Anna All Year Round [Library Binding]

Mary Downing Hahn (Author), Diane de Groat (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 2001 | Age Level: 9 and up | Grade Level: 4 and up

There was a time not so long ago...

...when people traveled by trolley car, street lamps were lit by a lamplighter each night, and most clothes were sewn at home. The world was growing up. And so is Anna, who struggles to learn math, longs for a new red coat, falls from her roller skates, and takes a marvelous ride.

Set in Baltimore just before World War I and based on the girlhood of the author's own mother, Anna's story reveals that growing up is complicated, no matter when you do it.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Hahn (Stepping on the Cracks) mines her mother's reminiscences of growing up in Baltimore before WWI to create this nostalgic chapter book. Though set in a bygone era of gas street lamps and horse-drawn delivery carts, these episodes in the year Anna turns nine have timeless themes. Anna's efforts to eavesdrop are thwarted, for example, when her mother and aunt speak in their native German to tell secrets, so she attempts to learn the language on her own. (Hahn includes a glossary of German words and phrases.) On a dare from her best friend, Charlie, Anna speeds down a cobblestone street on her roller skates and ends up with stitches. One of the most humorous chapters also delivers the greatest lesson: Anna throws herself a "surprise" birthday party after her mother strictly forbids having friends to the house; her aunt saves the party, but as punishment Anna has to go to her room without dinner. Children will recognize the personalities and rivalries of the neighborhood (e.g., snobby Rosa with the perfect coat and her sidekick Beatrice as foils for tomboyish Anna) and will seeing the similarities between Anna's time and their own. Final artwork not seen by PW. Ages 7-10.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

Grade 2-4-Life in Baltimore in the years just before World War I might seem slow and dull to today's youngsters, but eight-year-old Anna experiences the same yearnings, disappointments, joys, and adventures that all children do. During the seasons described here, she struggles with long division; she outgrows her winter coat and longs for a red one just like the one belonging to her snobby friend Rosa; she asks Santa for an Erector set, though it is not considered a suitable present for a young lady; and she eavesdrops on her mother and aunts' conversations, only to be thwarted when the adults speak in German (a glossary of German terms is included). Hahn masterfully captures Anna's humiliation at wearing a coat that is too small, her thrill and fear during her fling as a daredevil roller skater, and the comforting sense of family that surrounds these everyday activities. De Groat depicts the period details-dress, transportation, etc.-and the characters' personalities all come to life through her soft, though vibrant pencil illustrations. Reading this book is like taking a quiet, peaceful carriage ride over the cobbled streets of an earlier time.
Linda Bindner, formerly at Athens Clarke County Library, GA
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Library Binding
• Publisher: Topeka Bindery (April 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0613358988
• ISBN-13: 978-0613358989
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #11,117,819 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Mary Downing Hahn, a former children's librarian, is the award-winning author of many popular ghost stories, including Deep and Dark and Dangerous and The Old Willis Place. An avid reader, traveler, and all-around arts lover, Ms. Hahn lives in Columbia, Maryland, with her two cats, Oscar and Rufus.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Anna All Year Round, April 8, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Anna All Year Round (Hardcover)

I thought that this book was very good. I think that children at any age can relate to the struggles that Anna faces with her mother, father, her aunt and uncle, her friends and school. I really enjoyed the whole setting of the book because it was around the time of WWI and this was the time when people did not have too much. I think all children will really enjoy this book.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Memories From Mom, But No Story, May 23, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Anna All Year Round (Hardcover)

Let me start by saying that I am a big fan of author Mary Downing Hahn. I've read several of her books and enjoyed them all. So imagine my disappointment with this book which has no story, no plot, no drama. It does show an interesting look at the times her mother lived in (1913) and the type of home life she had. But it should have stayed as a personal account for her own family. With all her talents as a writer, why couldn't Ms. Hahn have given her readers a story, an adventure, or at least some conflict? This book can "set the scene" for readers who know nothing about pre-World War I times. But then they should go on to other more exciting books from this era such as "The Ornament Tree," "Over the Waves," or "In The Time of Angels."