JOHNSON
ANNA ROSE
© Daniel Johnson
ANNA ROSE JOHNSON
What motivates you as a writer?
My ultimate goal is to tell timeless stories that blend both heart and humor in an uplifting way. As a writer of middle grade novels, I'm motivated to tell the stories that are throwbacks to classic stories of the past - I want to give future readers the same kinds of books that I loved as a child!
What types of books do you like to read?
Definitely middle grade and women's fiction (which is what I write). I love the family-oriented novels of L.M. Montgomery, Noel Streatfeild, Elizabeth Enright, Maud Hart Lovelace, Jeanne Birdsall, and Amanda Dykes.
How has becoming a writer affected your own reading habits?
I can't remember a time when I wasn't writing stories, but as I began to write more seriously, I started analyzing the writing craft as I read. Nowadays, when I read a book, I pay close attention to the aspects of characterization, setting, and plotting that I find compelling. I also take note of what didn't work as well. And of course, I'm always looking for those gorgeous lines of prose - usually a descriptive phrase - that make me sit up and take notice. Then I try to apply what I've learned from recent reads to my own writing!
HOLIDAY HOUSE, 2022
Growing up on Beaver Island, Grand-père told Norvia stories—stories about her ancestor Migizi, about Biboonke-o-nini the Wintermaker, about the Crane Clan and the Reindeer Clan. He sang her songs in the old language, and her grandmothers taught her to make story quilts and maple candy. On the island, Norvia was proud of her Ojibwe heritage.
When she moves from the country to the city, though, bright and spirited Norvia has to live by one new rule: Never let anyone know you’re Ojibwe.
AN NPR BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR
A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection
A Parnassus Books Spark Club Pick
HOLIDAY HOUSE, 2024
Lucy, a spirited French-Ojibwe orphan, is sent to the stormy waters of Lake Superior to live with a mysterious family of lighthouse-keepers—and, she hopes, to find the legendary necklace her father spent his life seeking…
Although life at the lighthouse isn’t what Lucy hoped for, it is beautiful—ships come and go, waves pound the rocks—and it has one major advantage: It’s near the site of a famous shipwreck, a shipwreck that went down with a treasure her father wanted more than anything. If Lucy can find that treasure—a priceless ruby necklace—won’t it be like having Papa back again, just a little bit?
But someone else is hunting for the treasure, too. And as the lighthouse company becomes increasingly skeptical that the Martins can juggle Lucy and their duties, Lucy and the Martin children will need to find the necklace quickly—or they may not have a home at all.
HOLIDAY HOUSE, 2025
Life in England is all Rosemary has ever known. . . but as WWII changes the world, no one’s life is left unscathed. Suddenly, she’s sent away to escape the devastation of London. Her grandmother’s house on Lake Superior is safe, but unfamiliar, especially as she discovers her parents have kept a tremendous secret.
Rosemary and her family are Anishinaabe—and no one is supposed to know.
Far from home but newly connected to a once-hidden part of her family, Rosemary develops a warm, close relationship with her grandmother… and a local boy whose love of gardening helps her to see the beauty in her unexpected circumstances. As Rosemary grows into her new life like a flower in bloom, she realizes that maybe she’s not as far from home as she thought.
A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection
HOLIDAY HOUSE, 2026
1943. Sparhawk Point, Michigan may be a small town, but it’s home. For the Swedish Ahlstrom girls, it’s the only place they’ve ever known—a place they may have to leave if their father’s church can’t find more parishioners. The Ojibwe Robicheaux boys are struggling, too: their father is off at war, and a lack of tourists means no income from their two rental cottages. These kids can’t bear the thought of leaving… so they’ll have to make new residents come to them, and fast.
After spotting an unknown object in the water, they find their solution. Drawing on inspiration from Ojibwe stories of the mysterious Mishipeshu—the riser of storms on Lake Superior—the children spread stories of their very own “American Loch Ness monster” to bring curious visitors to their shores. But their plan works too well! People become afraid to visit. To save their families, they’ll need to convince everyone that the creature isn’t real… even if that may prove to be their biggest lie yet.
PRAISE FOR
ANNA ROSE JOHNSON
Multiple Award Winning Obijiwe Author
"INSPIRING."—Kirkus Reviews
"A NEW CLASSIC."—Southern Bookseller Review
"INTIMATE."—Publishers Weekly
"BEAUTIFUL."—Booklist
"Lucy Landry is a charming and fanciful heroine reminiscent of Anne Shirley, who reminds us that even in dark times, we can be a light for others."
—Alyssa Colman, author of Bank Street Best Book of the Year The Gilded Girl
“Johnson’s atmospheric writing captures both the beauty and tumult of the time. Rosemary’s quiet voice and steadfast perseverance are a strong companion to themes of weighty parental expectations and the difficulty of healing from identity-related trauma. Rosemary’s bicultural perspective offers a fresh, new take in the historical fiction realm.”
— Booklist
"Every time I read a new Anna Rose Johnson novel I think, this is it. This is her best yet. I'd visit Sparhawk Point in a heartbeat with its picnics and sunsets and mysterious lake monster. What a delight it was to join Beatrice, Ingrid, Alex, and Jack in this tender, funny, and hopeful adventure."
—Caroline Starr Rose, author of May B.