Karen Hesse

Beautiful writing. Partial-page free verse provides the images that draw out the story of a young girl whose people have been forced to leave their homes "for security reasons". Their lives are greatly diminished when they can no longer access their hunting and foraging areas and have to leave a lot of their posessions, and the foods & supplies provided by the government are inadequate. On their return, they find that people (soldiers guarding the area?) have pilfered & damaged their homes. Another instance of the disrespect shown to the native peoples of this land.… (mer)

When Newbery Medalist Karen Hesse came upon a short article about cats out-foxing the Gestapo at the train station in Warsaw during WWII, she couldn't get the story out of her mind. The result is this stirring account of a Jewish girl's involvement in the Resistance. At once terrifying and soulful, this fictional account, born of meticulous research, is a testament to history and to our passionate will to survive, as only Karen Hesse can write it. A young Jewish girl and her sister face the challenges of growing up in Poland during World War II. Having escaped the ghetto, they devise a plan to smuggle food to those still there with the help of the abandoned cats of Krasinski Square. Determined to help the handful of Jewish Resistance fighters feed others still inside the Ghetto, she comes up with a plan to distract the Gestapo and their dogs. Will their plan work, or will they be caught in the act?… (mer)

It's the summer of 1903 in Brooklyn and all fourteen-year-old Joseph Michtom wants is to experience the thrill, the grandeur, and the electricity of the new amusement park at Coney Island. But that doesn't seem likely. Ever since his parents Russian immigrants invented the stuffed Teddy Bear five months ago, Joseph's life has turned upside down. No longer do the Michtoms gather family and friends around the kitchen table to talk. No longer is Joseph at leisure to play stickball with the guys. Now, Joseph works. And complains. And falls in love. And argues with Mama and Papa. And falls out of love. And hopes. Joseph hopes he'll see Coney Island soon. He hopes that everything will turn right-side up again. He hopes his luck hasn't run out because you never know.

Through all the warmth, the sadness, the frustration, and the laughter of one big, colorful family, Newbery Medalist Karen Hesse builds a stunning story of the lucky, the unlucky, and those in between, and reminds us that our lives all our lives are fragile, precious, and connected.… (mer)

Acclaimed author Karen Hesse's Newbery Medal-winning novel-in-verse explores the life of fourteen-year-old Billie Jo growing up in the dust bowls of Oklahoma.

"Dust piles up like snow across the prairie. . . ."A terrible accident has transformed Billie Jo's life, scarring her inside and out. Her mother is gone. Her father can't talk about it. And the one thing that might make her feel better -- playing the piano -- is impossible with her wounded hands. To make matters worse, dust storms are devastating the family farm and all the farms nearby. While others flee from the dust bowl, Billie Jo is left to find peace in the bleak landscape of Oklahoma -- and in the surprising landscape of her own heart.… (mer)