Karen Hesse

Out Of The Dust

Two Jewish sisters, escapees of the infamous Warsaw ghetto, devise a plan to thwart an attempt by the Gestapo to intercept food bound for starving people behind the dark Wall.

The Cats in Krasinski Square

Sick with influenza during the 1918 epidemic and separated from her two sisters, a young Jewish girl living in Boston relies on the help of an old German man, and her visions of angels, to get better and to reunite herself with her family. As World War I rages in Europe, an influenza epidemic devastates Boston, forcing fourteen-year-old Hannah to leave home. Dangerously ill, she finds herself in Vermont, where a German man takes her in and nurses her back to health. A mysterious element, daunting situations, and tenacious characters make this novel a rich and compelling read.

A time of angels

A series of poems express the views of various people in a small Vermont town, including a young black girl and a young Jewish girl, during the early 1920s when the Ku Klux Klan is trying to infiltrate the town.

Witness

Sable (Redfeather Chapter Book)

Nell

In 1861, Amelia Martin's father is stripped of his post as a ship's captain when he is caught harboring the leader of a slave rebellion. Now he is an assistant lighthouse keeper on Fenwick Island, off the coast of Delaware-a state wedged between the North and the South, just as Amelia is wedged between her constantly arguing parents. Amelia's mother blames her abolitionist husband for their living conditions, which she claims are taking a toll on her health. As the Civil War rages on, Amelia slowly learns that she cannot stop the fighting, but by keeping watch in the lighthouse each day, lighting the lamps, cleaning the glass, and rescuing victims of Atlantic storms, she can make a difference.

The Diary of Amelia Martin, Fenwick Island, Delaware, 1861

A Light in the Storm

Tate is overjoyed when a scrawny mutt turns up in the yard one day. She even persuades Mam and Pap to let her keep Sable, named for her dark, silky fur. But before long, the dog begins to cause trouble with the neighbors and Mam and Pap decide the dog must go. But Tate doesn't give up easily . . . and neither does Sable.

Sable

The story of Hanukkah is the story of triumph of light over darkness, of the small miracles that give hope to an entire people. In a series of eight powerful and evocative free-verse poems, award-winning author Karen Hesse captures the resilient spirit of the Jewish people through the voices of eight children at Hanukkah. The children-from Tamara in 12th-century England and Jeremie in 13th-century France to Havva in 17th-century Turkey and Ori in 20th-century Israel-have all experienced loss and hardship. But they are united by love, family, and their cherished stone lamp. The stone lamp provides each with comfort and hope, for every time its wicks are lit, the endurance of the Jewish people is re-illumined.

Eight Stories Of Hanukkah Through History

The Stone Lamp

A story of a child overcoming a common fear, conveying the special bonds of an unusual friendship. Carpenter's full-color illustrations capture the drama of confrontation and the mood of a small-town summer evening.

Lester's Dog

With the thought of Ma working so hard for so little, Maybelle and her brothers brew up an idea to surprise her. They will rescue the stray potatoes from a farmer's field that were just left to rot in the ground. As the children gather "spuds" in the frosty dirt under the blanket of night, they hide from passing cars in a joyful autumn-night dance. They can almost taste Ma's mouthwatering spuds--sliced thin as fingernails and fried up crusty brown, hot, and sparkling with salt. Won't Ma be surprised? But Ma's reaction to their good-hearted gift is not what the children anticipated. How will they set things right? Only Karen Hesse could construct such a delicate and delicious narrative, filled with stunning images and overflowing with love. Wendy Watson's glowing, moonlight-drenched art perfectly compliments the story.

Spuds

In June 1942, seven months after attacking Pearl Harbor, the Japanese navy invaded Alaska's Aleutian Islands. For nine thousand years the Aleut people had lived and thrived on these treeless, windswept lands. Within days of the first attack, the entire native population living west of Unimak Island was gathered up and evacuated to relocation centers in the dense forests of Alaska's Southeast. With resilience, compassion, and humor, the Aleuts responded to the sorrows of upheaval and dislocation. This is the story of Vera, a young Aleut caught up in the turmoil of war. It chronicles her struggles to survive and to keep community and heritage intact despite harsh conditions in an alien environment.

Aleutian Sparrow

The cats in Krasinski Square once belonged to someone… and so did a young girl, whose family has been destroyed by war. Even as she and her sister struggle to survive amid the war's chaos, they risk their lives for a plan to help those still trapped behind Warsaw's infamous Ghetto walls. Newbery Medallist Karen Hesse has written a beautiful story about the courage of brave young women and men who, at great risk, fought not with weapons, but with their hearts and souls. Wendy Watson's luminous paintings inspire a visual journey to a time and place that should never be forgotten.

Turtleback Books

When a small Vermont town turns against its own in 1924 as the Ku Klux Klan moves in, no one is safe--especially 12-year-old Leonora, an African-American girl, and six-year-old Esther, who is Jewish.

In 1860 and 1861, while working in her father's lighthouse on an island off the coast of Delaware, fifteen-year-old Amelia records in her diary how the Civil War is beginning to devastate her divided state.

The Diary of Amelia Martin

Newbery Medal winner Karen Hesse's Civil War diary, A LIGHT IN THE STORM, is now back in print with a beautiful new cover!In 1861, Amelia Martin's father is stripped of his post as a ship's captain when he is caught harboring the leader of a slave rebellion. Now he is an assistant lighthouse keeper on Fenwick Island, off the coast of Delaware -- a state wedged between the North and the South, just as Amelia is wedged between her warring parents. Amelia's mother blames her abolitionist husband for their living conditions, which she claims are taking a toll on her health. Amelia observes her mother's hate and her father's admiration for Abraham Lincoln. But slavery is the deeper issue separating the two sides. As the Civil War rages on, Amelia slowly learns that she cannot stop the fighting, but by keeping watch in the lighthouse each day, lighting the lamps, cleaning the glass, and rescuing victims of Atlantic storms, she can still make a difference.

A Light in the Storm (Dear America)

Tate is overjoyed when a scrawny mutt turns up in the yard one day. She even persuades Mam and Pap to let her keep Sable, named for her dark, silky fur. But before long, the incorrigible dog begins to cause trouble with the neighbors. Will Sable have to go?

Codie loves to spend time with her favorite aunt, Alix. Her aunt is a talented seamstress, and Codie knows that the perfect gift for Alix's new baby is a handmade blanket. Codie wants to have the blanket done before the baby is born. Suddenly, the baby is coming early. Will Codie be able to finish the blanket in time?

Karen Hesse

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