Sweeping Up the Heart

I recently received the latest Children and Libraries journal and read an article that was an interview with Kevin Henkes and his wife and collaborator, Laura Dronzek. It was a wonderful article, but in the reading of it, I also found that Kevin Henkes had a new novel that just came out--Sweeping Up the Heart. From the inside of the dust jacket: "All Amelia Albright wants is a fun vacation. She'd love to go on a trip. Maybe to Florida, or even to France! But Amelia's father thinks a trip is just too much adventure and too much trouble. So Amelia is stuck at home, probably the only kid in the entire seventh grade doing absolutely nothing for spring break. The week ahead promises to be boring until Amelia meets Casey at Louise's art studio, where Amelia goes to escape her quiet, lonely house. Amelia has never met anyone like Casey before, and when he claims to see the spirit of Amelia's mother (who died so long ago that Amelia doesn't really remember her), Amelia isn't sure what to think. Still, he could be right. It could be her. And what if it is?"

I just loved this book! It was a quick read and just so sweet and endearing. It was really interesting because I think this is only the second novel I've read by Kevin Henkes, and it totally had the same feel to it as the other I've read--The Year of Billy Miller. Like, it just reminded me of it in the style of writing and the way the words flowed. Kind of interesting that I could recognize the author's style in the writing. But anyway, I loved the plot and the characters and just how things came together. Really glad I read it.

Rating: * * * (3/3 = Loved it)