Because of Anya

by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Ten-year-old girls don't wear wigs. So why is Anya wearing one? That's what Keely wants to know. But when Anya's wig falls off in front of the whole class, Keely realizes what she really wants is to help Anya, even though she's not sure how and even though it means she'll have to do something she's afraid of: stand up to her friends. As for Anya, she just wants her hair to grow back, but no one can tell her whether it ever will. How can she learn to accept her disease when she can't even look in the mirror?

Genres: Realistic Fiction, Fiction, Middle Grade, Young Adult, Childrens, Contemporary, Friendship

128 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 2002

About the author

Margaret Peterson Haddix grew up on a farm near Washington Court House, Ohio. She graduated from Miami University (of Ohio) with degrees in English/journalism, English/creative writing and history. Before her first book was published, she worked as a newspaper copy editor in Fort Wayne, Indiana; a newspaper reporter in Indianapolis; and a community college instructor and freelance writer in Danville, Illinois.

She has since written more than 25 books for kids and teens, including Running Out of Time; Don’t You Dare Read This, Mrs. Dunphrey; Leaving Fishers; Just Ella; Turnabout; Takeoffs and Landings; The Girl with 500 Middle Names; Because of Anya; Escape from Memory; Say What?; The House on the Gulf; Double Identity; Dexter the Tough; Uprising; Palace of Mirrors; Claim to Fame; the Shadow Children series; and the Missing series. She also wrote Into the Gauntlet, the tenth book in the 39 Clues series. Her books have been honored with New York Times bestseller status, the International Reading Association’s Children’s Book Award; American Library Association Best Book and Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readers notations; and more than a dozen state reader’s choice awards.


Haddix and her husband, Doug, now live in Columbus, Ohio, with their two children.

Reviews

[Jennifer]

Saw a ten/eleven year-old girl reading this by the pool yesterday. When her mother said, "Aren't you going back in? It's 90 degrees out here," the girl replied, "I want to read this right now."

Naturally, it made me want to read it, too.

[Meaghan Walsh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just because people are different or look different you can't treat them differently!!! Great story.

[Diana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Back to that silly old habit of mine where I consume every depressing, fucked-up book about a depressed 10 to 12 year-old with a massive problem that doesn’t allow them to participate in society very well.

[Lorena Gomez · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book so much even thoght it was short it was a great depresing story i even teared up while reading it.
I read it in about 2 hrs and i dint take my eyes off just straight reading EACH word!
Aniwaiz is about this girl named anya and no she does not have cancer!!!
She has another deseas that makes her hair fall off so eventually shes bald and wheirs a wig then everyone in her class starts to notice but their scared to ask if she has "cancer"
So they try to get her attention but is not worling so one day during gym while doing cart-weels her wig falls off so she gets scared and inbarist and then leaves the gym
so one of the niseset girl in class finally realises shes bald so while she crying and home she goes to her house and TRYS to talk about it but is just to hard.
Then finally at school the people that are in her class give her hair so that she can wheir then as that happens she starts to talk and meet other people with the same diease
Then she starts to feel confterble...
And then is not afraid and she relizes its okay..
What i dint like about this book how it dosent really give details about how her life is her backround.
You can find it in the realistic fiction bin ..

[Kerry W · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really good book! Good for every age.

[Emily, Shadow's Girlie ୨୧ (Charlie Kirk’s version) (HIATUS!!, GFB!) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Anya hated Camelot now. She hated King Arthur and Lancelot and, most of all, Queen Guinevere. They all had hair. Queen Guinevere hat a lot of it.

✧༺♥༻∞ Content Warning ∞༺♥༻ ✧

Mild language: n/a

Profanity: n/a

Blasphemy: one "God" used as an exclamation, one Good Lord

Suggestive content: a couple is planning on having another baby

Innuendos: n/a

Kissing/making out: n/a

Sexual content/sex: n/a

Alcohol/drugs/smoking: a mention of medicine

Homosexual/transgender content: n/a

Violence: n/a

Gore: n/a

Thoughts about violence: n/a

Other: an autoimmune disease, kind of mean girls

Age rating: 8+

Genre(s): contemporary, realistic

Age category: children's

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Blow burn or insta-love
neither, it's not a romance

Romantic Tropes:
n/a

Point of view: third person/past tense/female

Is it Christian? no, it is not

Christian/religious aspects/comments: n/a

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Well, I have to be honest, this used to be on my favorite's shelf, but sadly, upon rereading, it just wasn't as powerful or poignant as I remember it being. I felt there wasn't much of a plot, and things didn't escalate, but that probably has something to do with the very short length of the book.

