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Anna #1-3
Anna and Mister God
The touching true story that has won the hearts of millions around the world!
Anna was only four years old when Fynn found her wandering the streets of East London, neglected and abandoned by her parents. He took her back to his mother's home, and from that first moment their times together were filled with delight and discovery. Anna had an astonishing ability to ask - and to answer - life's largest questions, and nobody who met this intelligent, lively, precocious chatterbox could resist her total openness and honesty. For Anna had a special relationship with 'Mister God', and through her eyes life was black and white and more colourful than we dare imagine.
This special 30th anniversary edition brings together Mister God, this is Anna, Anna's Book> and Anna and the Black Knight for the first time in one complete paperback. As millions of people have already discovered in more than 30 languages, Anna's story will move you, touch your heart, and show you the world as you've never seen it before...
Anna was only four years old when Fynn found her wandering the streets of East London, neglected and abandoned by her parents. He took her back to his mother's home, and from that first moment their times together were filled with delight and discovery. Anna had an astonishing ability to ask - and to answer - life's largest questions, and nobody who met this intelligent, lively, precocious chatterbox could resist her total openness and honesty. For Anna had a special relationship with 'Mister God', and through her eyes life was black and white and more colourful than we dare imagine.
This special 30th anniversary edition brings together Mister God, this is Anna, Anna's Book> and Anna and the Black Knight for the first time in one complete paperback. As millions of people have already discovered in more than 30 languages, Anna's story will move you, touch your heart, and show you the world as you've never seen it before...
374 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 2004
8 people are currently reading
242 people want to read
About the author
Fynn
19 books563 followersFynn is the pen name of Sydney "Sid" George Hopkins. Sid was a student and later staff member at Finchden Manor, now a defunct reform school, in Tenterden Kent. Sid Hopkins spent the last years of his life living in Taunton, Somerset, England.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
March 20, 2017
These books were a door for me. Before reading them, I could not believe in God because of all the bad things happening in the world. But when Anna told me that God is as sad about the bad things as I am, and probably even more so, the plug was pulled and faith flooded me.
The charm of Anna is to look at the world with open eyes and complete trust in God and to take nothing for granted. Everything is an adventure and everything deserves to be admired or explored.
Today I explore the world with my children and I notice that much of the wonder and excitement that Anna taught me repeats itself there.
These books have truly changed my life for the better.
The charm of Anna is to look at the world with open eyes and complete trust in God and to take nothing for granted. Everything is an adventure and everything deserves to be admired or explored.
Today I explore the world with my children and I notice that much of the wonder and excitement that Anna taught me repeats itself there.
These books have truly changed my life for the better.
August 29, 2016
One of the few books that changed how I look at the world.
March 24, 2020
it was a magical book, a strange journey into Anna's World. The book brings together on the same table mathematics and philosophy religion and physics. I don’t always agree with Anna but I like her vision.
July 31, 2025
Honestly not sure what to make of this book. This being three books in one, my thoughts are about the first 'Mr God, this is Anna'. I didn't find the other books as engaging. So odd is the set up I immediately wondered if Anna ever existed, then you get hit with the time-line discrepancy and I'm in the mindset that this is fiction. The only 'connection' I found was toward the end where it talks about leaving bits of ourselves on the outside (you'll need to read it to understand), mainly because this tends to describe my philosophy of life. My interpretation of the book is that Anna is God in that you need a leap of faith to believe in her existence. Beyond that I can't say. I would however recommend people read it. It is interesting and at times enchanting.
January 12, 2021
Best book ever! Read it the first time at 13 and have re read it many times. What a joy!
October 1, 2024
One of the saddest yet most beautiful books I've ever read. It really touched me and to think that it's all based on a true story, makes it all the more beautiful.
I read the German version of "Mister God, this is Anna" as a child and never knew it was actually a trilogy. My brother discovered it by chance when he wanted to buy the OV as a birthday present for me. I'm so happy to finally have read the whole story and learnt about the special friendship between Anna and Mr. John, too. To me, this book was less about Mr. God and more about friendship and learning to see the magic in the small things.
I read the German version of "Mister God, this is Anna" as a child and never knew it was actually a trilogy. My brother discovered it by chance when he wanted to buy the OV as a birthday present for me. I'm so happy to finally have read the whole story and learnt about the special friendship between Anna and Mr. John, too. To me, this book was less about Mr. God and more about friendship and learning to see the magic in the small things.
October 22, 2010
Katie, a fellow volunteer at the American Library in Paris, found this book down in the basement and recommended it to me. I read it in draughts and bits, mostly on packed subways and deserted platforms, waiting outside offices or while sebastien was making phone calls.
It's really a compilation of three titles, and if I had to make a recommendation, I'd say read the first one: Mister God, this is Anna.
