lived through the COVID-19 pandemic, the details related to illness quarantines, public health crisis, and people's struggles in the midst of this all rang profoundly true. I was impressed, but not surprised, to read the author's note and see how much in-depth research she did about the era, her chosen location, and polio. This is an extremely well-crafted historical novel, and even though it is marketed towards children, it deserves a wide readership with kids, teens, and adults. I never knew about this book back when it released, but I'm glad that I came across it, and I will recommend it to others.
October 4, 2024
✨ fave quote ✨
I tell you what—the sight of them two daddies, the colored daddy and my white one, leaving their women and children at the exact same time, was like the beginning of a journey for me. I didn’t go anywhere, really. But I was never in the same place after that either.
✨ review ✨
This book was a true 10/10, and if I ever have kids, they will be reading this not just for the local history, but for the beautiful portrayal of love, loss, and strength in the face of adversity.
What I loved: fabulous messages, it’s narrated in a great period- and region-appropriate dialect, I had an easy time picturing things despite the fact that it wasn’t overly descriptive, it taught me something new about my home, and it was impossible NOT to root for Ann Fay!!
This isn’t a typical book for me, but I found myself enjoying it a great deal. Despite being written for younger readers, Blue contains depth and subtlety that I think most kids wouldn’t notice unless being guided toward it by a mentor. It was a quick read that I would definitely recommend to anyone local, and would offer to anyone else who is interested in reading a great story that deals with WWII, a polio epidemic I knew nothing about, and the innocent heart of a child who can’t understand why she’s being separated from an unlikely friend.
✨ overall rating ✨
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
✨ rating breakdown ✨
Concept: ⭐️
Freshness:⭐️
Character Development: ⭐️⭐️
Main Characters: ⭐️
Supporting Characters: ⭐️
Voice: ⭐️
Style: ⭐️
Intrigue: ⭐️
Enjoyability: ⭐️
I tell you what—the sight of them two daddies, the colored daddy and my white one, leaving their women and children at the exact same time, was like the beginning of a journey for me. I didn’t go anywhere, really. But I was never in the same place after that either.
✨ review ✨
This book was a true 10/10, and if I ever have kids, they will be reading this not just for the local history, but for the beautiful portrayal of love, loss, and strength in the face of adversity.
What I loved: fabulous messages, it’s narrated in a great period- and region-appropriate dialect, I had an easy time picturing things despite the fact that it wasn’t overly descriptive, it taught me something new about my home, and it was impossible NOT to root for Ann Fay!!
This isn’t a typical book for me, but I found myself enjoying it a great deal. Despite being written for younger readers, Blue contains depth and subtlety that I think most kids wouldn’t notice unless being guided toward it by a mentor. It was a quick read that I would definitely recommend to anyone local, and would offer to anyone else who is interested in reading a great story that deals with WWII, a polio epidemic I knew nothing about, and the innocent heart of a child who can’t understand why she’s being separated from an unlikely friend.
✨ overall rating ✨
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
✨ rating breakdown ✨
Concept: ⭐️
Freshness:⭐️
Character Development: ⭐️⭐️
Main Characters: ⭐️
Supporting Characters: ⭐️
Voice: ⭐️
Style: ⭐️
Intrigue: ⭐️
Enjoyability: ⭐️
September 10, 2011
'If you ask folks around here what they remember about the year 1944,
A child might say, "That was the year my daddy went off to fight Hitler."
A mother might look off towards Bakers Mountain and whisper that
polio snatched up one of her young'uns.
And the Hickory Daily Record will say that my hometown gave
birth to a miracle.' (pg9)
It is January 1944. Everyone in Hickory, NC is focused on the war, including Ann Fay Honeycutt’s family, especially now that her father is off to war to fight Hitler. But even though he is the one going away, 13 year old Ann Fay feels like this moment is the beginning of a journey for her too. Her journey begins when her father gives Ann Fay a pair of overalls and tells her that while he is gone, she needs to be the man of the house. This means planting the victory garden with the help of Junior Bledsoe, a neighbor’s son. It also means looking after her 6 year old twin sisters, Ida and Ellie and her brother Bobby, 4. He tells Bobby to help out, but to make sure he plays everyday.
