The Girl with More Than One Heart

February 12, 2018
In this tenderhearted tale, Bass (Sign of the Qin) conveys the complex, conflicting emotions that arise in a family facing the unexpected death of a parent. When Manhattan eighth grader Briana finds her father slumped over on his exercise bike, she feels a “second heart” form in her stomach. This heart communicates cryptic messages in her father’s voice (“Find her, said my Dad heart”) and sparks memories of life “Before Aaron,” her special-needs younger brother: “Aaron and I had two parents, but really we each had one.... Dad was mine.” Her mother’s grief-induced slide into depression forces Briana to assume responsibility for Aaron and cope with heartache, resentment, and fear, all while navigating the treacherous social dynamics of middle school. The narrative moves seamlessly between past and present and incorporates Greek myths, Briana’s “fractured fairy tales,” and Grandpa Ben’s tall tales, highlighting the power of storytelling to foster healing and strengthen relationships. Briana notes a parallel process between creativity and new friendship: “We were making it all up right there as we went along.” It’s an emotionally nuanced exploration of grief and resilience. Ages 8–12. Agent: Lucy Carson, Friedrich Agency.

March 1, 2018

Gr 5-8-Eighth grader Briana has a lot on her plate. Her friends may not have her best interests at heart, she may have a crush on her best guy friend, and her brother's emotional needs draw too much of her parents' attention. Then her other problems are put in perspective when her father dies suddenly. She feels a second heart grow inside her which speaks with her father's voice and acts as a conscience. While this device will be abstract to many young readers, they will still respond to the tender emotional arc. Bass balances the coming-of-age narrative with a grief journey that sensitively and realistically shows how friendships and family relationships change after a tragedy. VERDICT Bass depicts grief with honesty and complexity. Purchase where realism and fiction about overcoming loss are needed.-Amelia Jenkins, Juneau Public Library, AK

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 15, 2018
At the start of her eighth-grade year, Briana's father suddenly dies due to a rare heart problem, and now all kinds of responsibilities rest on her shoulders. After her father's funeral at the synagogue, Briana's mother spends her days crying, sleeping, and wandering the house in her pajamas and blue slippers. Briana is now almost the sole caregiver to her 5-year-old brother, Aaron, who is on the autism spectrum. Abruptly, she is no longer just handling regular coming-of-age teenage angst, such as friends, crushes, and school activities, but helping fill in the gaps after her father's death. There are a lot of different topics covered in this book, but they never feel like too much, and they all fit into the scope of the plot. Bass tackles some heavy issues--having a sibling with a disability, losing a parent suddenly and at a young age, and coping with a parent's depression--but she manages to do it with grace and empathy. Readers will see Briana's understanding of her brother shift as she starts to really see him as opposed to what she feels he has cost her. This book is full of heartache and rare smiles, but that is because it is achingly real. (Fiction. 8-13)

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March 1, 2018
Grades 5-7 After Briana's father dies of a heart attack, her mother withdraws into her bedroom and her grief. Grandpa Ben helps out, but it's 13-year-old Briana who steps in, struggling to keep things normal while dealing with her difficult little brother and her own profound sense of loss. Since her father's death, she has felt a new heart within her, speaking with Dad's voice in cryptic phrases like say goodbye and find her. But Briana's not ready to say goodbye to the parent she loves best. And she's too angry with her mother to want to find her. Time brings changes: a new friend, a promise of romance, and a mother who takes charge of the family again, letting Briana be Briana. Bass excels in portraying the family members, their relationships, and how they shift when one person is no longer there. Incorporating extended flashbacks as well as brief messages from the second heart, Briana's engaging first-person narrative is perceptive and brutally truthful about her all-too-human emotions and actions. A heartfelt story of loss, grief, and healing.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)