Heartbeat is a 2004 children's book by Sharon Creech, published by Bloomsbury. It is aimed at children aged 10 and above. Like Love that dog, the book is written in blank verse, which alters according to both the subject and Annie's mood, giving it a poetic feel. Heartbeat was nominated for the 2005 Carnegie Medal.
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Plot introduction
The book follows Annie, a girl who is always barefoot. She loves running and drawing, as well as her relationships with her best friend Max, her grandfather and the imminent birth of her brother, Joey. Annie is given an art assignment to draw an apple 100 times, this is used to reflect the change in the environment around her and the relationships she has with people. She realizes that things are going to change, especially the relationship between Max and her.
Press release
Published by Bloomsbury April 5, 2004 Hardback £9.99
Annie loves running barefoot, and drawing. Annie's best friend Max thinks she is spoiled because she has two parents and a grandfather. Max is in a bad mood. Annie's mother is having a baby and Annie's grandfather is getting old and forgetting a lot. There is a lot going on in Annie's life and, in this enchanting book, Sharon explores how a twelve-year-old girl comes to terms with her family and chosen relationships, how she uses her love of running and drawing to find herself, and how she grows up and learns to understand quite a bit more about the world around her. The new novel from Carnegie Medal winner Sharon Creech is filled with hope and joy and optimism.
Sharon Creech won the Carnegie Medal for her novel Ruby Holler. She is also the winner of the Newbery medal for her novel Walk Two Moons, which was also shortlisted for the Smarties Book Prize and received a Mind Boggling Books Award and a United Kingdom Reading Association Award. Chasing Redbird was shortlisted for the Whitbread Award. Sharon is married to Lyle, a headmaster in New Jersey, and they have two children and a granddaughter.
Literary significance & criticism
- 'A writer of extraordinary perception Sharon Creech has created a novel which generates considerable compassionate empathy for Annie, the central character, who is trying to understand her role in life… wonderful to read in one session' — Carousel Autumn 2004 issue 28
- 'Sharon Creech creates a highly readable story… the free verse lines are easy on the ear and the pages turn swiftly…Heartbeat is a different reading experience…unusual, yet highly engaging' — Scholastic Best Books 2004
- 'Sharon Creech is the queen of feel good. Heartbeat tells the story, in a series of exhilarating blank-verse poems, of friendship between two children who love to run, one for the pleasure of it, and the other to win races…anyone from 9-90 can learn from its insights' — Sunday Times
- 'Gets under your skin and you will want to read it again. Creech has the ability to write about relationships, particularly between young and old, in the most affecting yet unsentimental way.' — Scotsman
- 'A warm-hearted, free-verse story from award-winning Sharon Creech, much in the same mould as her wonderful Love that Dog.' — Financial Times