Things go well until the middle of June 1944. Suddenly, everybody’s focus in Hickory, NC is no longer on the war, but has shifted to their own small county – 12 cases of polio have been diagnosed in Catawba County and the number is steadily climbing. Because Hickory was hardest hit by this polio epidemic, a makeshift hospital was constructed in three days on the site of a health camp that had closed due to polio. This became famously known as the Hickory Emergency Infantile Paralysis Hospital. Not long after the epidemic is announced, Bobby is also diagnosed with polio. He is rushed to the hospital in a hearse because there were no ambulances available due to the war and the epidemic. A few days later, Ann Fay and the girls are visited by the public health nurse and an epidemiologist from Yale who inspect their home, put them under quarantine and tell Ann Fay that she must burn all of Bobby’s belongings, including his toys and drawings, a task that requires all the courage she can muster.
Bobby remains at the hospital, breathing with the help of an iron lung. His mother works in the kitchen so she can stay near him. But in August 1944, Bobby succumbs to the disease. He is brought home and buried on the family farm. Care of the house, the twins, and the garden had rested on Ann Fay’s shoulders the whole time Bobby was hospitalized. Now she must continue to do this and, in addition, take care of her mother who has slipped into a serious depression.
In September 1944, Ann Fay is stricken with polio too. She is taken to the same hospital that her brother went to. There she meets Imogene Wilfong, a black girl in the bed next to her. Ann Fay, despite everything that has happened, is shocked when Imogene tries to be friendly:
“I reckon she thought we was going to be friends. But I hadn’t ever been that close to a colored before. I sure hadn’t thought about making friends with one. Instead of telling her my name, I looked away.” (pg. 122)
Over the course of their treatments, the girls finally do become close friends. The hospital has accepted polio victims regardless of race or economic circumstances, and even though it was in the Jim Crow south, they were not segregated. But that changes when the emergency hospital closes in March 1945 and the girls are moved to Charlotte Memorial Hospital. Because they were together in Hickory, they assume that they will be in Charlotte too. But when they arrive, Ann Fay goes in one direction into a building; Imogene goes in another into the tents set up for “colored.”
Ann Fay’s journey makes this is truly a coming of age story. It seems that Ann Fay’s life consists of one struggle after another, but like the hickory tree that Hickory NC is named after, she is also strong and doesn’t break easily, even after polio strikes. She meets these struggles with a determined practicality unusual for such a young person, but adversity has a way of maturing a person and so that makes her a very believable character.
What I really liked about this book in the factual information about polio that is so nicely woven into the story of Ann Fay Honeycutt. Polio had taken a backseat to the war. And even though President Roosevelt had been stricken with the disease, it was largely hidden from public view in his photographs. Since the epidemic changes the lives of all the characters, it is an opportunity to inform the reader. I asked my 22 year old what she knew about polio, Sister Kenny, iron lungs. The answer was “not much.” Kids don’t learn this in school anymore and certainly don’t have any real life experience of polio. I love well researched historical fiction and this is about as good as that gets.
Secondary to that, I liked that Hostetter also brought out the fact that there were other problems to deal with on the American home front besides the war and the difficulties related to it.
I enjoyed Blue so much that as soon as I finished it, and I read it in one day because I couldn’t put it down, I went to the library and checked out the sequel Comfort. I am looking forward to reading the continuing story of Ann Fay Honeycutt and her family and neighbors this week.
This book is recommended for readers aged 9-12 years old, though it is perfectly suitable for older readers.
This book was borrowed from the 67th Street Branch of the New York Public Library.
Blue has received the following well deserved honors:
2007 International Reading Association Children’s Book Award.
2006 North Carolina Juvenile Literature Award.
2006 Parent’s Choice Silver Honor
Best Books of 2006 for Young Readers (Post Dispatch, St. Louis, MO)
Pennsylvania School Library Association Top Ten
The Best Children’s Books of the Year (Bank Street College of Education)
A child might say, "That was the year my daddy went off to fight Hitler."
A mother might look off towards Bakers Mountain and whisper that
polio snatched up one of her young'uns.
And the Hickory Daily Record will say that my hometown gave
birth to a miracle.' (pg9)
It is January 1944. Everyone in Hickory, NC is focused on the war, including Ann Fay Honeycutt’s family, especially now that her father is off to war to fight Hitler. But even though he is the one going away, 13 year old Ann Fay feels like this moment is the beginning of a journey for her too. Her journey begins when her father gives Ann Fay a pair of overalls and tells her that while he is gone, she needs to be the man of the house. This means planting the victory garden with the help of Junior Bledsoe, a neighbor’s son. It also means looking after her 6 year old twin sisters, Ida and Ellie and her brother Bobby, 4. He tells Bobby to help out, but to make sure he plays everyday.
