Swan by Sidura Ludwig is a beautiful and moving novel-in-verse that reimagines the childhood of Nova Scotia Giantess Anna Swan. The gorgeous cover perfectly complements the tender story within. Ludwig's accessible writing style makes Anna's struggles and triumphs resonate deeply, and the verse format adds a lyrical quality that enhances the emotional impact. A truly lovely read!

What drew me first to this book was its cover. What a beautiful, whimsical piece of folk art. What drew me second was the fact that it is a novel in verse. I absolutely adore a novel in verse, especially for middle and high school students.
Swan is a poignant true story about a 12-year-old girl named Anna. Born in 1858 in Millbrook, Colchester County, Nova Scotia, Anna was different from other girls; in fact, Anna was different from EVERYONE. You see, Anna is significant, not just big, but giant. At twelve, she is 6 feet 10 inches tall and is considered a wonder by everyone from the neighbour to the shoe pedlar. 
But Anna doesn't want to be a wonder. She wants to be a regular girl with pretty shoes. 
As she ages, Anna discovers a way to use her peculiar size to help her family and figures. If everyone is going to look and stare at her anyway, she might as well make money to support her family, so she joins the circus as a "curiosity'.
Ludwig is a beautiful writer. Her word choice and lyricism are charming and sincere. Swan will serve as an invaluable mentor text in junior and senior high, showcasing the power of language and storytelling. Some examples of her beautiful writing are;
"I don't know why 
God made the ground
So far from my head."
"If God created a perfect world 
In only seven days
Why don't I fit anywhere?"
What a fantastic discussion you could have around these two quotes alone!

Writing style was difficult to follow, so I found it difficult to connect to the characters or plot. This was a bit too much for my Kindergartener.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this book. Based on the true story of Anna Swan who was born in Nova Scotia in the mid 1800’s. Anna was rumoured to weigh between 13 and 18 pounds when born, and grew to be 7’ 11” tall. Written in verse, the novel takes us on a fictional journey through Anna’s life. An intriguing and well written story.

There's an obvious reason for this book's title to be styled in upper case – the subject, Anna Swan, was a large lass. Way above six foot as a twelve year old, we see the family of her parents (mother pregnant yet again), sister and three brothers, decamp to her gran's farm, which is running down and under threat. Gran just declares Anna "good Highland stock" as if there's nothing wrong, but there is – with Anna and the newborn when she arrives. For Anna it is, of course, a world she barely fits in – her school desk has to be raised a whole foot for her to get her legs properly under it. And it's a life where she can't but be seen – whatever she thinks of a world where she's invisible, unremarkable, plainly ordinary, it ain't gonna happen. What's more unfortunate, though, even though one nasty experience of being an exhibit at a freak show has already happened, is that she seems drawn back to that world – and the world of nasty businessmen, and snake-oil merchants...

This seems to bend the truth a lot, as there is an included biography showing the real story, of both a decent wage and a marriage borne from being in PT Barnum's shows and exhibits. But for a look at a girl who stands out, and who queries God in a way most anathema to those around her in the 1850s – this is pretty much spot on. Dressed as one of those novels-in-verse, we don't get the usual interrupting page titles, we gain some concrete poetry of a kind later on, and we generally get a very succinct and nicely quotable look at Anna's mind. She proves on every page she is no "daftie", telling us her quandary, and showing us how alien it would be to never once remember seeing your mother's face from below.

It is of course a lesson in acceptance of others, of the out-of-the-ordinary. But in hanging from a real case study, and in never labouring its morals or modern sensitivities, it just entertains, and does so in a way happily making this much more of an emotional experience. I won't make a pun about 'looking up to' Anna, but we leave these pages with a hearty fondness for her. A strong four stars.

Known as “The Giantess of Nova Scotia”, Anna Swan lived a compelling, complex and hopeful life. Born in the 1800’s in Nova Scotia, Canada, Anna was double the size of the standard baby. Measuring 4’6” at four years old and 7 feet tall at seventeen, Anna’s challenges at home and in public made for a hard life. Yet her bravery, tenacity and the love from her family surpassed her height. This middle grade historical fiction and novel-in-verse showcases the childhood of Anna Swan. The novel is broken into three months of Anna’s twelve-year-old life representing the relocation of her family to her grandmother’s farm, her attendance at a new school and the adversities of social circumstances as well as her own internal and external worlds. A moving and impactful story offering young readers the space to experience new feelings or connect with ones that they already relate to. This book can be used to demonstrate the power of exemplary women and their support systems. Wonderfully written, with fragility and humanity – Ludwig’s beautiful wordplay does justice to Anna’s life. In the back of the book readers will find a summarized biography, as well as an excerpt of the history of the region. Highly recommended.

Out Now! Thank you to @Netgalley and Nimbus Publishing for sharing an advanced digital copy with me to review. All opinions are my own.

I don't usually pick up verse novels, but I was drawn to this re-imagined history of Anna Swan's childhood, a girl born in Canada in 1846 who grew up (and up and up) to become the Giantess of Nova Scotia. And it is quite simply a beautifully book. An exquisitely written, tender exploration of what it feels like to be different from everybody else. Great for exploring themes of empathy and similarities and differences between people, past and present,

Many thanks to the author, Netgalley and the publisher for the e-ARC of this title.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read SWAN: The Girl Who Grew. A fictionalized account of Anna Swan’s childhood, SWAN told tells the story of a big little girl in beautiful prose.

“If God created a perfect world/ in only seven days/ why don’t I fit anywhere?” Anna Swan is a girl who is too big for her shoes, clothes, and family’s cabin. An attraction everywhere she goes due to her size, she is kept grounded by her fierce grandmother and her little sister, Maggie. A middle-grade read I would recommend to anyone. A heartbreaking yet hopeful novel of a girl who can’t stop growing and the people who love her.

I really enjoyed this. It will definitely be a book I add to the library of my special ed classroom, I loved the representation.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an E- Arc in exchange for an honest review.

I always love finding a Novel-in-Verse. They're quick to read and give stories a more whimsical feel to them, however I do find that I struggle to connect to characters in these books - something about the voice.. there's a disconnect.
Most people, as far as I'm aware. don't speak in verse, or think in verse and so I do struggle to see them as "real" and as this is based on an actual person who existed, I wanted that connection more, personally, but it did not detract from the book overall.

An evocative and tender novel in verse inspired by the real story of Anna Swan. Born in 1846, Swan weighed 13 pounds and grew rapidly throughout her childhood. Sidura Ludwig takes some creative liberties in re-imagining her life before she became known as the Giantess of Nova Scotia. The writing is beautiful and paints a vivid picture of what Anna might have thought and felt as a girl. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC.

The story of Anna Swan is written in prose, but very easy to follow and the lines read very easily with a quick pace to the story. Anna wonders why God made her so big as she grows swiftly, necessitating new shoes and clothing at a faster pace than most children. Her family moves in with her grandmother to help make ends meet and Anna continues to struggle to fit in. A good fiction title related to a real Canadian woman. Good for school libraries or public library collections.