A Parents’ Choice Silver Honor Book With her father on the frontlines of World War II, a young girl gains strength by joining her community’s battle against the 1944 polio epidemic Ann Fay Honeycutt accepts the role of “man of the house” when her father leaves because she wants to do her part for the war. She’s doing well with the extra responsibilities when a frightening polio epidemic strikes, crippling many local children. Her town of Hickory, North Carolina responds by creating an emergency hospital in three days. Ann Fay reads each issue of the newspaper for the latest news of the epidemic. But soon she discovers for herself just how devastating polio can be. As her challenges grow, so does her resourcefulness. In the face of tragedy, Ann Fay discovers her ability to move forward. She experiences the healing qualities of friendship and explores the depths of her own faithfulness to those she loves—even to one she never expected to love at all. Based on the “Miracle of Hickory” Hospital in Hickory, North Carolina, Blue is at once a fascinating history of the 1944 polio epidemic and an inspiring coming of age tale for young and adult readers.

Mennonite Family History is a quarterly periodical covering Mennonite, Amish, and Brethren genealogy and family history. Check out the free sample articles on our website for a taste of what can be found inside each issue. The MFH has been published since January 1982. The magazine has an international advisory council, as well as writers. The editors are J. Lemar and Lois Ann Zook Mast.

Mennonite Family History is a quarterly periodical covering Mennonite, Amish, and Brethren genealogy and family history. Check out the free sample articles on our website for a taste of what can be found inside each issue. The MFH has been published since January 1982. The magazine has an international advisory council, as well as writers. The editors are J. Lemar and Lois Ann Zook Mast.

In the wake of World War II, Ann Fay Honeycut grapples with her father’s trauma and the physical and emotional effects of polio—finding healing in the unlikeliest of places Now that Daddy has returned from fighting Hitler and Ann Fay is home from the polio hospital, life should get back to normal. But Ann Fay discovers she no longer fits easily into old friendships and Daddy has been traumatized by the war. Her family and social life are both falling apart. Ever responsible, she tries to fix things until she finally admits that she herself needs fixing. She travels to the Georgia Warm Springs Foundation, founded by Franklin D. Roosevelt, where she finds comfort, healing, and even a little romance. Although this invigorating experience does not solve all her problems, it does give Ann Fay a new view of herself. In this Parents’ Choice Awards Recommended Book, sequel to Blue, Ann Fay makes new friends, reevaluates old relationships, and discovers her unique place in the community.

World War II looms over the U.S. while fourteen-year-old Junior Bledsoe struggles with anger and identity after his father's death—“a must-have for historical fiction collections” (School Library Journal) As World War II threatens the United States in 1941, Junior Bledsoe fights his own battles at home. He struggles with school and with anger—at his late father, his insufferable granddaddy, his neighbors, and himself—as he desperately tries to find his own aim in life. But he finds relief escaping to the quiet of the nearby woods and tinkering with cars, something he learned from his pop. And a fatherly neighbor provides much-needed guidance. This heartfelt and inspiring novel about a boy learning to accept the past and create his own future also includes an author's note and bibliography.