Things go well until the middle of June 1944. Suddenly, everybody’s focus in Hickory, NC is no longer on the war, but has shifted to their own small county – 12 cases of polio have been diagnosed in Catawba County and the number is steadily climbing. Because Hickory was hardest hit by this polio epidemic, a makeshift hospital was constructed in three days on the site of a health camp that had closed due to polio. This became famously known as the Hickory Emergency Infantile Paralysis Hospital. Not long after the epidemic is announced, Bobby is also diagnosed with polio. He is rushed to the hospital in a hearse because there were no ambulances available due to the war and the epidemic. A few days later, Ann Fay and the girls are visited by the public health nurse and an epidemiologist from Yale who inspect their home, put them under quarantine and tell Ann Fay that she must burn all of Bobby’s belongings, including his toys and drawings, a task that requires all the courage she can muster.
Bobby remains at the hospital, breathing with the help of an iron lung. His mother works in the kitchen so she can stay near him. But in August 1944, Bobby succumbs to the disease. He is brought home and buried on the family farm. Care of the house, the twins, and the garden had rested on Ann Fay’s shoulders the whole time Bobby was hospitalized. Now she must continue to do this and, in addition, take care of her mother who has slipped into a serious depression.
In September 1944, Ann Fay is stricken with polio too. She is taken to the same hospital that her brother went to. There she meets Imogene Wilfong, a black girl in the bed next to her. Ann Fay, despite everything that has happened, is shocked when Imogene tries to be friendly:
“I reckon she thought we was going to be friends. But I hadn’t ever been that close to a colored before. I sure hadn’t thought about making friends with one. Instead of telling her my name, I looked away.” (pg. 122)
Over the course of their treatments, the girls finally do become close friends. The hospital has accepted polio victims regardless of race or economic circumstances, and even though it was in the Jim Crow south, they were not segregated. But that changes when the emergency hospital closes in March 1945 and the girls are moved to Charlotte Memorial Hospital. Because they were together in Hickory, they assume that they will be in Charlotte too. But when they arrive, Ann Fay goes in one direction into a building; Imogene goes in another into the tents set up for “colored.”
Ann Fay’s journey makes this is truly a coming of age story. It seems that Ann Fay’s life consists of one struggle after another, but like the hickory tree that Hickory NC is named after, she is also strong and doesn’t break easily, even after polio strikes. She meets these struggles with a determined practicality unusual for such a young person, but adversity has a way of maturing a person and so that makes her a very believable character.
What I really liked about this book in the factual information about polio that is so nicely woven into the story of Ann Fay Honeycutt. Polio had taken a backseat to the war. And even though President Roosevelt had been stricken with the disease, it was largely hidden from public view in his photographs. Since the epidemic changes the lives of all the characters, it is an opportunity to inform the reader. I asked my 22 year old what she knew about polio, Sister Kenny, iron lungs. The answer was “not much.” Kids don’t learn this in school anymore and certainly don’t have any real life experience of polio. I love well researched historical fiction and this is about as good as that gets.
Secondary to that, I liked that Hostetter also brought out the fact that there were other problems to deal with on the American home front besides the war and the difficulties related to it.
I enjoyed Blue so much that as soon as I finished it, and I read it in one day because I couldn’t put it down, I went to the library and checked out the sequel Comfort. I am looking forward to reading the continuing story of Ann Fay Honeycutt and her family and neighbors this week.
This book is recommended for readers aged 9-12 years old, though it is perfectly suitable for older readers.
This book was borrowed from the 67th Street Branch of the New York Public Library.
Blue has received the following well deserved honors:
2007 International Reading Association Children’s Book Award.
2006 North Carolina Juvenile Literature Award.
2006 Parent’s Choice Silver Honor
Best Books of 2006 for Young Readers (Post Dispatch, St. Louis, MO)
Pennsylvania School Library Association Top Ten
The Best Children’s Books of the Year (Bank Street College of Education)
July 11, 2024
This book brought back so many memories for me 🥺 the nostalgia I felt since I read it first in the 3rd grade. Blue tells the struggles of what it was like to live in the 1940’s. And it’s even more special to me since this book is set so close to my hometown. 5 stars!
