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Heartbeat
Newbery Medalist Creech ("Walk Two Moons") masterfully weaves this story, told in free verse, about a young girl finding her identity and learning how it fits within the many rhythms of life.
Run run run.
That's what twelve-year-old Annie loves to do. When she's barefoot and running, she can hear her heart beating . . . thump-THUMP, thump-THUMP. It's a rhythm that makes sense in a year when everything's shifting: Her mother is pregnant, her grandfather is forgetful, and her best friend, Max, is always moody. Everything changes over time, just like the apple Annie's been assigned to draw. But as she watches and listens, Annie begins to understand the many rhythms of life, and how she fits within them.
Twelve-year-old Annie ponders the many rhythms of life the year that her mother becomes pregnant, her grandfather begins faltering, and her best friend (and running partner) becomes distant.
Run run run.
That's what twelve-year-old Annie loves to do. When she's barefoot and running, she can hear her heart beating . . . thump-THUMP, thump-THUMP. It's a rhythm that makes sense in a year when everything's shifting: Her mother is pregnant, her grandfather is forgetful, and her best friend, Max, is always moody. Everything changes over time, just like the apple Annie's been assigned to draw. But as she watches and listens, Annie begins to understand the many rhythms of life, and how she fits within them.
Twelve-year-old Annie ponders the many rhythms of life the year that her mother becomes pregnant, her grandfather begins faltering, and her best friend (and running partner) becomes distant.
208 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2004
About the author
Sharon Creech
82 books2,812 followers I was born in South Euclid, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland, and grew up there with my noisy and rowdy family: my parents (Ann and Arvel), my sister (Sandy), and my three brothers (Dennis, Doug and Tom).
For a fictional view of what it was like growing up in my family, see Absolutely Normal Chaos. (In that book, the brothers even have the same names as my own brothers.) Our house was not only full of us Creeches, but also full of friends and visiting relatives.
In the summer, we usually took a trip, all of us piled in a car and heading out to Wisconsin or Michigan or, once, to Idaho. We must have been a very noisy bunch, and I'm not sure how our parents put up with being cooped up with us in the car for those trips. The five-day trip out to Idaho when I was twelve had a powerful effect on me: what a huge and amazing country! I had no idea then that thirty-some years later, I would recreate that trip in a book called Walk Two Moons.
One other place we often visited was Quincy, Kentucky, where my cousins lived (and still live) on a beautiful farm, with hills and trees and swimming hole and barn and hayloft. We were outside running in those hills all day long, and at night we'd gather on the porch where more stories would be told. I loved Quincy so much that it has found its way into many of my books--transformed into Bybanks, Kentucky. Bybanks appears in Walk Two Moons and Chasing Redbird and Bloomability. Bybanks also makes a brief appearance (by reference, but not by name) in The Wanderer.
When I was young, I wanted to be many things when I grew up: a painter, an ice skater, a singer, a teacher, and a reporter. It soon became apparent that I had little drawing talent, very limited tolerance for falling on ice, and absolutely no ability to stay on key while singing. I also soon learned that I would make a terrible reporter because when I didn't like the facts, I changed them. It was in college, when I took literature and writing courses, that I became intrigued by story-telling. Later, I was a teacher (high school English and writing) in England and in Switzerland. While teaching great literature, I learned so much about writing: about what makes a story interesting and about techniques of plot and characterization and point of view. I started out writing novels for adults: The Recital and Nickel Malley were both written and published while I was living in England (these books were published in England only and are now out of print.) But the next book was Absolutely Normal Chaos, and ever since that book I have written mainly about young people. Walk Two Moons was the first of my books to be published in America. When it received the Newbery Medal, no one was more surprised than I was. I'm still a little bit in shock.
After Walk Two Moons came Chasing Redbird, Pleasing the Ghost, Bloomability, The Wanderer, and Fishing in the Air. I hope to be writing stories for a long, long time.
I am married to Lyle Rigg, who is the headmaster of The Pennington School in Pennington, New Jersey, and have two grown children, Rob and Karin. Being with my family is what I enjoy most. The next-best thing is writing stories.
© Sharon Creech
For a fictional view of what it was like growing up in my family, see Absolutely Normal Chaos. (In that book, the brothers even have the same names as my own brothers.) Our house was not only full of us Creeches, but also full of friends and visiting relatives.
In the summer, we usually took a trip, all of us piled in a car and heading out to Wisconsin or Michigan or, once, to Idaho. We must have been a very noisy bunch, and I'm not sure how our parents put up with being cooped up with us in the car for those trips. The five-day trip out to Idaho when I was twelve had a powerful effect on me: what a huge and amazing country! I had no idea then that thirty-some years later, I would recreate that trip in a book called Walk Two Moons.
One other place we often visited was Quincy, Kentucky, where my cousins lived (and still live) on a beautiful farm, with hills and trees and swimming hole and barn and hayloft. We were outside running in those hills all day long, and at night we'd gather on the porch where more stories would be told. I loved Quincy so much that it has found its way into many of my books--transformed into Bybanks, Kentucky. Bybanks appears in Walk Two Moons and Chasing Redbird and Bloomability. Bybanks also makes a brief appearance (by reference, but not by name) in The Wanderer.
When I was young, I wanted to be many things when I grew up: a painter, an ice skater, a singer, a teacher, and a reporter. It soon became apparent that I had little drawing talent, very limited tolerance for falling on ice, and absolutely no ability to stay on key while singing. I also soon learned that I would make a terrible reporter because when I didn't like the facts, I changed them. It was in college, when I took literature and writing courses, that I became intrigued by story-telling. Later, I was a teacher (high school English and writing) in England and in Switzerland. While teaching great literature, I learned so much about writing: about what makes a story interesting and about techniques of plot and characterization and point of view. I started out writing novels for adults: The Recital and Nickel Malley were both written and published while I was living in England (these books were published in England only and are now out of print.) But the next book was Absolutely Normal Chaos, and ever since that book I have written mainly about young people. Walk Two Moons was the first of my books to be published in America. When it received the Newbery Medal, no one was more surprised than I was. I'm still a little bit in shock.
After Walk Two Moons came Chasing Redbird, Pleasing the Ghost, Bloomability, The Wanderer, and Fishing in the Air. I hope to be writing stories for a long, long time.
