A Time of Angels

by Karen Hesse, Michelle Barnes (Illustrations)

Sick with influenza during the 1918 epidemic and separated from her two sisters, a young Jewish girl living in Boston relies on the help of an old German man, and her visions of angels, to get better and to reunite herself with her family.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Young Adult, Fiction, Historical, Middle Grade, Childrens, Coming Of Age

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1997

About the author

Karen Hesse is an American author known for her children's and young adult literature, often set in historical contexts. She received the Newbery Medal for Out of the Dust (1997), a verse novel about a young girl enduring the Dust Bowl during the Great Depression. Hesse’s works frequently tackle complex themes, as seen in Witness (2001), which explores the rise of the Ku Klux Klan in a 1920s Vermont town, and The Music of Dolphins (1996), which tells the story of a girl raised by dolphins. Her novel Stowaway (2000) is based on the real-life account of a boy aboard Captain Cook’s Endeavour. Over her career, Hesse has received numerous accolades, including a MacArthur Fellowship in 2002 and the Phoenix Award for Letters from Rifka (1992).

Reviews

[Catherine Calles · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review might not be as helpful as I hope it would be, but I would like to share my thoughts about this book. Hope they're useful to one of you.

When I joined this website, I didn't think my love for certain books could rekindle, but it did. I've wanted to review this book for quite some time, even though the first (and last) time I read it was in fifth grade... I'm now a high school graduate.

But anyways, from the little that I can remember, I knew that the first time I looked through the book, I thought to myself, "I will not be able to finish this." But I did, and was extremely proud of that.

This book was the very first book to really make me feel something. A few tears were shed, definitely. If there's anything I took from this book, it was the importance of finding that one special book. Nowadays, people underestimate the fact that words are powerful.

Whether it's a book or a song, maybe even a movie, I hope whoever is reading this has been touched by words. Who knows, this book could be your very first... it was mine.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an absorbing read about a place and time in American history that I knew little about. Hannah gold, the main character, is both a product of her environment and a brave ioneer in a time when the flu epidemic was begining to rage around the world (1918). Through a set of circumstances she is forced out of Boston and ends up in a totally foreign environment after she survives the influenza. She is taken in by an elderly German farmer Klaus.
Two major themes converge at this point: the stupidity and futility of war and the absolute lunacy of racial prejudice. Klaus is German and therefore some of the town's people treat him abominably even though he fought for the union in the civil war. Hannah is a Jew and is initially scared to tell Klaus this because of the food rrstrictions which aren't helping her recover her strength. And how interesting that there is a revival of interest in the theraputic benefits of drinking apple cider vinegar. The mysticism of the angels also works perfectly in the context of Hannah's journey.

[Heidi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my favourite book in middle school.

With the current coronavirus threatening to become a pandemic, I found myself longing to read this book again.

It's a story about family, about faith, about coming of age, about growing up. It's a story that deeply touched my heart back in middle school, and now that I'm older and have had more life experience, continues to touch my heart.

While the target audience for this book is middle school, I would recommend this story to anyone: old and young alike. Karen Hesse, and the stories she weaves, will always have a place in my heart.

[H.D. McGregor · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read this book so many times the binding is starting to wear out. I enjoy the author's clear writing style that allows me to visualize the details of the characters. During WWI a young girl helps take care of her younger sisters while both her parents are away in the war. She becomes sick with influenza and follows and angel to an elderly German man that cares for her until she can return to her sisters.

[Jess Kimmet · Rating 5 out of 5]

A quick re-read of a childhood favorite that’s been on my mind because of the coronavirus pandemic. A beautiful, poignant story about human goodness in hard times. I’m very glad I revisited it: when I had to put it down I couldn’t wait to get back to it, and I’m now wondering why I ever read anything other than middle grade fiction.

[Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this book with my daughters when they were middle-school age. I found it to be much more meaningful now that I've lived thru a pandemic. Lots of history in this book, set in 1918 and the end of WW II. Definitely worth the re-read!

[Sheri Koontz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wasn’t particularly interested in the “angel” in the plot, but I learned much about America during World War 1 and the Jewish faith. I couldn’t believe 22 million people died of influenza throughout the modern world at that time. Adults can discover so much from reading well-researched and written YA historical fiction.

[E.Z. · Rating 5 out of 5]

An emotional story about a girl who wants to save her beloved family.

[Allison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hannah Gold is a young Jewish girl in 1918 Boston. Hannah and her two sisters live with their aunt Rose, since their mother is stuck in Russia and their father is fighting in World War I. They also live with a folk healer named Vashti. Hannah doesn't like Vashti very much. After Tanta Rose dies, and her sisters get sick with the Spanish flu, Vashti sends Hannah away. Through a series of miraculous events, she ends up in rural Vermont, in the care of a kind old German farmer named Klaus Gerhard.

