A Heart Like Ringo Starr

April 6, 2015
High’s novel in verse for the Gravel Road series, written
at a third-grade reading level, introduces a strong-willed 17-year-old girl awaiting a heart transplant. Faith Hope Stevens has been sickly ever since she was born with “A slacker of a ticker/ and not enough air/ in my lungs/ or in my blood.” In sparse poems, she expresses her thoughts on her condition, her family’s treatment of her, and the experience of receiving a new heart. A too-tidy ending and several forced rhymes detract from the emotional tug of the central plot, but fans of this format will still find much to enjoy. Ages 14–18.

March 1, 2015

Gr 8 Up-Faith is no average 17-year-old, although being normal is all she has ever wanted. She lives above her family's funeral home, is homeschooled, and is waiting for a heart transplant to save her life. When a local teenager is the victim of a fatal car crash, Faith unexpectedly finds herself rushed to the hospital for her long-awaited surgery. After a rocky recovery, she is able to attend public school and starts dating the devastatingly handsome Jimmy Winters. Eventually, the young couple discovers Faith's heart came from the car crash casualty, Jimmy's cousin. Readers will be rooting for the main character in this novel in verse. Plot elements that could come off as trite are incorporated in a manner that adds to the story's emotional pull. Faith's desire to be like other teenagers and feelings of being an outsider will ring true with many young adults. Her voice reflects emotions that every adolescent experiences-anger, frustration, humor, and the nerves of first love. VERDICT Reluctant readers in the mood for realistic drama with a hint of romance will fall in love with this work.-Carrie Fox, South Park High School, PA

Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.