March 17, 2025
This is such a great historical fiction book for children to learn more about North Carolina, World War II, racial segregation, and the polio epidemic. This book tugged at my heart strings while also helping me learn more about past events. A wonderful book to read to students to touch a variety of significant topics regarding history, loss, family, and love. Highly recommend!
July 3, 2024
A beautiful historical novel about the polio epidemic and War from the perspective of a young girl. Very well done. Very interesting. A book I recommend to everyone.
April 19, 2024
Excellent Book that pulls at your heartstrings. I love how the local stories of Hickory, NC were woven into the plot, as well as how the author authenticated the historical period and setting through the characters' distinctive vernacular language style.
April 18, 2016
Growing up in the small town of Hickory, North Carolina, reading this book in elementary school was almost a tradition. It was an honor to reread it again for the "historical fiction" category of WOW books.
Anna Fay Honeycutt loved her father and her family, but was not prepared for taking care of her family as her father went off to war in World War II. Polio was the buzz of the town as there was an epidemic, and one day when her brother collapses in front of her eyes, everything changes. Her house gets under quarantine and no one but her neighbor wants to help in getting their basic needs. As if no more tragedy could possibly touch her household, Anna Fay comes down with polio and is rushed to the hospital as well. She is surprised when she gets to her Polio tent and there is a black girl about her age in the bed beside her. Anna Fay was so used to segregation that she never imagined sharing a room with a black girl, let alone trying to make friends with her. They build a great bond as they go through the pain of treatment together, but get torn apart when moved to a bigger hospital that segregates the black and white patients. This story of resilience, friendship, and adversity inspires me every time I read it to be the best human that I can be. I feel like I am in 1944 in my hometown struggling with Polio as Anna Fay Honeycutt because of the language used in this book to showcase the story. I feel the struggle and heartache as tragedy hits her entire family.
In my future classroom, I will read this book along with my history class when students are learning about World War II. They can study the segregation that takes place in the book and compare it to other books relevant to this subject. I can also use this book to teach of diseases in science, and I imagine students doing a research project on the treatments used in the book to fight Polio.
Anna Fay Honeycutt loved her father and her family, but was not prepared for taking care of her family as her father went off to war in World War II. Polio was the buzz of the town as there was an epidemic, and one day when her brother collapses in front of her eyes, everything changes. Her house gets under quarantine and no one but her neighbor wants to help in getting their basic needs. As if no more tragedy could possibly touch her household, Anna Fay comes down with polio and is rushed to the hospital as well. She is surprised when she gets to her Polio tent and there is a black girl about her age in the bed beside her. Anna Fay was so used to segregation that she never imagined sharing a room with a black girl, let alone trying to make friends with her. They build a great bond as they go through the pain of treatment together, but get torn apart when moved to a bigger hospital that segregates the black and white patients. This story of resilience, friendship, and adversity inspires me every time I read it to be the best human that I can be. I feel like I am in 1944 in my hometown struggling with Polio as Anna Fay Honeycutt because of the language used in this book to showcase the story. I feel the struggle and heartache as tragedy hits her entire family.
In my future classroom, I will read this book along with my history class when students are learning about World War II. They can study the segregation that takes place in the book and compare it to other books relevant to this subject. I can also use this book to teach of diseases in science, and I imagine students doing a research project on the treatments used in the book to fight Polio.
August 19, 2010
This story is about a year in the life of Ann Fay Honeycutt, a 13-year-old from Hickory, North Carolina in 1944. Her dad is sent to war in the beginning of the book and he gives her a pair of overalls so she can be the "man of the house" while he's gone. This proves to be more responsibility than anyone bargained for. Her initial jobs are to plant and care for their garden, watch her 6-year-old twin sisters and 4-year-old brother, Bobby, (and try to get them to help with chores) and help their mother in general. But the situation rather quickly gets very bad when Bobby suddenly contracts polio. Loading him into the only available vehicle, a hearse, their mother goes with Bobby to a makeshift polio hospital where they stay for weeks. And, just like that, Ann Fay is now solely responsible for home, garden, and twins. On top of which, they are now quarantined. A neighbor friend, Junior, is truly a godsend to the Honeycutts although Ann Fay sometimes takes this for granted. Just when things seem to hit rock bottom, Ann Fay gets polio too.