Karen Hesse excels at writing about dark subjects, and this book is no exception. It touches on issues like prejudice, and the horrors of war. I loved the beautiful, poetic writing style here. Hannah suffers a lot of loss in her life: her aunt (permanently) her parents and sisters (temporarily). Her relationship with 'Uncle Klaus' is so moving and beautiful. I also loved the little touches of magical realism, like the violet-eyed girl (an angel?) who helps Hannah on her journey. Beautiful story. These characters will stay with me for a while.

[Ránna Shirrin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Its been a long time since I read this book, but it really stuck with me. I read it multiple times in middle school (I think), but I haven't read it since. A lot of the details have faded from my mind, but I do remember that this was a book that shaped me. And for that, I remember it fondly.

It was a good piece of historical fiction, too. I remember being totally drawn into the world from the start. I could really feel the atmosphere and grime of Boston's West End. I loved Hannah and many of the other characters. I always thought the apple cider vinegar thing was kind of strange, though.

I had also never heard of the Spanish Influenza epidemic. This book not only introduced that portion of history to me, but it also made it real to me. It's funny, during covid, I used to remember this book and wonder why people made such a big deal about it. When compared to the Influenza, Covid was a common cold. This book showed me, more than others written about the Black Plague, or small pox, what an epidemic (or pandemic) really was.

[E]

Great book! I grabbed it at an outside free library on 22 Sept 2020. I did not read the synopsis and knew it could not be a religious book because of the location of the outdoor shelves in a very liberal, anti-Christian neighborhood. It is going to be on my list of great reads. It covered a 2 month time period from 10 Sept. 1918 to just after 11 Nov. 1918. It covers love, hate, health, war, fear, separation of a child from family, etc. It seems simple, but there is more to it as you get to know the characters. It is of a practical age and time and not syrupy. Good character development and timeline. Written in 1995 so it may be a little tough to find but worth the search. It is a short study on humanity under stress.

[Katie Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this in fourth grade around when this came out (pretty sure it was a book fair purchase). It was my introduction to the 1918 flu pandemic and, to some extent, Judaism (raised in a rural area with very little diversity). It was so memorable I read it again in my early twenties and I was just as blown away by the story as I was at nine. It’s surprisingly mature for a children’s book, so I would recommend to anyone with children who are ready to handle a story that features its fair share of loss and heavy themes—especially kids that had a hard time with COVID. They’ll probably understand it even more than I did at that age. It also has a lot of hope and growth, I promise it’s not all doom and gloom!

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

A genuinely beautiful, tender, uplifting book for all ages. I hadn't heard of it until I recently saw it mentioned online. It's apparently out of print, but it needs to be brought back into production! The setting in the fall of 1918 during the influenza pandemic, and the end of World War I, makes it especially meaningful to everyone dealing with the current COVID-19 pandemic, and all the chaos, loss and sorrow. The most important angels in the story are the human ones.

I was surprised that the Austin public library doesn't have this book, so if yours doesn't, look for the used copies - I recommend it.

[Ann Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a children's book set in 1918 during the time of the flu pandemic. I enjoyed the book, and I learned about Jewish culture in the West End of Boston, efforts to fight the flu, and Christmas labels. According to the book, each Amercian soldier abroad was given one label that they could send to a person of their choice who could use the label on a parcel to be sent to the soldier at Christmastime, postage-paid. The book implies that the program was a collaboration between the Red Cross and the postal service.

[Lana Kamennof-sine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Confess it was a slow start but once I'd moved on past midway in Chapter One I was completely caught up in the story line. Set during the first World War, its main characters are the 3 daughters of Jewish parents (the father is fighting in the War, the mother is held captive abroad) who are living with an aunt.
Great attention to detail, eg. influenza epidemic, attitudes towards Jewish, Germans...

[Amy Flanagan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great little book I got at used bookstore in OC. It is middle school to YA but I loved it. Hannah is living during WWI and she is Jewish. She is sent away when influenza hits Boston. She finds herself in a small town sick as well. But a kind man takes care of her and shows her a whole different world then Boston.

[Kate Clomiro · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite books
I like this because of my relation to the main character and an amazing portrayal of the time period
The author's detail is amazing
I feel like there could have been more character development

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It hits home, dealing with a community facing the 1918 flu pandemic and the end of WWI. Hesse has a poetic, engaging style and has done her research, too. A well-written YA novel is just the thing!

[Margit · Rating 5 out of 5]

detailed, heartfelt and wise book

[Allison Marks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautifully written. A classic.

[Rivkyk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid historical fiction for children. Sad. My daughter loved it.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Young readers, WW1, influenzas, Jewish... all topics in this story. I think kids would like it as a read aloud.

[Susan Roitmire]

Pretty good! Needs a sequel.

[Mary Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this story of loss, love, and human frailty. Highly recommend this story of the 1918 flu epidemic.

[Pamela Watson · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books I have read!

[Flyingzebras · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully written and painfully relevant.

[Yuthara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this book when I was in middle school and it left such a long lasting impact on me. So beautiful written it'll always hold a speacial place in my heart. <3

[Carol Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting book on historical event most of us know little about. Highly recommend reading.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very heartwarming story....I really enjoyed it ~

[Vic perez · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.75