Honestly, some of the characters annoyed me, specifically Stef:

"I did better cartwheels than that when I was two."

She didn't even really strike me as mean, just really annoying.

Anya's parents are the doormat kind of parents, that let their kid get away with anything, that don't really have a backbone. Of course they can be sad, but letting their daughter stay in bed for three day's straight is overkill.

Keely was surprised by how easily they faded into the background. They seemed as insubstantial as ghosts, compared to her own parents.

Keely's parents, however, I did like. Maybe that's because my parents are like that.

If Keely had been the one who'd lost her hair, Keely's dad would be standing right outside her bedroom door, not letting anyone see her if she didn't want to be seen.

Yup, that's my dad.

And Keely's mom - well, Keely was almost certain her mother would turn the whole world upside down finding a cure. No - she'd probably invent one herself.

Yup, that's my mom!

And 100 pages of Anya being depressed about her hair got old after a while. She honestly didn't have any happiness about anything, even her supportive parents.

I really am sad, because I adored this book when I was younger. Maybe it's because it was short? Maybe because I was just getting into reading?

I don't know, but I'm sorry to say I deduce my original rating from 5 stars to 3.

[Jackie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Because of Anya was recommended to me by a friend. It is the “heart-tugging” tale of a fourth grade girl who suddenly loses all her hair to alopecia areata. She has to come to terms with this new development in her life, and find ways to cope. Being fitted for a wig, worrying about the reactions of her class mates, and dealing with her own anxieties are almost more than she can bear. But, it is also the story of courage and compassion- not only of Anya’s but also of one of her very special, caring class mates. She is befriended by Keely, and she finds a way to make Anya believe that all is not lost. She convinces Anya that she is beautiful, and finds a very special way to help her. This character building tale is one that is not to be missed.

[Jill]

One day, Anya's hair starts falling out, and pretty quickly it's all gone. Over Christmas break she gets a wig and hopes that no one will notice when she goes back to school. Unfortunately, the unthinkable happens and it falls off in gym. Anya is humiliated and refuses to go back to school. With the help of one friend, Anya's classmates do something pretty special to help her feel comfortable coming back to school.

[Magda · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was sort of like the book about a girl with epilepsy who tried to hide it which I read when I was little ... except the main character was Jeremy and NOBODY thought it was weird that it was a girl named Jeremy.

The main character in this book is Anya, and she loses her hair but it's not due to cancer. I like how the "mean" girl actually has a personality, and the nice, ordinary girl has actual motivations.

[Ann Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a short simple read...fourth graders learning to cope with illness...alopecia areata...being allergic to ones own hair...something I had never heard of before...the author did a great job portraying the thoughts of fourth graders...I think the parents could have been written more like parents but it was a very short story so their lack fit

[Tracey · Rating 5 out of 5]

loved this book again, the second time around. It is a fabulous read for middle school kids to learn compassion in the face of dealing with a tough disease/condition.

[Danielle Williamson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this book for a little girl I know who was diagnosed with a chronic illness. It was distressingly difficult to find an age-appropriate book with a) chronically ill main character and b) where the chronically ill person doesn't die (seriously, after about a week of researching, I found maybe two other chapter books that meet that criteria). It was equal parts reality and hope. I'd also recommend this book for any 'healthy' child to read and understand how to treat the sick kids in their midst.

[Sophia Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was short but very good I would recommend it it’s not too sad but a little. And it tells you a lot about an illness that the girl has.

[Abby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Plot Summary:

Anya and Keely were best friends in kindergarten, but sometimes friends drift apart over the years, and these two did. The girls are now in 5th grade and have the same teacher, Mrs. Hobson. Anya begins to lose her hair in November of this school year, and is almost completely bald by the end of winter break. Her parents take her to the wig store and buy her a wig that looks "just like" her normal hair. Keely and her friends notice the first day back from winter break that there is something wrong with Anya. They are afraid that she has cancer, and no one has told them there was anything wrong. Keely's friend Stef wants Keely to tug on Anya's hair to prove that it is a wig. Keely is concerned for her old friend's feelings, health, and well-being. Keely must have the strength to do the right things and Anya has to face her challenges and learn that it is okay to be different.

