What Hearts
 | |
| Author | Bruce Brooks |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Children's literature |
Publication date | October 1, 1992 |
| Awards | John Newbery Medal |
What Hearts (1992) is a children's novel by author Bruce Brooks which won a Newbery Honor. The book has four interrelated stories about a 12-year-old boy, Asa, who faced different challenges through the different stages in his childhood.[1][2][3]
Plot
The book shows the story of Asa's childhood in four different stages. When Asa comes home with straight A's and hand grown radishes from his first grade, he finds out that his parents are getting a divorce. He moves with his mother to meet her boyfriend Dave, who he does not get along with, due to Dave being mean to him. They move to North Carolina to Dave's home, and only continue to move after. In the second stage, he is in the fourth grade where he makes a lot of friends in his class. However, thing's aren't going as smoothly at home. His mother is now married to Dave but Asa has a hard time adjusting and accepting Dave as his step father. One day at school, Asa is reciting a poem called "Little Blue Boy" with his friend Joel. He does not like the poem so he changes to "the Highwayman". Joel agrees with Asa to recite the longer and more difficult poem "The Highwayman". At first, Joel is excited but he is not as smart and bright as Asa making it difficult for him to remember the longer poem. Joel's mother and Asa agree on Asa reciting the poem alone while Joel's mother would take him away unaware about Asa's solo. On the day of the recital, Joel shows up and Asa, for sake of his friendship decides to switch back to "Little Blue Boy" which Joel remembers perfectly.
Another turning point comes to Asa's life when he is eleven. He is trying out for the Little League Baseball and has been practicing with his stepfather and his mother for weeks. Unfortunately, a day before his tryout, his mother has some accident with pills. It is later revealed that his mother is suffering from depression. They move to Raleigh and he misses his chance to play the Little League. In the fourth stage, Asa is in love with Jean, his classmate since the fifth grade whom he finally befriends in the seventh grade. Asa confesses his love to Jean and just as he reaches home that day, he finds out they are moving due to his mother and Dave separating. The next day, Jean confesses her love to Asa by giving him two candy hearts that says "I love you, I love you", only to find out that Asa would no longer be with her. Asa later calls Jean on the phone but Jean pretends like nothing really happened. When Asa mentions the heart candies, Jean replies "What Hearts?". Asa realizes the world is ever changing and he has to learn to adjust with it.
Characters
Asa: Asa is the main character of the story who goes through different turning points in his life and he learns to move with the change.
Asa's Mother: Asa's mother has difficult relationship with Asa's father and later with Dave, Asa's stepfather. She falls into depression because of this.
Dave: Dave is Asa's mother's childhood sweetheart, whom she marries after divorce with Asa's father. Dave is mean and does not like his stepson Asa.
Joel: Joel is Asa's friend in the fourth grade. He is not as bright as Asa and lags behind in his class.
Jean: Jean is Asa's love interest from the fifth grade whom he finally proposes in the seventh grade.
Awards
1993 Newbery Honor Book
ALA Notable Books for Children 1993
1993 Best Books for Young Adults (ALA)
1993 Fanfare Honor List (The Horn Book)
1993 Teachers' Choices (IRA)
1993 Books for the Teen Age (NY Public Library)[4]
Critical reception
What Hearts received positive responses from critics. Publishers Weekly claims the book is "Effectively revealing the psychological burdens of an intelligent, sensitive child, this book remains honest and intense from beginning to end." Horn Book Magazine claims that the book is "Original in structure and subtle in scope,"[5]
References
- ↑ "What Hearts." Dictionary of American Children's Fiction, 1990-1994: Books of Recognized Merit. Alethea K. Helbig and Agnes Regan Perkins. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1996. 361-362. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 31 Mar. 2015.
- ↑ http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1199553.What_Hearts
- ↑ N.V. "What Hearts." Horn Book Magazine 69.1 (1993): 89. Academic Search Complete. Web. 21 Apr. 2015
- ↑ http://www.harpercollins.com/9780064471275/what-hearts
- ↑ http://www.booksinprint.com/DetailedView.aspx?hreciid=|2129591|32079571&mc=USA