Middle Grade Review: Heartbeat, by Sharon Creech
Title: Heartbeat Author: Sharon Creech; Narrated by Mandy Siegfried Publisher: HarperFestival Audio, 2004 (Original by Harper Collins, 2004; 208 pages). Source: Library digital collection Summary: 12-year-old Annie loves to run. Not for the track team--definitely not for the track team!--but for the love of feeling her heart beat and her feet hit the ground. Running helps her cope in this year of change: her mother is pregnant, her grandfather is failing, and her best friend Max is even more grouchy than usual. But between the rhythmic thumping of her heart and, oddly, the art-class assignment to draw an apple for 100 days, Annie learns to find the continuity in change. Review: Sharon Creech seldom disappoints, and this book is no exception. A short, sweet, story of a time of change (when is 12 ever not?) for Annie, the book offers no great insights into the world, but does offer some insights into living and being yourself. I thought that the apple was a brilliant touch, a...