Because of Anya - by Margaret Peterson Haddix (Paperback)

About the Book

Anya's fourth-grade classmates don't understand why she wears a wig, but when it falls off in front of the whole class, she reveals that she has alopecia areata, a disease that results in hair loss. Keely wants to find a way to help Anya. But what can Keely do when all Anya wants is to have hair again?

Book Synopsis

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?

Review Quotes

"A poignant story of discovery."-- "School Library Journal"

"Haddix's story is straightforward and compassionate without being preachy or maudlin."-- "Denver Post & Rocky Mountain News"

"The author's sympathetic but not simplistic insight will engage readers."-- "Kirkus Reviews"