Writing this review makes it appear this story is just nonstop depressing and it is serious but it was all so fast-paced and interesting I never felt depressed. (I cried in a few place but I wasn't depressed.) The book is made all the more interesting since Hickory, North Carolina is a real place that did have a polio epidemic in 1944 and many of the details in the book are accurate. Even some of the peripheral characters are real people.
Writing this review makes it appear this story is just nonstop depressing and it is serious but it was all so fast-paced and interesting I never felt depressed. (I cried in a few place but I wasn't depressed.) The book is made all the more interesting since Hickory, North Carolina is a real place that did have a polio epidemic in 1944 and many of the details in the book are accurate. Even some of the peripheral characters are real people.
September 14, 2019
FROM THE GOODREADS SITE:
With her father away at war to fight Hitler, a young girl gains strength by joining her community in battling polio in this Parents' Choice Silver Honor Book based on the 1944 epidemic and the "Miracle of Hickory" Hospital in Hickory, North Carolina. Ann Fay Honeycutt accepts the role of "man of the house" when her father leaves because she wants to do her part for the war. She's doing well with the extra responsibilities when a frightening polio epidemic strikes, crippling many local children. Her town of Hickory responds by creating an emergency hospital in three days. Ann Fay reads each issue of the newspaper for the latest news of the epidemic. But soon she discovers for herself just how devastating polio can be. As her challenges grow, so does her resourcefulness. In the face of tragedy, Ann Fay discovers her ability to move forward. She experiences the healing qualities of friendship and explores the depths of her own faithfulness to those she loves—even to one she never expected to love at all.
With her father away at war to fight Hitler, a young girl gains strength by joining her community in battling polio in this Parents' Choice Silver Honor Book based on the 1944 epidemic and the "Miracle of Hickory" Hospital in Hickory, North Carolina. Ann Fay Honeycutt accepts the role of "man of the house" when her father leaves because she wants to do her part for the war. She's doing well with the extra responsibilities when a frightening polio epidemic strikes, crippling many local children. Her town of Hickory responds by creating an emergency hospital in three days. Ann Fay reads each issue of the newspaper for the latest news of the epidemic. But soon she discovers for herself just how devastating polio can be. As her challenges grow, so does her resourcefulness. In the face of tragedy, Ann Fay discovers her ability to move forward. She experiences the healing qualities of friendship and explores the depths of her own faithfulness to those she loves—even to one she never expected to love at all.
September 13, 2018
The book Blue by Joyce Hostetter is realistic fiction because it is filled with real life struggles 14 year old Ann faces. I enjoyed it because when I read about Anns life I feel like its me in the book and I can visualize everything that is going on. Also it tells you about realistic things that happened years ago. I think anyone that likes reading these kinds of books should definitely read this book because I hope they will enjoy it as much as I did. For example her struggles start when her dad leaves her to be “the man of the house” while he fights off hitler. While he was gone a polio epidemic hit her town hickory. Anns little brother Bobby got polio. Ann feels that its all her fault that he got it and also feels she let her dad down. While Bobby and her mom are in the hospital she has to comfort her 2 younger sisters and take care of them. Read to find out if Bobby will get better and what will happen to Ann next.
May 24, 2018
I read this after reading The Stolen Marriage by Diane Chamberlain, and it being recommended at the end of the book as one of the books that she took inspiration from when writing her story.
I really enjoyed the book and found it an interesting mix of truth and fiction, the truth behind it being incredible enough to be fiction! It is a really interesting historical event that I was unaware of until recently, and now I can't get enough of it!
I really like the main character of the story, Ann, who is the storyteller throughout the book. She battles through so many difficult problems but she won't let them beat her and it's her spirit and determination that seem to get her through.
I did expect parts of the plot, but there were plenty of unexpected parts that kept me on my toes and I was enjoying it so much that I finished it in one sitting!
I really enjoyed the book and found it an interesting mix of truth and fiction, the truth behind it being incredible enough to be fiction! It is a really interesting historical event that I was unaware of until recently, and now I can't get enough of it!
I really like the main character of the story, Ann, who is the storyteller throughout the book. She battles through so many difficult problems but she won't let them beat her and it's her spirit and determination that seem to get her through.
I did expect parts of the plot, but there were plenty of unexpected parts that kept me on my toes and I was enjoying it so much that I finished it in one sitting!