I am married to Lyle Rigg, who is the headmaster of The Pennington School in Pennington, New Jersey, and have two grown children, Rob and Karin. Being with my family is what I enjoy most. The next-best thing is writing stories.
© Sharon Creech
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,190 reviews
April 5, 2008
Sharon Creech is one of my favorite authors for young adults, and although I enjoy all of her books, this is one of her best. The entire book is written in poetic free verse (like
Love That Dog
), and I love that form of storytelling--it is extraordinarily expressive with just a few words. If you want to see what I mean, you should read a chapter on the author's website. As always, she delivers an insightful story about growing up and finding one's place in the world amongst the everyday drama of life.
September 27, 2018
This is one of the best books I've ever read that is written in verse.
May 3, 2009
A simple but powerful book dealing with the many facets of life as a middle school girl, Heartbeat gives us a glimpse into the life of 12-year-old Annie. This book would be ideal for an early middle school girl dealing with the many facets of life. I like how the book encompasses birth, death, athletics, art, and family relationships all in one. In this way I think that it could appeal to many different types of kids. This book would be a great text for teaching punctuation and different types of phrases. The book is written in a very free poetry-like manner, with each sentence chopped up into four or five different lines. It would be a great tool to discuss why the author chose to divide the sentences up in the way he did, and the different effects that it makes. The separation of sentences also visually breaks many kinds of phrases up, which makes it easy to talk about what those phrases are and how they function in a sentence. The book is also a great teaching tool because it talks about new concepts the girl is learning in English class, such as how to use footnotes, which she humorously uses throughout the rest of the book. She also talks about the Thesaurus and what to use it for, and throughout the rest of the book she lists 10 or 15 different words to describe how she is feeling at a given time. This would be a great book to use as part of a unit on the slightly different meanings of similar words. I would definitely recommend this book.
April 11, 2020
Not much to say here - a sweet narrative written in poetry.
June 3, 2018
This book is simple but powerful. It’s about a 12 year old girl who faces many trials in her life, but it’s also inspiring, despite the fact that she always has a positive attitude towards her future. This book is written in free verse, which makes it easy to read but also shares complex emotion. I think that this book is great because the author, ‘Sharon Creech’ didn’t put a lot of details , but enough desire to make you turning pages . The reason why I enjoyed this book is because it was a short story about a tween who notices the changes around her and is left puzzled and confused about love, family and friendship.
May 30, 2018
Love!!!
I adored this book. It reminds me of one of my favorite books called Out of the Dust. It's short and interesting and I love the way it's laid out. Just a simple, quick and laid back read
I adored this book. It reminds me of one of my favorite books called Out of the Dust. It's short and interesting and I love the way it's laid out. Just a simple, quick and laid back read
January 27, 2008
Annie loves to run. Annie loves to draw. These are constants in her life when so many other things seem to be changing. Her mother's having a new baby. Her grandfather is losing his memory and sometimes doesn't recognize himself. And everyone keeps asking Annie about her friendship with Max. Are they just friends? Or are they something more?
This quiet novel in verse documents a year in Annie's life and how she deals with it. She realizes that everything changes and she might have to change, too. This one's been pretty popular with girls at our library and I liked it okay. It's a story about a girl going through life, dealing with things that girls deal with all the time. And I think that's where the appeal lies.
Readalike suggestions: For older girls (5th grade +) I'd suggest Make Lemonade by Virginia Euwer Wolff... another novel in verse about a young girl dealing with change (although with heavier issues). Another suggestion would be the Anastasia series by Lois Lowry or the Alice series by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, both of which are about girls dealing with everyday life issues.
This quiet novel in verse documents a year in Annie's life and how she deals with it. She realizes that everything changes and she might have to change, too. This one's been pretty popular with girls at our library and I liked it okay. It's a story about a girl going through life, dealing with things that girls deal with all the time. And I think that's where the appeal lies.
Readalike suggestions: For older girls (5th grade +) I'd suggest Make Lemonade by Virginia Euwer Wolff... another novel in verse about a young girl dealing with change (although with heavier issues). Another suggestion would be the Anastasia series by Lois Lowry or the Alice series by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, both of which are about girls dealing with everyday life issues.
June 4, 2015
Heartbeat was a really good book i enjoyed it a lot.It was so emotional and funny at some times. I loved the characters that were in the book. It was a book that makes you think about life. I really liked heartbeat it was an amazing book.
February 4, 2022
I miss being a kid :'(
October 5, 2012
"Am I supposed to do something
important?
It doesn't seem enough
to merely take up space
on this planet
in this country
in this state
in this town
in this family."
―Annie, Heartbeat, P. 28
All of life comes down to the heartbeat, doesn't it? For the very old and the newborn babe, the extravagantly wealthy and the dirt poor, the deliriously happy and those in the midst of despair, the heartbeat is the sign that life goes on, that the body is functional and still capable of keeping itself going even if nothing seems right in one's world. For Annie, the heartbeat can be felt in the pulsing rhythm of running barefoot, an instinctive pastime for her that reaffirms with each pounding footfall the life that courses within her body, the hope and joy and expectation for her future as it grows and branches out in so many surprising ways. After waiting so long for the birth of her new baby brother or sister, an impossibly fragile new life form that will enter this world as every other child before it has done, on a whisper and a hope that all will go as planned and the baby will pass from the darkness of the womb into the brightness of the world with all the fullness of life pumping through its veins, Annie experiences the gift of connectedness that a healthy heartbeat can be in whatever form one's awareness of it takes, a promise of the presence of life and the potential of that life for as long as the heartbeat continues.
Though a runner by nature, Annie has no visions of stardom on the track, no thoughts of blazing along at top speed alongside other gifted runners in hopes of crossing the finish line just before them. Running is a lot more visceral than that to Annie, a personal venture of movement and athletic consistency that reaches beyond the acclaim available from outside watchers and touches the core of her spirit. Running is about running for Annie; it's not about winning or competing or setting goals or proving anything, it's about running. Annie and her friend Max go running by themselves all the time, with no words necessary at the start, finish or along the way, just the rhythmic cadence of their breathing in time and the shared focus of getting somewhere, not always even certain where that is when they first take off on a run. Max isn't sure that the quiet synchronicity of running along with Annie is all that he wants anymore, though. He wants to join the track team at school, and he'd like Annie to join with him.