Main Characters:

Keely: Keely is in the fifth grade and she is a follower. Her best friends are Stef, Tory, and Nicole, and they always listen to whatever Stef wants to do. Keely has on numerous occasions, bullied other children because that is what Stef wanted. She was so terrified that she would not have any friends, if she did not do what they asked. This story does show the journey that Keely takes in finding the strength to become a leader, not a follower, and standing up for what she believes in.

Anya: Anya is also in the 5th grade. She has been diagnosed with a disease which makes her hair fall out. She is terrified of the other children making fun of her, or noticing her new wig. This story shows the path that Anya takes in accepting the changes in her life and becoming more comfortable with herself.

Key Issues: Friendship, Bullying, Acceptance, Overcoming Adversity

Other Interesting information:

This book was very heart warming. Everyone knows what it feels like to be different and be worried about what others may think of you. Especially, in 5th grade, when a young person is just starting to reach out to find their identity. The most relatable quote I found in the book was "'I can't go to school looking like this,' Anya thought.’ Everyone is going to laugh at me.'" This shot novel has a lexile rating of 710, and falls into the range of 4th to 6th grade reading material. I feel that it would be a great read for anyone in that range and even older.

[Tatum Holmes · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this story a girl named Anya comes down with a type of cancer where you lose your hair . In the beginning she scared to go back to school because she thinks people are going to notice she's wearing a wig . Someone named Stef , Stef thinks she's wearing a wig , so she tells Kylie to pull off Anya's wig ,but she doesn't. In the middle she has to got o gym class and the people at the wig shop told her to wear a toupe so her hair doesn't fall off. When she get's to gym class she is doing forward rolls then somethings shocking happens. Then she runs all the way home crying and locks her bedroom door and hides under the covers. Next, everyone thought Stef did it because she was talking about how she wanted to and was going to also because when it happened she had her hands over her mouth like she was laughing. In the end, everyone cuts their hair even Stef so Anya doesn't fell bad. Then after that she comes back to school. You have to read the book to she what surpising thing happened to Anya in gym class.

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book brings to pass so many important points. In just the first two chapters it managed to make me tear up due to me thinking just how mean people can be. It also got me thinking just how Anya must feel. I also believe that it brings to pass the fact that cliques in schools can happen so early on as soon as 4th grade and bullying ensues. I felt bad for Anya all the way through as she was going through this really tough time at such a young age. I found myself frustrated many times with her father as he didn't see things as they really were and insisted on doing things his way. AS I continued to read it I found myself becoming enveloped in the story. I felt myself become happier with what was going on. One topic that was covered in this book that I enjoyed was hair donation, and I love it because I have donated my hair before! All 10 inches of it! The ending of the book was just amazing and I was so glad with everything that ended up happening.

[Haley Ellis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I couldn't even put this book down. So, I finished it in one day. I loved this book. It made me cry so much. It was great though. Good book for people who have the same thing as her. You know, I actually read this a while ago. I never really liked reading before, but I was walking through the library during class looking for something (because I had to) and I found this. And usually I read like...one page then just daydream. But, this one I actually read. And I didn't stop reading it till I was done. I liked it a lot. It was interesting, and sad in a good way. It made me think of things so differently. I felt bad for her at most times. But, I think she's a strong girl, and I liked her a lot. This was one of the first books I got into and liked a lot. It was a very good book for me. I liked it so much, I've actually read it multiple times. < 3

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very educational book about alopecia areata. I appreciated that the author told the story from both the point of view of a girl who has the condition and a classmate who wants to help her but doesn't know quite how.

It made me think about other conditions as well. Reading this book gave me encouragement to research more about the resources available now for people with my condition. I learned that there are even Facebook groups now! The Internet can be a wonderful thing.

Three stars because I wished that the novel had gone into more depth; it felt more like a novella. Anya comes back to school, and everyone has great intentions to be supportive and to not make her feel awkward. End of the novel. But then what happens? Are they successful? What is it like for Anya long-term -- once the weather gets warmer, or if her hair does not grow back?

[Linnae · Rating 2 out of 5]

Quite a change from Haddix's sci-fi work, this is the story of Anya, a young girl with alopecia areata--a disease which causes baldness. When she comes to school after Christmas break wearing a wig, Keely--one of the popular girls--and her friends dare each other to tug on it and see if it's real. Why would a ten-year-old girl wear a wig? Does she have cancer? Is it catching?

As Anya struggles to understand what's happening to her hair and her life, Keely struggles to break free from her social group and its bossy leader. Perhaps the two can meet in the middle.

The plot takes a backseat to spotlighting the disease and its effects on a young girl's life. Still, a valuable contribution.