Hardly a literary book, and yet an intensely thoughtful book- one that makes you think, and shake it around, listen, look, and think again. They're slippery little revelations: complex ideas put into the simplest terms possible. So simple, you just might lose them.
For example, a conversation between Anna and Fynn:
'Was that a big step?'
'Not very.'
'It was for me.'
'That's because you're just a tich' I grinned.
'Auntie Dolly said I was big.'
'She probably meant you were big for your age,' I replied.
As an explanationm this didn't satisfy her one bit. The game stopped dead. She turned towards me, hands on hips. I could see her thinking apparatus itching with the woolliness of words.
'It don't mean nuffink,' she said, like a judge putting on the black cap.
'Well, it does,' I tried to explain. 'It means compared to a lot of little girls of five and a bit years of age, you are bigger than most.'
'Well then, if them girls was ten I would be littler, wouldn't I?'
'Could be.'
'If I was the only one I wouldn't be littler or bigger, would I? I'd just be me, wouldn't I?'
I nodded my agreement. I could feel the tide coming in again, I could feel her working up to something, so I tried one last sentence before I was submerged,
'Look, Tich, you don't use words like "bigger" or "lovelier" or "smaller" or "sweeter" unless you've got some other thing to compare them with.'
'Then you can't, not always.' There was a note of confidence in her voice.
'Can't what?' I asked.
'Can't compare, 'cos,' and Anna fired her salvo of big guns, ''cos Mister God. There ain't two Mister Gods so you can't compare.'
'People don't compare Mister God with themselves.'
'I know,' she giggled at my efforts to defend myself.
'So what are you getting all fuzzed up about then?'
''Cos, 'cos they compare themselves with Mister God.'
'Same difference,' I replied.
'Ain't.'
I reckoned I had won this particular exchange since my questions had forced her into a wrong move. After all, she had agreed that people didn't compare Mister God with themselves so it followed that they didn't compare themselves with Mister God, and I told her so. Preparing to move to the top of the class on this particular exchange, I launched my unsinkable man-o'-war with:
'You said people DID compare. You should have said that people DIDN'T compare.'
Anna looked at me. Anna looked, and my unsinkable man-o'-war just dissappeared...........
'Fynn,' she said quietly, 'compare two with three.'
'One less,' I murmured in a fug of contentment.
'Um. Now compare three with two.'
'One more.'
'That's right, one less is the asme as one more.'
'Uh-huh,' I grunted, 'one less is the same as- HEY!'
Suddenly she was ten yards away, doubled up with mirth and hooting like a banshee.
'It isn't the same,' I yelled after her.
'It is, too,' she bellowed.
Of course, the driving energy in this novel is the spirit and outlook of its heroine, little precocious Anna. But, for me, some of the most intriguing bits were those which chronicled her learning, and the critique of societal norms and conformity both within educational and religious institutions.
The second two titles, 'Anna's Book' and 'Anna and the Black Knight', are not without merit and interest of their own. Overall, however, they seem the product of someone waking late in the night to try and pin down a slippery dream; attempts, if you will, to pack even more into 'Mister God, This is Anna'...though additional anecdotes don't add much to an already interesting piece.
The last title also has some literary defaults that distracted me from the meat. An excessive use of exclamation points, for example. Still, glad I found the draughts and bits.
It's really a compilation of three titles, and if I had to make a recommendation, I'd say read the first one: Mister God, this is Anna.
Hardly a literary book, and yet an intensely thoughtful book- one that makes you think, and shake it around, listen, look, and think again. They're slippery little revelations: complex ideas put into the simplest terms possible. So simple, you just might lose them.
For example, a conversation between Anna and Fynn:
'Was that a big step?'
'Not very.'
'It was for me.'
'That's because you're just a tich' I grinned.
'Auntie Dolly said I was big.'
'She probably meant you were big for your age,' I replied.
As an explanationm this didn't satisfy her one bit. The game stopped dead. She turned towards me, hands on hips. I could see her thinking apparatus itching with the woolliness of words.
'It don't mean nuffink,' she said, like a judge putting on the black cap.
'Well, it does,' I tried to explain. 'It means compared to a lot of little girls of five and a bit years of age, you are bigger than most.'
'Well then, if them girls was ten I would be littler, wouldn't I?'
'Could be.'
'If I was the only one I wouldn't be littler or bigger, would I? I'd just be me, wouldn't I?'
I nodded my agreement. I could feel the tide coming in again, I could feel her working up to something, so I tried one last sentence before I was submerged,
'Look, Tich, you don't use words like "bigger" or "lovelier" or "smaller" or "sweeter" unless you've got some other thing to compare them with.'
'Then you can't, not always.' There was a note of confidence in her voice.
'Can't what?' I asked.