Annie's grandfather was once a good runner, a genuine track star, and it seems to her that he was never happier than when he stepped away from the track and decided that he'd had enough of competition. Annie feels sure that running is all she needs, even as Max continues to urge her to consider joining the team. The girl's track coach also takes the time to tell Annie that she thinks she has real talent as a runner, and it would be a shame to let that talent go to waste by not finding out what she might be capable of doing as part of a team. Still, nothing has changed for Annie. All she wants from running is to run, and her single-mindedness begins to put some strain on her friendship with Max.
"And what did I think
when I was small
and why did I forget?
And what else will I forget
when I grow older?
And if you forget
is it as if
it never happened?
Will none of the things
you saw or thought or dreamed
matter?"
―Annie, PP. 43-44
While Annie rebuffs the attempts of the track coach to get her on the team, expectations at home start to grow with the exciting news that Annie's mother will be having a baby. Even as the weeks and then months pass and the baby grows larger inside of Annie's mother, though, her grandfather shows signs that he is at the other end of the life cycle. He has a hard time remembering things, and his reactions to simple parts of everyday life can be unexpected and disconcerting. The track star he once was has undeniably faded, and Annie isn't sure what to think about her grandfather's inevitable continued decline. She remembers the wise, funny person he once was, on top of things physically and mentally, and it's hard to see him losing, a little bit at a time, those qualities that had made him so special.
Of all the experiences she has during the nine months in which her mother is pregnant, it's the assignment at school of drawing an apple once a day for a hundred days that teaches Annie the most. As the apple undergoes physical changes and spots appear on its skin, the outside grows softer and changes color, and eventually a certain someone from her family takes an unapproved bite out of it, Annie has time to reflect on the nature of the apple, filled with seeds that all hold the potential to grow into apple trees of their own. One might not be sure how many of the seeds would really ever spring up into a tree, or what the tree would grow to look like or how long it might live or how its apples would taste, but all the basic elements of that possible future tree are right there in those seeds inside of the apple. Annie perceives that a baby human is just like that; we can't be sure how it will grow or if it's going to be healthy or how its personality will develop or a thousand different things that matter to us and we really want to know as we await its arrival and then observe it as a newborn, but those are seeds that won't blossom until their time has come. Like the apple, we can watch and wait to see who the baby will become and marvel at how something which at one time was nothing but a miniscule cluster of cells could grow to be a living, breathing, unique human being, a fully functional child complete with its own heartbeat that reminds us of the similarities of every living creature, and what a miracle it is every time one enters the world.
Does Annie have much to learn as we read Heartbeat? Yes, I suppose she does, but no more than any other person in the world. As I see it, most of what she learns flows from the contemplative, rhythmic way she observes the life built around her, her personal thoughts providing far better insight into it than any outside interpreter could have given. Annie views her world with fresh eyes every day, willing to see anew the people in it and their situations and understand better how everything fits together. Annie is a very (I know I shouldn't be using that word, it's on the forbidden list!) natural person, content to live within her own expectations and not rely on others for affirmation. On page fourteen, she acknowledges that people might think she and Max are crazy for running barefoot all the time, even in the mud and rain and snow, "but it doesn't feel crazy to us. It feels like what we do". What simpler explanation could exist for why one does something, than that it's just what one does? Annie takes this thought process in all matters, especially in regard to her desire to continue running apart from any formal practice squad or school team. If she had wanted to be part of the team then she would have tried out for it, so she clearly doesn't want to be part of it. That's enough for her and she expects it to be enough for others, even as Max continues to be perplexed by Annie's decision to remain a solo runner.
I love how deeply Annie invests herself in the school assignment of describing what she loves and what she fears. When she hears the other kids talking about the assignment, she realizes that all of them have chosen superficial things to "love", such as candy and television and weekends. What does Annie think about this? "I like these things but I do not love them and I wonder if I am supposed to love them and I wonder if I have done the assignment wrong". Annie wonders if perhaps she took the project too seriously, if her teacher really only wanted to hear about superficial likes, but I'm of the mind that Annie's thoughtfulness about what she truly loves is much more what her teacher was hoping to get out of the assignment from her students. The "fears" side of the project runs along the same lines, as Annie's classmates choose things like tests and reports, while Annie delves deep to honestly express:
"I am afraid of dying
and of my family dying
of disappearing
and not knowing
that you have disappeared
or being left alone
with no one to love you."
While all of Annie's classmates may share her fears, Annie is the one with the courage to write them down and the emotional honesty to express them, to name her fears even when she would rather not think about them. This honesty, I think, is why we love being inside her head, experiencing the story from her unique perspective as we come to know her as a friend. It's because we're coming to know her so well, then, that we understand the rhythms of her speech and what she means to say when she describes her feelings in ways that might not make sense to most other people. After drawing the apple for many, many weeks, taking care to keep it in as good of condition as possible even as all of the other kids have had to replace their original apples with new ones, Annie realizes that drawing the exact same apple for a hundred days straight doesn't become easier with familiarity; the task grows more difficult, because even though it's the same apple it is always changing, developing new flecks and spots and nuances of color that it didn't have at first. The apple continues to change even as it grows soft and begins to decay, and that's part of what makes the project interesting. Trying to describe what it's like, Annie thinks: "When I was running today and thinking about the apple I felt as if I was full of that apple and I knew the apple". Annie admits that the thought sounds peculiar, but I think I get what she means. Though most people may never form quite that kind of attachment to an apple, when one deeply ponders something or someone for a long while, becoming more familiar with that thing or person by memory, it feels as if something special has occurred, a rare connection made that only makes sense internally. When one's mind continually drifts to that thing or person and just resting on them for a little while provokes a smile, that's a nice place to be. Even if it doesn't last for very long, and eventually one no longer has that level of familiarity with the thing or person, it really is nice while it lasts.
