From Anna

In 1933, threatened under Hitler’s rise to power, the Soldens—Mama, Papa and their five children—flee Germany to come to Canada. Settled in rural Ontario, they struggle in every way, but none more than Anna. No matter what she does, she’s still clumsy and awkward to everyone except Papa. “There goes Awkward Anna,” they would say and soon the name is accepted by them all. Except Papa.

Being diagnosed as seriously visually impaired is Anna’s chance to blossom. Three days before school is to begin, Anna’s new glasses arrive. “Perched on her nub of a nose, they looked like two round moons … an utterly new expression came over her small, plain face, a look of intense surprise and wonder. She was seeing a world she had never guessed existed.”

In a Sight Saving Class, she encounters kindred spirits, who become caring friends, and a kind teacher who instills a love of reading. As Anna’s prickly defences crumble, she courageously speaks up and shows her strengths to her family.

Deceptively simple descriptions and actions define the characters. “The older children were busy looking at their feet suddenly. There was something about Anna’s aloneness that they did not want to see.” Through the heartfelt story, readers share the perspective of the challenges of her disability as Anna learns to shine. Black and white illustrations convey the story’s warmth and honesty.