Synopses & Reviews
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.
Review
Praise for The Feverbirds Claw:“Kurtz rewards readers with simple yet profound insights.” Publishers Weekly
Review
Praise for Jakarta Missing:“Ambitious and complex.” Publishers Weekly
Review
“An amusing and richly rewarding tale that features a very likable, one-of-kind protagonist.” Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
Synopsis
Anna Was Here by award-winning author Jane Kurtz is a sweet and humorous coming-of-age story for tweens about family, faith, love, and the meaning of home.
In Anna Was Here, ten-year-old Anna Nickel is part of a family who lives by Gods teachings, and Anna has grown up confident and strong. But even Anna finds moving to a new town in Kansas, a town known for having tornados, a little scary. On top of that, Anna doesnt know anyone there.
With the help of her faith, her family, and her cat, Midnight H., Anna will not only find a way to survive, but to thrive.
Synopsis
Anna Nickel loves:
- Her classroom salamander
- Her house
- Midnight H. Cat (her cat)
- Jericho (her really cool Sunday
- School teacher)
- Her mom and dad and little sister,
- Isabella (most of the time)
- Colorado, not Kansas
- And her life just the way it is.
Anna Nickel does not want to move to Oakwood. Especially when it is almost her birthday and she has a camping party planned. Especially when the school year isnt even over yet! No fair! What a disaster!
Luckily, Anna is a Gold Ribbon Safety Citizen, prepared for almost everything. Unluckily, Anna isnt ready for cousins, lost cats, water balloons and rotten eggs, peculiar relatives, blisters, emus, missing moms, church potlucks, and tornadoes. . . .
About the Author
Jane Kurtz grew up in East Africa and has recently traveled andspoken at schools in both East and West Africa. On two childhood visits to the United States, she found many things to worry her. (One was black widow spiders, which she was sure were going to crawl into her bed the year she lived in California.) But none of the strange new things she saw in America felt quite as unnerving if she could climb into bed with her older sister or tell stories to her younger brother. She now lives in Hesston, Kansas.