As Annie nears the end of her apple project and the due date for the birth of her baby sibling draws near, what happens down the stretch will continue to shape the way she views the world. Whether or not she ever decides to try being on a team, or the full meaning of her drawing project is appreciated by her teacher, the events of Annie's life do affect and change her in their own subtle way. The birth of a new child, though, always seems to have the biggest impact of all, and in the rush of nervous excitement and unrestrained energy as the baby begins to come and everyone hurries to prepare for the delivery, Annie sees that no matter how the birth turns out, her life will never be the same.
Wonderfully, inspirationally wise, luminescently funny and always, always, always emotionally resonant, Sharon Creech has created a lead character and story in Heartbeat that easily could have brought her another Newbery Honor. She is a fabulous author, more consistent than all but a select few and capable of the most extraordinary mixtures of profoundly compelling emotion and fresh comedic energy. I certainly recommend Heartbeat to anyone who has loved the writing of Sharon Creech, is partial to novels in verse or simply appreciates excellent literature. Any way one looks at it, Heartbeat is definitely a keeper.
important?
It doesn't seem enough
to merely take up space
on this planet
in this country
in this state
in this town
in this family."
―Annie, Heartbeat, P. 28
All of life comes down to the heartbeat, doesn't it? For the very old and the newborn babe, the extravagantly wealthy and the dirt poor, the deliriously happy and those in the midst of despair, the heartbeat is the sign that life goes on, that the body is functional and still capable of keeping itself going even if nothing seems right in one's world. For Annie, the heartbeat can be felt in the pulsing rhythm of running barefoot, an instinctive pastime for her that reaffirms with each pounding footfall the life that courses within her body, the hope and joy and expectation for her future as it grows and branches out in so many surprising ways. After waiting so long for the birth of her new baby brother or sister, an impossibly fragile new life form that will enter this world as every other child before it has done, on a whisper and a hope that all will go as planned and the baby will pass from the darkness of the womb into the brightness of the world with all the fullness of life pumping through its veins, Annie experiences the gift of connectedness that a healthy heartbeat can be in whatever form one's awareness of it takes, a promise of the presence of life and the potential of that life for as long as the heartbeat continues.
Though a runner by nature, Annie has no visions of stardom on the track, no thoughts of blazing along at top speed alongside other gifted runners in hopes of crossing the finish line just before them. Running is a lot more visceral than that to Annie, a personal venture of movement and athletic consistency that reaches beyond the acclaim available from outside watchers and touches the core of her spirit. Running is about running for Annie; it's not about winning or competing or setting goals or proving anything, it's about running. Annie and her friend Max go running by themselves all the time, with no words necessary at the start, finish or along the way, just the rhythmic cadence of their breathing in time and the shared focus of getting somewhere, not always even certain where that is when they first take off on a run. Max isn't sure that the quiet synchronicity of running along with Annie is all that he wants anymore, though. He wants to join the track team at school, and he'd like Annie to join with him.
Annie's grandfather was once a good runner, a genuine track star, and it seems to her that he was never happier than when he stepped away from the track and decided that he'd had enough of competition. Annie feels sure that running is all she needs, even as Max continues to urge her to consider joining the team. The girl's track coach also takes the time to tell Annie that she thinks she has real talent as a runner, and it would be a shame to let that talent go to waste by not finding out what she might be capable of doing as part of a team. Still, nothing has changed for Annie. All she wants from running is to run, and her single-mindedness begins to put some strain on her friendship with Max.
"And what did I think
when I was small
and why did I forget?
And what else will I forget
when I grow older?
And if you forget
is it as if
it never happened?
Will none of the things
you saw or thought or dreamed
matter?"
―Annie, PP. 43-44
While Annie rebuffs the attempts of the track coach to get her on the team, expectations at home start to grow with the exciting news that Annie's mother will be having a baby. Even as the weeks and then months pass and the baby grows larger inside of Annie's mother, though, her grandfather shows signs that he is at the other end of the life cycle. He has a hard time remembering things, and his reactions to simple parts of everyday life can be unexpected and disconcerting. The track star he once was has undeniably faded, and Annie isn't sure what to think about her grandfather's inevitable continued decline. She remembers the wise, funny person he once was, on top of things physically and mentally, and it's hard to see him losing, a little bit at a time, those qualities that had made him so special.
Of all the experiences she has during the nine months in which her mother is pregnant, it's the assignment at school of drawing an apple once a day for a hundred days that teaches Annie the most. As the apple undergoes physical changes and spots appear on its skin, the outside grows softer and changes color, and eventually a certain someone from her family takes an unapproved bite out of it, Annie has time to reflect on the nature of the apple, filled with seeds that all hold the potential to grow into apple trees of their own. One might not be sure how many of the seeds would really ever spring up into a tree, or what the tree would grow to look like or how long it might live or how its apples would taste, but all the basic elements of that possible future tree are right there in those seeds inside of the apple. Annie perceives that a baby human is just like that; we can't be sure how it will grow or if it's going to be healthy or how its personality will develop or a thousand different things that matter to us and we really want to know as we await its arrival and then observe it as a newborn, but those are seeds that won't blossom until their time has come. Like the apple, we can watch and wait to see who the baby will become and marvel at how something which at one time was nothing but a miniscule cluster of cells could grow to be a living, breathing, unique human being, a fully functional child complete with its own heartbeat that reminds us of the similarities of every living creature, and what a miracle it is every time one enters the world.
Does Annie have much to learn as we read Heartbeat? Yes, I suppose she does, but no more than any other person in the world. As I see it, most of what she learns flows from the contemplative, rhythmic way she observes the life built around her, her personal thoughts providing far better insight into it than any outside interpreter could have given. Annie views her world with fresh eyes every day, willing to see anew the people in it and their situations and understand better how everything fits together. Annie is a very (I know I shouldn't be using that word, it's on the forbidden list!) natural person, content to live within her own expectations and not rely on others for affirmation. On page fourteen, she acknowledges that people might think she and Max are crazy for running barefoot all the time, even in the mud and rain and snow, "but it doesn't feel crazy to us. It feels like what we do". What simpler explanation could exist for why one does something, than that it's just what one does? Annie takes this thought process in all matters, especially in regard to her desire to continue running apart from any formal practice squad or school team. If she had wanted to be part of the team then she would have tried out for it, so she clearly doesn't want to be part of it. That's enough for her and she expects it to be enough for others, even as Max continues to be perplexed by Annie's decision to remain a solo runner.