[An · Rating 5 out of 5]

I heard about this" book because of Anya" from my friends, when I get home I finished the book in 1 night. I think that this is the best book I have ever read from Margret Peterson Haddix because the book teaches me how to be a really good friend, how to act in a different situation and knowing how to solve the problem so that both sides are happy. I think this is important to the student and even parent because student/children have to know how to be a good friend so that others people like them. Knowing how to solve problems to make both sides happy is important so you can be friends with them forever. Parents always want their children to act the right way but sometimes they don't want to, so this book is the great way to teach them about that.

[Naomicoutts · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a book about a 4th grader named Anya who really dosn't have any friends. Then in december anya gets a diese called Alopecia areta so she loses all of her hair. after christmas vacation anya waers a wig so no one will know she lost her hair. Keely is a girl in anyas class who hangs out with the snoby popular girl named stef. stef relizes that anays wearing a wig and she incourges keely to pull it off. When keely stands up to stef for the first time stef decides to take matters into her own hands. This is a wonderful story of finding yourself and of courage. i hope you would read this story and think of what you wounld do in the situation of all of the charectors.

[Lauren S · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book was the best book that i read this whole school year!! Anya is a girl that has to fight a cure to her bad disease. Keely, her only friend helps her become strong and fight the horrible illness. Anya's parents are sad because they wanted to have another baby, but they dont want to much anymore because they do not want the next child to have the same disease as anya. anya feels horrible! she doesnt go to school, doesnt have many friends, and she gets majorly embarressed in gym class! what ever will Anya do!!!! Every one should read this book it is kind of short but really good! i also think this book should get some kind of an award!!!

[Gretchen Fatouros · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up this book because I have enjoyed other books this author has written. I had no idea what it would be about.

It is a sweet book about 4th graders dealing with something new & scary. One who is dealing with it (Anya) and their classmates & how they (specifically, Keely) react.

Hopefully this would helps others dealing with either this disease or others.

I loved that Keely found her voice and her passion. Any story that helps characters to grow in a positive way is a good story.

So, for young kids who are dealing with something or know someone who is or just a bit of a tear-jerker read...

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

A librarian at our library recommended this to me, and she was so sweet, I didn't have the heart to put it back on the shelf . . . but I'm glad I took the time to read it! It's about a girl who has alopecia areata, a disease that causes her hair to fall out in chunks and possibly never grow back. I loved how Haddix shows both her perspective and that of her classmates and how they dealt with learning she was wearing a wig. It was very well-written and a super-fast read, but worth the time. It's one of those I'd love my daughter to read.

[Leah Koch]

This powerful book discusses issues of disease that could be relatable or surprising to a third grade reader. However, the book is perfect if paired with group discussion about the themes and difficult subjects.
Another part of the book that I really like is the fact that Keely wants to stand up for Anya, even among Keely's friends. This situation is the perfect introduction to a discussion about bystanders and bullies. The book proposes so many opportunities for discussion that I had to include it in my library.

[Lucy Takeda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yes, I read a lot. I also have a certain opposition to songs or authors that overdo the " preach at the reader" writing. This novel grazes my limitations.
Anya is at junior high age, a dangerous time, when she is hit by alopecia areata, a disease that causes you to lose your hair. The novel shows a pretty clear picture of the entire clique mentality. It is a pretty good read, dealing with how Anya, her parents, the teachers, and the cliques deal with the situation.

[Destinee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story is very exciting a makes you want to read more! It does not exactly have a happy ending but leaves you more thankful and warm-hearted. I suggest this book if you are looking for a good realistic teen fiction with some facts and friendship. It makes you realize all that you should appreciate in your life, which I think is the author's purpose. After reading this you will feel more grateful about the little things that might be big things to others.

[Heenee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is aimed towards younger kids, but still packs a punch. Haddix excels at writing clean stories that are entertaining for any audience. When I finished it, I immediately wanted to start listening to the audiobook of it with my sisters. Great book!

[Victoria Irons · Rating 4 out of 5]

This young adult chapter book is perfect for students around fourth grade. It shows the struggle of a child who feels so different she can't go to school. Her classmates help her embrace her newfound differences and return confident and happy. I think students can relate to the main character through their differences and learn to cope with them as Anya does.

[Jeevan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about a girl who is losing her hair, and she doesn't want anyone to know about. One day in gym, her wig falls off, and everyone notices what happens. This book explains on how she survived through the embrassing moment, and what the other kids think of her.