Historical fiction is one of my favorite genres, and definitely my top fave when it comes to young adult literature. Karen Hesse is well-respected in the field, and her Out of the Dust is a masterpiece (and one of the few really good YA historical fiction novels set in the time of the Great Depression). However, A Time of Angels fell short for me. The setting is Boston, during the great influenza epidemic (1918). I had high expectations, but found the story to be awkwardly told. Many things were under- or unexplained, and this is a failing when it comes to YA novels (not all kids have adequate background knowledge, and a skillful YA writer will make sure to weave the necessary information into the flow of the story). I expected Hesse to be able to carry off this novel quite a bit better than it actually came off, at least for me. However, this is a time period and topic that has NOT been exhaustively addressed, especially in YA fiction, and the books does have several good qualities, in particular, the exploration of the cultural context of orthodox Judaism in the story's time/place. This wouldn't be a bad addition to a classroom library or 10 - 12 year old's personal bookshelf.
For a fantastic treatment of an epidemic era, check out Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson - an extremely well-received read-aloud in my classroom for several years.
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