I love how deeply Annie invests herself in the school assignment of describing what she loves and what she fears. When she hears the other kids talking about the assignment, she realizes that all of them have chosen superficial things to "love", such as candy and television and weekends. What does Annie think about this? "I like these things but I do not love them and I wonder if I am supposed to love them and I wonder if I have done the assignment wrong". Annie wonders if perhaps she took the project too seriously, if her teacher really only wanted to hear about superficial likes, but I'm of the mind that Annie's thoughtfulness about what she truly loves is much more what her teacher was hoping to get out of the assignment from her students. The "fears" side of the project runs along the same lines, as Annie's classmates choose things like tests and reports, while Annie delves deep to honestly express:
"I am afraid of dying
and of my family dying
of disappearing
and not knowing
that you have disappeared
or being left alone
with no one to love you."
While all of Annie's classmates may share her fears, Annie is the one with the courage to write them down and the emotional honesty to express them, to name her fears even when she would rather not think about them. This honesty, I think, is why we love being inside her head, experiencing the story from her unique perspective as we come to know her as a friend. It's because we're coming to know her so well, then, that we understand the rhythms of her speech and what she means to say when she describes her feelings in ways that might not make sense to most other people. After drawing the apple for many, many weeks, taking care to keep it in as good of condition as possible even as all of the other kids have had to replace their original apples with new ones, Annie realizes that drawing the exact same apple for a hundred days straight doesn't become easier with familiarity; the task grows more difficult, because even though it's the same apple it is always changing, developing new flecks and spots and nuances of color that it didn't have at first. The apple continues to change even as it grows soft and begins to decay, and that's part of what makes the project interesting. Trying to describe what it's like, Annie thinks: "When I was running today and thinking about the apple I felt as if I was full of that apple and I knew the apple". Annie admits that the thought sounds peculiar, but I think I get what she means. Though most people may never form quite that kind of attachment to an apple, when one deeply ponders something or someone for a long while, becoming more familiar with that thing or person by memory, it feels as if something special has occurred, a rare connection made that only makes sense internally. When one's mind continually drifts to that thing or person and just resting on them for a little while provokes a smile, that's a nice place to be. Even if it doesn't last for very long, and eventually one no longer has that level of familiarity with the thing or person, it really is nice while it lasts.
As Annie nears the end of her apple project and the due date for the birth of her baby sibling draws near, what happens down the stretch will continue to shape the way she views the world. Whether or not she ever decides to try being on a team, or the full meaning of her drawing project is appreciated by her teacher, the events of Annie's life do affect and change her in their own subtle way. The birth of a new child, though, always seems to have the biggest impact of all, and in the rush of nervous excitement and unrestrained energy as the baby begins to come and everyone hurries to prepare for the delivery, Annie sees that no matter how the birth turns out, her life will never be the same.
Wonderfully, inspirationally wise, luminescently funny and always, always, always emotionally resonant, Sharon Creech has created a lead character and story in Heartbeat that easily could have brought her another Newbery Honor. She is a fabulous author, more consistent than all but a select few and capable of the most extraordinary mixtures of profoundly compelling emotion and fresh comedic energy. I certainly recommend Heartbeat to anyone who has loved the writing of Sharon Creech, is partial to novels in verse or simply appreciates excellent literature. Any way one looks at it, Heartbeat is definitely a keeper.
November 29, 2020
This YA book is written in very short chapters, in poetry.
It's about a girl who loves to run (barefoot), perhaps about 12 or 13 years old. She learns that her mother is pregnant. Hence the title
I enjoyed the honesty of the narrator's voice. It's sort of a minimalist book, in that we never learn the actual setting, nor what any of the characters look like. That makes it for a fast read.
I selected the book because I wanted to see how the author created an entire novel made out of poems, and compare it with Acevedo's "The Poet X," a totally gripping YA novel with a similar structure. "Heartbeat" was a simpler story, for a younger audience. I especially liked the loving relationship between the girl and her live-in grandfather, and her refusal to run on the track team because she felt that competition would ruin her love of the sport.
In all, a lovely and reassuring story.
It's about a girl who loves to run (barefoot), perhaps about 12 or 13 years old. She learns that her mother is pregnant. Hence the title
I enjoyed the honesty of the narrator's voice. It's sort of a minimalist book, in that we never learn the actual setting, nor what any of the characters look like. That makes it for a fast read.
I selected the book because I wanted to see how the author created an entire novel made out of poems, and compare it with Acevedo's "The Poet X," a totally gripping YA novel with a similar structure. "Heartbeat" was a simpler story, for a younger audience. I especially liked the loving relationship between the girl and her live-in grandfather, and her refusal to run on the track team because she felt that competition would ruin her love of the sport.
In all, a lovely and reassuring story.
Read
April 9, 2019I really liked this book. It's very simple, yet it covers topics such as change, growing up, and finding your place in the world. If you're looking for a short read this one's perfect, it took me only about an hour or so to finish and i'm not even much of a reader.
April 11, 2021
2.5 stars
A fast sweet poetry book about Annie, a girl who likes to run and draw and how she deals with life. Nothing spectaular but as it is middle grade/YA I understand I am not the target audience :)
A fast sweet poetry book about Annie, a girl who likes to run and draw and how she deals with life. Nothing spectaular but as it is middle grade/YA I understand I am not the target audience :)
February 2, 2022
This is one of the first books that I fell in love with. I would read it a million times. When the ending ties together it gives me a full feeling. It's also my first five star review, that's how good it is. I 100% say you should read this.
April 19, 2021
This is one of those books that has been in my classroom library forever, but I had never actually read. Written in first person verse, Sharon Creech tells Annie’s story of a friend, running, and a new baby joining the family. This didn’t totally blow me away the way “Walk Two Moons” did, but there is something about young adult literature that just so perfectly captures coming-of-age and being human. Some parts of this book really resonated with me. Plus, a good quick read!
June 11, 2017
Thump-thump, thump-thump. The sound twelve-year-old Annie’s heart makes when she runs, barefoot and happy. Running is her constant in a year of upheaval: her grandfather’s forgetfulness, her mother’s pregnancy, her best friend Max’s moodiness. Like the apple she is assigned to draw for one hundred days in a row, Annie must find the shades and light, the beauty, in all the changes, both rejuvenating and disintegrating, that are occurring around her.