January 19, 2018
I cried so hard and laughed so hard, and thought to myself, I should write a book. And if I write a book, I want it to have all the wonderful qualities that Blue has. Characters are so real and lovable, I found myself reading it out loud and doing everyone’s accents. I love taking an historical event- in this case wwII and the polio epidemic of 1944,l- and creating a family’s beautiful and heartbreaking story from it.
It took me a little bit to get past the dialect the author uses, without ceasing, but it was truly admirable, and possibly easier for me since I’m a southerner.
I am recommending this book to everyone, starting with my 5th graders. I’ll probably put this on my read-aloud list for next year.
It took me a little bit to get past the dialect the author uses, without ceasing, but it was truly admirable, and possibly easier for me since I’m a southerner.
I am recommending this book to everyone, starting with my 5th graders. I’ll probably put this on my read-aloud list for next year.
May 19, 2018
I had to read this book for school. I only wanted to read it because the other options didn’t really appeal to me. I honestly don’t really like the realistic fiction genre, but once I read the first two pages of it, I knew I would fall in love with it. I know, it is short, but it was most defiantly one of the best books I have ever read. I guess that shows you not to judge a book by its cover. This book did make me cry about six times. It’s a story about a thirteen year old girl named Ann Fay. Her dad went off to fight the Natzi soldiers in World War Two when she had to face difficulties she never had before. I really hope you read this book.
June 30, 2019
I had a lot of difficulty putting this book down. I cried... more than once. This novel, set in my new home state of North Carolina in 1944-45, is first and foremost a very personal story told by a 13-year-old girl. She's incredibly relateable, tries so hard to be strong in dealing with all of the things life throws at her, and I found myself caring very much for all of the characters ... her parents, her twin sisters, little Bobby, her new friend Imogene, and the ever helpful Junior and his mother from down the road. The book deals with some pretty serious subjects, including war, polio, and racism, but it is mostly a story of discovery and resilience. I strongly recommend it!
November 28, 2018
Blue is a wonderful but sad book. Bobby, Ann Fay's brother dies of polio and Ann gets polio but survives and her father goes off to war to fight Hitler. What surprised me is Pete the dog died. Pete was so happy with Bobby and he died of sadness because Bobby died of Polio. My favorite character was Bobby because of how adorable he was. Great book! Try it! I liked it because the book kept encouraging me to go on. The ending is great and should not be changed because it is better like this and if I changed the ending the only option would be if Ann Fay died!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 20, 2024
My 4th grade teacher read this book aloud to our class and I still think about it to this day.. I am now 21 years old!!
I'm an avid reader and have been my whole life, but there are only so many books you come across that REALLY will speak to you, and this is one of them for me.
It was such a captivating and heartbreaking story, and it has stayed with me since I heard it. There are such amazing lessons of grief, friendships, and history of my beautiful state North Carolina.
Anyone would love this book and be brought to tears, both of sadness and of joy.
I'm an avid reader and have been my whole life, but there are only so many books you come across that REALLY will speak to you, and this is one of them for me.
It was such a captivating and heartbreaking story, and it has stayed with me since I heard it. There are such amazing lessons of grief, friendships, and history of my beautiful state North Carolina.
Anyone would love this book and be brought to tears, both of sadness and of joy.
July 24, 2017
This book was marvelous and my 10 year old adored it as well. When Ann Fay's father goes off to fight in WWII, she is left as the "man of the house" to take care of her mother, two younger sisters, and a younger brother. But while her father is away, her home town of Hickory, NC gets severely hit by polio. A wonderful work of historical fiction that looks at how polio ravaged our country as well as race relations in the 1940s from the eyes of a child. Excellent!
October 14, 2017
Book 15/15 for 2017-2018 EBoB: I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but it told the story of the polio epidemic in a heartfelt and relatable way. I was immediately drawn to Ann Fay and her family, and I could feel both her emotional and physical pain throughout the book. I thought the race relations of the time were depicted in an honest yet careful way, and I was immediately transported to the emergency hospital through the author’s vivid descriptions.
October 17, 2007
This is a well written and good book that deals with some serious issues in a kid friendly way. There's racism, war, polio, sexism, but leading us through it all is fiesty Ann Fay for wears the pants in her family while her father is at war. Set in Hickory, NC and based on real events, this one is one I'd recommend.
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