Heartbeat by Sharon Creech
Copyright 2004
Harpercollins Children’s Books
Summary: This book is about a girl, Annie and her life. Annie loves to run and loves to draw. Annie has a friend Max who also loves to run but Annie doesn’t really like running with him. Annie also learns her mother is pregnant and she is not thrilled with this idea calling the baby “alien baby.” Annie also has a grandfather who doesn’t speak well or completely understands what is being told him. The book is told in poems, going through this time in Annie’s life where she is trying to figure out where she belongs and who she is exactly. All she knows is she loves to run because she can feel her heart beating. She does talk to her grandfather because she knows he won’t talk to anyone else. This book is about her discovery of herself and growing in a new time in her life.
Themes:
Changes: Annie is going through some pretty significant changes in her life. Her grandfather is losing his memory. Her mother is pregnant with a new baby boy and Max wants to run with her even if she doesn’t want it. Not only is she trying to figure out herself, she is trying to figure out how to handle all these changes in her life.
“The town seems huge to me
And never the same
Everything changes:
The light, the smells, the sounds
And people coming and going
And growing bigger and older.”
Page 30
Family: Annie has two different relationships with people in her family. Her mother she isn’t fond of especially after finding out about her pregnancy. But then she has a very friendly and confident relationship with her grandfather. He listens to her and understands her concerns. But he is slowly losing his memory which makes Annie realize that family is so important. At the end of the book, Annie realizes her love for her new sibling instead of being resentful.
“I do not like to see my grandpa like this.
Always he was so busy
So wise
So comforting.
Always he was the grandpa
The one who knew everything
The one who would laugh with me
And run with me.”
Page 125
Reaction: After typing out the summary and explaining the book, it seems rather simple and plain. A girl who liked to run and dealing with her family issues. But I really appreciate how it is written in poem format. Reading a book like this can make one simple act very interesting. You can understand how important small details are. It is also an easy read, or a deceivingly easy read. It takes energy on the reader’s part to understand the prose.
Copyright 2004
Harpercollins Children’s Books
Summary: This book is about a girl, Annie and her life. Annie loves to run and loves to draw. Annie has a friend Max who also loves to run but Annie doesn’t really like running with him. Annie also learns her mother is pregnant and she is not thrilled with this idea calling the baby “alien baby.” Annie also has a grandfather who doesn’t speak well or completely understands what is being told him. The book is told in poems, going through this time in Annie’s life where she is trying to figure out where she belongs and who she is exactly. All she knows is she loves to run because she can feel her heart beating. She does talk to her grandfather because she knows he won’t talk to anyone else. This book is about her discovery of herself and growing in a new time in her life.
Themes:
Changes: Annie is going through some pretty significant changes in her life. Her grandfather is losing his memory. Her mother is pregnant with a new baby boy and Max wants to run with her even if she doesn’t want it. Not only is she trying to figure out herself, she is trying to figure out how to handle all these changes in her life.
“The town seems huge to me
And never the same
Everything changes:
The light, the smells, the sounds
And people coming and going
And growing bigger and older.”
Page 30
Family: Annie has two different relationships with people in her family. Her mother she isn’t fond of especially after finding out about her pregnancy. But then she has a very friendly and confident relationship with her grandfather. He listens to her and understands her concerns. But he is slowly losing his memory which makes Annie realize that family is so important. At the end of the book, Annie realizes her love for her new sibling instead of being resentful.
“I do not like to see my grandpa like this.
Always he was so busy
So wise
So comforting.
Always he was the grandpa
The one who knew everything
The one who would laugh with me
And run with me.”
Page 125
Reaction: After typing out the summary and explaining the book, it seems rather simple and plain. A girl who liked to run and dealing with her family issues. But I really appreciate how it is written in poem format. Reading a book like this can make one simple act very interesting. You can understand how important small details are. It is also an easy read, or a deceivingly easy read. It takes energy on the reader’s part to understand the prose.