In verse, Sharon Creech presents a girl solid in her choices and honest in her fears, willing to defy convention because it feels right, regardless of everyone saying it is wrong. From Max, she learns what motivates us to be who we are and do what we do, and from grandpa, she gains the spirit and courage to choose a different path. Annie is ahead of her time, aware of her smallness in the world, questioning how she will ever possibly be complete enough to fill her place in it. And when it comes to finding that place within the rhythm of life, the steady, metronome (heart)beat on pavement—thump-thump, thump-thump—becomes Annie’s chief guide.
Heartbeat is a good selection for 4th to 6th graders who want more substance in their books. I picked it out for my younger sister and found myself reading it first, because sincere stories of family, friendship, and individuality are hard to come by at any reading level.
In verse, Sharon Creech presents a girl solid in her choices and honest in her fears, willing to defy convention because it feels right, regardless of everyone saying it is wrong. From Max, she learns what motivates us to be who we are and do what we do, and from grandpa, she gains the spirit and courage to choose a different path. Annie is ahead of her time, aware of her smallness in the world, questioning how she will ever possibly be complete enough to fill her place in it. And when it comes to finding that place within the rhythm of life, the steady, metronome (heart)beat on pavement—thump-thump, thump-thump—becomes Annie’s chief guide.
Heartbeat is a good selection for 4th to 6th graders who want more substance in their books. I picked it out for my younger sister and found myself reading it first, because sincere stories of family, friendship, and individuality are hard to come by at any reading level.
June 15, 2016
1. Best hour of my life. Book wise. I literally hugged this book to my chest. I cried twice. I sighed heavily. I told my husband about it.
2. So much symbolism! Running and the baby=heartbeat=changes. The apple is new life (the seed) in the baby but celebrating old life with the grandpa (the bite and it browning). The apple and running also represent the changing of the relationship with Max.
3. One of my favorite quotes:
I wish that every baby everywhere
could land in a family
that wanted that baby
as much as we wanted ours.
It's so sad.
4. I've never read a book in verse before and didn't know how I would like it. I obviously loved it.
5. All her footnotes made me laugh. I like how they showed the passing of time too (like the apple, like the changes in the mom's belly, like her conversations with her neighbor).
2. So much symbolism! Running and the baby=heartbeat=changes. The apple is new life (the seed) in the baby but celebrating old life with the grandpa (the bite and it browning). The apple and running also represent the changing of the relationship with Max.
3. One of my favorite quotes:
I wish that every baby everywhere
could land in a family
that wanted that baby
as much as we wanted ours.
It's so sad.
4. I've never read a book in verse before and didn't know how I would like it. I obviously loved it.
5. All her footnotes made me laugh. I like how they showed the passing of time too (like the apple, like the changes in the mom's belly, like her conversations with her neighbor).
April 22, 2012
This is a story of 12 year old Annie who loves to run. Told in poetic form, it is a story of friendship, family, of a birth of a brother and aging of her beloved grandfather.
There is nothing overwhelmingly special about this book, but it is worth time spent reading.
The author received a Newbery medal for Walk Two Moons. She is also the first American winner of the Carnegie Medal for her book Ruby Holler.
There is nothing overwhelmingly special about this book, but it is worth time spent reading.
The author received a Newbery medal for Walk Two Moons. She is also the first American winner of the Carnegie Medal for her book Ruby Holler.
March 12, 2015
Moments of a young teenage girl told through what easily could have been diary entries. The entries included her thoughts and feelings about her mother's pregnancy, her aging grandfather experiencing memory loss, and her relationship with her running partner and friend, Max. It's nice sometimes to connect with our inner teen.
July 17, 2016
This is a kids book, but it involves running so I had to read it! Annie runs, barefoot, cause she loves it. Perfect. She is asked to join the track team. But doesn't see why. Why someone has to win/lose or always run faster. Yep, exactly! So happy I took the time to read it!
February 2, 2021
I absolutely loved this book!!! The format was fun and The characters so real. My Dad was a runner with all the medals, he coached track but bottom line he just loved to run so I got to see him in the Grandfather. Looking forward to reading more books from this author. Thanks.
December 25, 2014
It will take you an hour to an hour and a half to read it, and it will feel good.
June 12, 2019
He's in training
he says
in training to escape.
*BEFORE I WAS BORN*
now she feels good--
like a goddess, she says
and it's one of the things
I like best about Max:
that he will run
barefoot
with me.
says we will have to
pick up the pace on the way back
and I tell him
he can pick up his own pace
but my pace is fine
...
and he says I will never get anywhere
if I don't pick up my pace
and I tell him
I don't need to go anywhere
my mother tells Grandpa
that he cannot kick the bucket
he is not allowed
because the alien baby
needs to see its grandpa
He gets mad when I tell him
he is already somebody.
he asked me what I wanted to be
when I grew up
and my answer was
Mother of the World!
When Max says he will open camps
for boys like him
I ask him what kind of boy that is
....
Boys with nothing
*FEARS AND LOVES*
I am afraid of dying
and of my family dying
of disappearing
and not knowing
that you have disappeared
or being left along
with no one to love you.
...
I love laughing
and hearing people laugh
because the sound of it
is rolling and free and full.
I love many many things
Well, they were very good strawberries.
And what else will I forget
when I grow older?
And if you forget
is it as if
it never happened?
Will none of the things
you saw or thought or dreamed matter?
when you are done
it looks as if you have done
so much more
she acts as if it is the best present
she has received in a long, long time.
She pays me for these chores
even though my father said
I should do them for free
but Mrs. Cobber insisted
saying that I should save the money
for something special.
I am feeling so sorry for us
that we are going to have such a
frightening-looking baby.
the baby looks perfect
in every way
this is my team
my mother and father and me
and the baby
Why do people not listen when you say no?
...
Why do they keep badgering you
until you will say yes?
No one gets to run her heart out
no one runs barefoot
no one smiles.
No one can let her head go free.
They are smiling at me
as if I am a miracle baby.
I ask him why someone has to win
and someone has to lose
and why someone always has to
run
faster
...
and he shakes his head
and says
You just don't get it, do you?
And I am thinking to myself
that he is the one
who does not get it
You stick to your guns, honey.
But it does not seem a good reason
just so someone will not be mad at you.
I am so proud that I can be there
it makes me feel grown up
I do not want to see my mother in pain
I love to run
but I love to run by myself
you shouldn't waste a gift
it looks hard and painful
for both the mother and the baby
and a million things can go wrong
but my mother says that
a million things can go right, too
Why are you staring at my grandpa?
You know I would stay here forever
if I could, don't you?
There are letters inside.
Thirteen, he says.
One written the day you were born
and one written on each of your birthdays.
I am a woman of few words.
and one moment I feel alone
and apart
no longer my mother's only child
no longer a center of her world
Labor is the right word:
it is work, hard work
for the mother's body
I cannot take my eyes off the baby
whose own eyes are open
and who gazes directly into my mother's eyes.
I whisper to him:
I tell him he is a miracle
and that he is perfect in every way
and that we will love him and take care of him
always.
Our baby relies on us for everything:
...
He needs us to love him
and it makes me worry
about all the babies in the world
who might not be warm or fed
or protected or loved.
...
I wish that every baby everywhere
could land in a family
that wanted that baby
as much as we want ours.
You're wondering why I gave him the shoes,
aren't you?
Yes.
Honey, you like to run barefoot
he says
and you don't need those old smelly shoes.
I ask him about the secret he told Max.
Honey, he says, you already know the secret.
...
Run for the pleasure of running.
It's a secret, baby.
the Max who removes a leaf
from my hair
...
and the Max who holds Joey
...
and who has big dreams.
...
because I do like Max
all of Max
...
but I am not ready
yet
to think of him
the way the other girls
are thinking of him
....
I want him to run with me
for a little longer.
he says
in training to escape.
*BEFORE I WAS BORN*
now she feels good--
like a goddess, she says
and it's one of the things
I like best about Max:
that he will run
barefoot
with me.
says we will have to
pick up the pace on the way back
and I tell him
he can pick up his own pace
but my pace is fine
...
and he says I will never get anywhere
if I don't pick up my pace
and I tell him
I don't need to go anywhere
my mother tells Grandpa
that he cannot kick the bucket
he is not allowed
because the alien baby
needs to see its grandpa
He gets mad when I tell him
he is already somebody.
he asked me what I wanted to be
when I grew up
and my answer was
Mother of the World!
When Max says he will open camps
for boys like him
I ask him what kind of boy that is
....
Boys with nothing
*FEARS AND LOVES*
I am afraid of dying
and of my family dying
of disappearing
and not knowing
that you have disappeared
or being left along
with no one to love you.
...
I love laughing
and hearing people laugh
because the sound of it
is rolling and free and full.
I love many many things
Well, they were very good strawberries.
And what else will I forget
when I grow older?
And if you forget
is it as if
it never happened?
Will none of the things
you saw or thought or dreamed matter?
when you are done
it looks as if you have done
so much more
she acts as if it is the best present
she has received in a long, long time.
She pays me for these chores
even though my father said
I should do them for free
but Mrs. Cobber insisted
saying that I should save the money
for something special.
I am feeling so sorry for us
that we are going to have such a
frightening-looking baby.
the baby looks perfect
in every way
this is my team
my mother and father and me
and the baby
Why do people not listen when you say no?
...
Why do they keep badgering you
until you will say yes?
No one gets to run her heart out
no one runs barefoot
no one smiles.
No one can let her head go free.
They are smiling at me
as if I am a miracle baby.
I ask him why someone has to win
and someone has to lose
and why someone always has to
run
faster
...
and he shakes his head
and says
You just don't get it, do you?
And I am thinking to myself
that he is the one
who does not get it
You stick to your guns, honey.
But it does not seem a good reason
just so someone will not be mad at you.
I am so proud that I can be there
it makes me feel grown up
I do not want to see my mother in pain
I love to run
but I love to run by myself
you shouldn't waste a gift
it looks hard and painful
for both the mother and the baby
and a million things can go wrong
but my mother says that
a million things can go right, too
Why are you staring at my grandpa?
You know I would stay here forever
if I could, don't you?
There are letters inside.
Thirteen, he says.
One written the day you were born
and one written on each of your birthdays.
I am a woman of few words.
and one moment I feel alone
and apart
no longer my mother's only child
no longer a center of her world
Labor is the right word:
it is work, hard work
for the mother's body
I cannot take my eyes off the baby
whose own eyes are open
and who gazes directly into my mother's eyes.
I whisper to him:
I tell him he is a miracle
and that he is perfect in every way
and that we will love him and take care of him
always.
Our baby relies on us for everything:
...
He needs us to love him
and it makes me worry
about all the babies in the world
who might not be warm or fed
or protected or loved.
...
I wish that every baby everywhere
could land in a family
that wanted that baby
as much as we want ours.
You're wondering why I gave him the shoes,
aren't you?
Yes.
Honey, you like to run barefoot
he says
and you don't need those old smelly shoes.
I ask him about the secret he told Max.
Honey, he says, you already know the secret.
...
Run for the pleasure of running.
It's a secret, baby.
the Max who removes a leaf
from my hair
...
and the Max who holds Joey
...
and who has big dreams.
...
because I do like Max
all of Max
...
but I am not ready
yet
to think of him
the way the other girls
are thinking of him
....
I want him to run with me
for a little longer.
February 6, 2021
Sharon Creech most már hivatalosan is az egyik kedvenc írómmá avanzsált, egyenesen Emma Mills mellé. Közös vonások: fiataloknak írnak karakterközpontú műveket, és jellemző rájuk valami nagyon mélyről jövő tisztaság.
Sharon Creech-től ez egyelőre még csak a második könyvem az Anya nélkül soha után, de nem ez lesz az utolsó. Annyira természetesen tud írni. Mint egy nagymama, akit imádnak hallgatni az unokái, mindig valami nagyon érdekes, valami nagyon emberit mesél. A Heartbeat is ilyen volt.
