Annie's War

Publishers Weekly

Set in Washington State in 1946, Sullivan's thoughtful first novel is narrated by a feisty 10-year-old. Anna, staying with her grandmother while recuperating from an emergency appendectomy, entertains herself with imaginary visits from President Truman, but her conversations are serious: Annie urges him to find her father, an Army Air Corps pilot declared missing in action, and she complains to him about her 19-year-old Uncle Billy, who has returned from the war surly and hardened. "Something so terrible must have happened in that war that an imposter had come back wearing Billy's skin," she says. After Billy barks racial slurs at Gloria, a black woman to whom Grandma has rented an apartment, Grandma throws him out of her house. Annie struggles with her anguish over her father's disappearance, anger at Billy and confusion about the racism she witnesses, which extends to a cross burning in front of Grandma's house ("The flames climbed higher and higher upwards until they lit up the night sky like some kind of evil Fourth of July prank"). Credible characterization and dialogue help readers absorb the lessons Annie learns from wise Grandma and caring Gloria, that "most folks are basically good people." Ages 8-12. (Sept.)

Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information

School Library Journal

Gr 4-6
At the end of World War II, 10-year-old Annie's father is still missing in action. She refuses to believe that he won't return home, so she periodically has conversations with President Truman about him. (No one can convince her that she isn't just dreaming these talks.) During the summer, she visits her paternal grandmother in Walla Walla, WA, where her 19-year-old uncle, a bitter war veteran, has taken up with the "wrong crowd." His anger and prejudice are set in motion when his mother rents an apartment to a young African-American woman. Annie immediately befriends Gloria Jean, which causes Billy's anger to escalate even more. The tensions build and Annie knows that she alone can change her uncle. Her father is finally found, blind and suffering from amnesia. In the final pages the family is reunited. As Annie narrates her story, she presents the characters from her point of view. Her smart mouth and bratty behavior are tolerated without comment except by Uncle Billy. His adjustment to civilian life after the war is real, but does not explain or justify his prejudice. Gloria Jean, the calm, rational voice for Annie, is a bit too perfect. The story moves smoothly, except at the end. Annie's father's return is anticlimactic and is treated with less importance than the beginning would suggest. Events and characters are wrapped up almost too neatly with the suggestion of happily ever after. Still, fans of the "Dear America" series (Scholastic) will enjoy it.
—Carolyn JanssenCopyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

By 1946, the war is over, but not for Annie Leigh, whose life has been upended: Her father is MIA and her mother cannot cope with being a mother. Annie Leigh lives with her grandmother, with no word coming directly from her mother. This unexplained lapse creates a hole in the plotline. Everyone hides difficult issues from her, so perhaps her mother's silence is another example, but with family issues unexplained, the first-person narration doesn't always work. Annie is too clueless to be interesting, and her understanding of life is younger than she is. Additionally, she lacks awareness about race issues, puzzling over the community's cold shoulder as soon as African-American Gloria Jean is hired as Grandmother's bookkeeper. The first time Gloria Jean is stalked, harassed and attacked by local KKK wannabes, who are one-sided foils, she courageously puts her body between the marauders and Annie Leigh. When similar incidents occur, though precautions could have easily been taken, the scene is no longer realistic. There are some nice moments where tinges of humor, apt descriptions and character development play vividly. But despite moments of danger in between thoughtful narration, the plot trudges too slowly to maintain interest. This first novel begs a rewrite. (Fiction. 9-11)