'Can't compare, 'cos,' and Anna fired her salvo of big guns, ''cos Mister God. There ain't two Mister Gods so you can't compare.'
'People don't compare Mister God with themselves.'
'I know,' she giggled at my efforts to defend myself.
'So what are you getting all fuzzed up about then?'
''Cos, 'cos they compare themselves with Mister God.'
'Same difference,' I replied.
'Ain't.'
I reckoned I had won this particular exchange since my questions had forced her into a wrong move. After all, she had agreed that people didn't compare Mister God with themselves so it followed that they didn't compare themselves with Mister God, and I told her so. Preparing to move to the top of the class on this particular exchange, I launched my unsinkable man-o'-war with:
'You said people DID compare. You should have said that people DIDN'T compare.'
Anna looked at me. Anna looked, and my unsinkable man-o'-war just dissappeared...........
'Fynn,' she said quietly, 'compare two with three.'
'One less,' I murmured in a fug of contentment.
'Um. Now compare three with two.'
'One more.'
'That's right, one less is the asme as one more.'
'Uh-huh,' I grunted, 'one less is the same as- HEY!'
Suddenly she was ten yards away, doubled up with mirth and hooting like a banshee.
'It isn't the same,' I yelled after her.
'It is, too,' she bellowed.
Of course, the driving energy in this novel is the spirit and outlook of its heroine, little precocious Anna. But, for me, some of the most intriguing bits were those which chronicled her learning, and the critique of societal norms and conformity both within educational and religious institutions.
The second two titles, 'Anna's Book' and 'Anna and the Black Knight', are not without merit and interest of their own. Overall, however, they seem the product of someone waking late in the night to try and pin down a slippery dream; attempts, if you will, to pack even more into 'Mister God, This is Anna'...though additional anecdotes don't add much to an already interesting piece.
The last title also has some literary defaults that distracted me from the meat. An excessive use of exclamation points, for example. Still, glad I found the draughts and bits.
June 27, 2017
This is a little gem!
Moving, touching and eye-opening. It reconnects us with our inner child and by extension to the world (ins and outs). The duo that really is a trio between Fynn, Anna, and Mister God, takes us to an amazing philosophical, metaphysical and theological place.
It is the kind of book that is life changing, not in the dramatic sense, but just by bringing a little bit of love, sweetness, and innocence into our hearts.
Moving, touching and eye-opening. It reconnects us with our inner child and by extension to the world (ins and outs). The duo that really is a trio between Fynn, Anna, and Mister God, takes us to an amazing philosophical, metaphysical and theological place.
It is the kind of book that is life changing, not in the dramatic sense, but just by bringing a little bit of love, sweetness, and innocence into our hearts.
October 25, 2009
This is a really good book imo, it made me think and really think, about they way we see God, the way we see life, and simply the way we live. It wasn't the kind of book that was page-turning; not the kind i'll finish at one go; but it is in every aspect a good book. Rather dry in some parts, and at times difficult to grasp but i definitely enjoyed the read. Anna is a charming little character, and Fynn is a wonderful narrator, all the same quirky, and rather like Anna sometimes.
June 22, 2016
The plot is rather slow and I was distracted by several other books so it took me very long to finish this book. I'm impressed by the faith shown by Anna; I guess we should really approach faith like little children. A rather philosophical book that leads one to question existence and how we see religion and relationship with Mr God. Recommended if you have long stretches of time at one go, not in between the short daily commutes to work.
March 29, 2022
This is a darling book about a little orphan girl's relationship with her 'Mister God'. The book is written by her friend Fynn who found her one day on the docks in his home town.
Anna's remarkable insights, gentle humour, loving nature and startling perceptions made a tremendous impact on me and I would recommend this treasure of a read to anyone.
Anna's remarkable insights, gentle humour, loving nature and startling perceptions made a tremendous impact on me and I would recommend this treasure of a read to anyone.
October 20, 2007
Anna is a philosopher, theologian and mathematician. and 6 years old.
she shares with the narrator (and writer) Fynn her innocent but insightful view of the world and her conversations with "Mister God".
she shares with the narrator (and writer) Fynn her innocent but insightful view of the world and her conversations with "Mister God".
October 14, 2007
I really loved this book. Sadly I got stuck after Anna died. There are some really captivating thoughts in it though, which made me see the world in a different light.
February 9, 2010
doesnt matter if you don't believe in god.. read this book anyway.. i did..
March 20, 2012
ONE OF THE MOST MOVING BOOKS I HAVE EVER READ. Touched my heart in the most stupendous ways and made me think and think and think. I was charmed
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February 3, 2015A WONDERFUL BOOK THIS BOOK REALLY MAKES YOU THINK.
November 18, 2015
Another beautiful book which has touched my life in many ways.
December 10, 2015
Very thought provoking. A book I will re-read again.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews