Anna Was Here

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.

Can her disaster notebook prepare her for small-town life, a family of strangers, and the scariest weather on earth?

• Brave Girl Protagonist: Ten-year-old Anna Nickel has a plan for everything from shark bites to hurricanes. But her notebook has nothing on being the new kid in Tornado Alley.
• Moving to a New Town: Leaving her whole world in Colorado behind, Anna discovers that the biggest disaster might just be starting over in Oakwood, Kansas.
• Unlikely Friendships: From her quirky great-aunts to a mysterious boy with a water balloon, Anna learns that finding your people isn’t always part of the plan.
• Heartfelt Family Story: A funny, loving, and faithful family that proves home isn’t just a place—it’s the people you share it with, especially your cat, Midnight H.

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 isn’t even over yet! No fair! What a disaster!

Luckily, Anna is a Gold Ribbon Safety Citizen, prepared for almost everything. Unluckily, Anna isn’t ready for cousins, lost cats, water balloons and rotten eggs, peculiar relatives, blisters, emus, missing moms, church potlucks, and tornadoes. . . .

Praise for The Feverbird’s Claw: “Kurtz rewards readers with simple yet profound insights.” - Publishers Weekly

Praise for Jakarta Missing: “Ambitious and complex.” - Publishers Weekly

“An amusing and richly rewarding tale that features a very likable, one-of-kind protagonist.” - Kirkus Reviews (starred review)