Formailag verses regény. Az ilyen történeteket mindig hangosan olvasom fel magamnak, mert némaértővel nem annyira jön ki a ritmus, a lüktetés, a rímek (thump-thump, running running running). Márpedig itt pont az adja a pluszt. Érdekes volt, hogy az extrák között maga Creech átdolgozott 2 jelenetet drámává, nekem inkább az egyszemélyes slam poetry előadás jutott róla eszembe. Annak persze jó hosszú, de 1,5 órás simán lehet egy színházi monológ, úgyhogy jó lesz így is.
Itt van ez a 12 éves tiszta (mármint a lelke, bár biztos szó szerint is, arról nem szól a fáma), intelligens gyermek, Annie, akinek egy kicsit bepillantást nyerhetünk az életébe, a gondolataiba. Rengeteg témakört érintünk ez alatt a pártíz oldal alatt.
A lényeg röviden: egy nagyon őszinte és természetes könyv, ami után valahogy sokkal szebbnek tűnik az élet, a világ. Ahogy angolul írni szokták, „feel-good” könyv.
May 1, 2021
I thought that this book was great. I enjoyed reading it and thought that it was awesome that it was all poems but it still created a story. I thought that it was cool how the story always kept coming back to running and that running was their way to express themselves. I thought that the part where Max told Annie that if she doesn’t start to pick up her pace and start to think about what she wants for the future that she may regret not doing the things that she could have done, makes it more interesting and makes me think about things I could have done that I may regret later. It kind of has an underlying theme and meaning which is life will always go on and even if you do take things fast there are things in life that should be taken slow. I thought that it was interesting how it keeps referring to life and how things work, one example is when Annie mentions the cells growing and the way that when we breathe it goes to the trees, and then the trees breathe it in and then they breathe it out and it goes into the air again. I thought that the book was great and would definitely recommend it to anyone.
July 21, 2021
Sharon Creech's novels in free verse have been so engaging that it makes me wonder about other books written in this style -- maybe I should try one by a different author.
Here Creech ties together several heavy topics but the style is light. The characters are likable and realistic. Annie runs for the pleasure, not to compete -- good message.
A couple of English lessons:
p 51 Footnotes
In school we are learning footnotes.
It made me laugh to hear them called
'FOOTnotes.'
I pictured littles notes on my feet
and could not stop giggling
as Mr. Welling tried to explain
why we needed to do footnotes ...
p 106 Forbidden Words
Mr. Welling put a list of forbidden words
on the board today.
He says we use these words too much
and they are empty words and phrases
and we should try to talk and to write
without using them.
Here is his list:
very
like
ya know?
uh
well
stiff
yeah
But I like the drawing lesson best ... with the apple.
My mother (age 93) picked up this book and ended up reading it in one sitting. She declared that it was "very good." She liked everything that was woven into the story, especially because there was a g'pa.
Here Creech ties together several heavy topics but the style is light. The characters are likable and realistic. Annie runs for the pleasure, not to compete -- good message.
A couple of English lessons:
p 51 Footnotes
In school we are learning footnotes.
It made me laugh to hear them called
'FOOTnotes.'
I pictured littles notes on my feet
and could not stop giggling
as Mr. Welling tried to explain
why we needed to do footnotes ...
p 106 Forbidden Words
Mr. Welling put a list of forbidden words
on the board today.
He says we use these words too much
and they are empty words and phrases
and we should try to talk and to write
without using them.
Here is his list:
very
like
ya know?
uh
well
stiff
yeah
But I like the drawing lesson best ... with the apple.
My mother (age 93) picked up this book and ended up reading it in one sitting. She declared that it was "very good." She liked everything that was woven into the story, especially because there was a g'pa.
April 4, 2017
This was a very interesting and fun book to read This book is about young Annie who is just going through well life. This book speaks of young Annie a twelve year old who I feel really relates to people in this age group. She is just trying to figure out life. What is she gonna do everything is changing. This happens to al of us and we just have to figure things out weather it be alone or with someone there to guide us. Sometimes the people that we thought were gonna always be there aren't. That's what this young girl growing up learns or is trying to learn. She learns that things don't always stay the way we want them to. People change friends change and even our own family. In this poetry style setting written by Sharon Creech we will learn about growing up from our character Annie. How can Annie fit in with the new actions of her family and friends. Well we can learn about it together in this wonderful book. I recommend this book to all ages and anyone who just feels they need to relate with someone in their age group.
November 24, 2019
This book was about Annie's life. Her two favorite things to do are running and coloring. Her art teacher gave their class an assignment, the assignment is to draw an apple each day only once a day for 100 days. And not too long before that she found that her mother is pregnant. And she fears that the baby won't be a human baby, or that it won't have all ten fingers or toes, or everything looks like a normal human being. Annie was at her best friend Max's running meet, she and Max run together every day. But Mrs.Cobber came in and took Annie away because the baby was coming. And she had to leave his meet. I thought this book was very eventful and had a lot of detail from when she started the apple and when she hit the 100 mark and the baby was born. I think Annie was not used to things changing, but when the baby came and she met him, she fell utterly in love with him, and was happy there was some change.
April 19, 2021
I thought “Heartbeat” worked really well as a novel in verse. It was amusing how Annie, the main character, talked about how much she loved footnotes and then used them throughout the rest of the book. I thought Annie was a sweet and amusing twelve-year-old, and I love her character so much. I found it interesting how profound she could be for a twelve-year-old, like with her list of things she loved and hated. It was funny how literal she took things sometimes, such as when Max told her his feet were his ticket out of their town. I highly recommend this book because Sharon Creech wove together a meaningful story following an amazing character, and I now want to read more novels in verse just because of this book.
January 13, 2022
I loved saying hello to this old friend. I remember the first time I even cracked this book open. I was in my 5th grade classroom and I’m pretty sure it was free reading time and I went to the library that my teacher had in the corner of her classroom and I picked this one up. I’m so glad I did! It was one of the first books that I read and really was able to resonate with the content and the character. It really struck a chord with me. I love how she runs barefoot with her friend Max. Reading this reminded me of my 5th grade self and I was having a great time that year. I love that it’s in short verse (I think that’s what it’s called). Everything is changing around her but she finds solace and peace in the things she loves. Like running and drawing and her parents. I’m going to read this again in 5 years or so. Thanks to my 5th grade teacher for having this book!
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