heartbeat by Sharon Creech

   No, I did not forget to capitalize the title. That's how it's supposed to be. (I don't know how you would start a sentence with this book title .)
   This is another book written in a poetry format. This means that it is an easy but enjoyable read; it was 180 pages long but I read it in half an hour this morning right after I woke up. I understood it after sleeping for ten hours; it's not a complicated book.
   heartbeat is more of a children's book than Song of the Sparrow was, but still unique enough for an adult to enjoy. It was written by a 12 year old main character and dealt with her grandfather's Alzheimer, her mother's pregnancy, and her best guy friend Max's strange attitude. No, they don't kiss. Seriously, people. They're 12.
   There was a unified theme throughout the book between the change in her life and the apple she was drawing. I also felt I had some things in common with the main character, such as running, growing up, and... no, that was it. The basic writing style really seemed to be something a 12 year old might  write (especially the footnotes) even as some of her thoughts and ideas seemed very advanced. She was basically every creative teacher's dream student. You'll see what I mean when you read her report on her fears and dreams.
   Criticisms: I wasn't sure when this book was set, but that's not a major problem.  My main problem was that I occasionally felt like the author has never talked to a 12 year old. No 12 year old is mature enough to say "I like him but it's ok; I have time." Also, while it is quite fun to run around barefoot, in real life one of the two characters who does so would probably have gotten lockjaw at some point in time. It's dangerous. Seriously. I used to walk around barefoot and I stepped on a bee. Twice.

Rating: Great.
Read again? Maybe.
You read? Yes.
Age level? Pre-teen +

Where did I get this book? JM lent it to MW and she told me it was good. She especially said I should read it after she read my complaint about covers. The cover on this book actually makes sense without giving anything away! :)