The book is written so well that I flipped pages faster than I ever have. I haven’t ever liked a historical fiction so much and definitely recommend this one to everyone.
—Reviewed by Neha N. Kashmiri (age 14) for Reader Views

Well written … good character development.… An excellent ancillary choice for social-studies classes."
—Sharon Morrison, Southeastern Oklahoma State University, in School Library Journal

 The United States of America in the late 1840s —
A nation torn by the crime of slavery and a war of conquest in Mexico.

Fourteen-year-old Anna Coburn doesn't want to grapple with such terrible issues. Just growing up seems awful enough. Forced from her home and away from her beloved father, Anna is sent to live among the stern people called Shakers. Their strange ways and strict lifestyle are both appealing and difficult for the bright, headstrong Anna.

When reunited with her father, Anna is plunged into upper-class Boston life, where she faces a troubling mystery, new responsibilities, and events that will affect not just herself and her loved ones, but a country about to come apart at the seams.

With a cast that includes Henry David Thoreau, a perceptive Shaker schoolmistress, and a murderous false friend, Anna's World is a powerful coming of age story, widely praised for its vivid characters, gripping plot, and moral stature.

Renaissance Learning Accelerated Reader Quiz No. 12949

Free downloads (PDF files):
Excerpts from Anna's World
Study Guide for Anna's World
Authors' notes on utopias, the Mexican War, and the Shakers

Touches a nerve. I believe it comes very close to the heart of the human situation. —Lucina Kathmann, Internation Vice President, International PEN

This story of a young girl growing up set against a fascinating and unusual background is highly recommended.
—Mary Moffat in Historical Novels Review Online

Top Award-Winner,
Fiction & Literature:
YA Fiction category,
National Best Books
2008 Awards,
sponsored by
USA Book News

Silver Medal
Young Adult Fiction
Moonbeam 2008
Children's Books Awards