What Hearts [Paperback]

Bruce Brooks (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 10 and up

Recipient of a 1993 Newbery Honor, this novel is an achingly beautiful, powerfully rendered journey through childhood that is not to be missed, now available in a new edition with a striking new cover.

From an outstandingly perceptive writer, a moving portrait of a boy, observed at four revealing turning points. -- Pointer Review/Kirkus Reviews

Combines fast, exciting action with an astonishing ending that proves the power of the individual imagination. -- Starred Review/ALA Booklist"Asa—possessed of rare sweetness, humor, and inner strength—survives intact cruel tests of his integrity, intellect, and sense of decency. From an outstandingly perceptive writer, a moving portrait of a boy, observed at four revealing turning points." —K. "Told with controlled imagery, insightful illumination of motive and the needs of his characters, Brooks has proven himself once again a master of language." —BL.

1993 Newbery Honor Book
Notable Children's Books of 1993 (ALA)
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)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Quieter but no less penetrating than Brooks's futuristic No Kidding , this present-day saga traces the formative years of Asa, who has spent most of his life moving from one town to another with his emotionally fragile mother and bullying stepfather. Like the protagonist of No Kidding , Asa takes on the role of protector as he chooses to make sacrifices in order to save his mother's marriage or prevent her from falling into a depressive state. Effectively revealing the psychological burdens of an intelligent, sensitive child, this book remains honest and intense from beginning to end. Asa's isolation and mental batterment by his stepfather create somber undertones, yet the book does offer some uplifting moments (Asa's first experience with romance, for example), which illustrate how spiritual renewal can occur under even the grimmest conditions. Ages 10-up.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 5 Up-- Soon after first-grader Asa is told of his parents' impending divorce, he is abruptly introduced to Dave, his stepfather-to-be. Dave does not like the boy, who's smart and precocious, sometimes obnoxiously so. His mother, who becomes increasingly depressed, objects only mildly to her new husband's negative attitude toward her son. When Asa is about 12, his mother has an emotional breakdown and divorces again. Ironically, Asa and Dave have gradually reached an understanding of sorts. By the end, Asa has learned to accept life's hard knocks and he risks telling a girl he loves her. Although she proves fickle, he survives with a sense of inner strength and hope for a better tomorrow. The boy's adultlike understanding of others is sometimes hard to believe, and this might make it difficult for readers to empathize with him. In contrast, Dave is effectively depicted as a hard, angry man with a heart underneath. A boy's coming-of-age story set within a troubled stepfamily is a worthy endeavor, and Brooks is extremely skilled in describing psychological subtleties of thoughts, feelings, and relationships. However, his highly contemplative style may lack the immediacy necessary to grab all but the brightest, most ``Asa-like'' readers.
- Jacqueline Rose, Southeast Regional Library, NC
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Harpercollins Childrens Books; 1st edition (November 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060211318
• ISBN-13: 978-0060211318
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.7 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,736,821 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Straight from the heart, August 3, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: What Hearts (Laura Geringer Books) (Paperback)

There are have been an incredible amount of books written in recent years for young people, but even if you exclude the junk there are very few that can be called really great. Bruce Brooks' "What Hearts" is one of these.

Brooks presents his basic themes, forgiveness (a rather unusual subject) and the meaning of love, with absolute sincerity. Asa's feelings and problems are real. It doesn't matter how different your life and problems may be from Asa's; if you are sensitive to your own feelings, I think you will be able to identify with his.

This may sound a bit odd, but it's also one of the most beautiful books I've ever read. I might particularly cite, in the second chapter, Asa's forgiveness and acceptance of his friend Joel. The end of this chapter is truly wonderful; all by itself, this would make the book a great one. Also the almost heartbreaking, though very beautiful, concluding chapter, one of the most sensitive and true descriptions of love (and, once again, forgiveness) that I know.

All in all it's a masterpiece. Sure, hardly any book is absolutely flawless, and "What Hearts" is no exception. But the author's remarkable perception, exquisite writing, and love for the human heart transcend any small faults you might find with the story. It is one of those rare books that really come from the heart.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful Book, July 3, 2004

By 

alice (NY, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: What Hearts (Turtleback School & Library Binding Edition) (Laura Geringer Books) (School & Library Binding)

This book... is simply amazing. Asa, the main character, is a intelligent little boy faced with important and daunting changes in his life, starting the last day of first grade, and carrying on until he's in 7th. Asa's plight is described in such a way as to make you connect with him.
"What Hearts" is, while not quite 'dark', definitly poignant. It is the type of book you cannot put down and that you re-read often.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars What Hearts is an AWESOME book! :-), October 28, 2004

A Kid's Review

This review is from: What Hearts (Laura Geringer Books) (Paperback)

what Hearts, by Bruce Brooks, is a great book. It is detailed and aimed at any age. That is, any age who reads and enjoys reading chapter books. It is about a boy named Asa. Asa is walking home from from the last day on 1st grade at schol with straigt A's on his report card and a ruby red radish that he grew during school.
He is shocked when he comes home to find that his mother and father have divorced and tha his father has moved away. He also learns that his mother and himself will be moving to North Carolina to meet a man named Dave who Asa's mom is going out with.As soon as Asa meets Dave he decides that he hates him.
This story unfolds with experiences between Asa, Asa's mother, and Dave of shock, fear, sadness, and happiness.
I recommend this book to anyone, as I said, who enjoys and can read and enjoys reading chapter books. It is wonderfully written and covers many issues of today's society including hatred and ignorance, while happier issues also queue in like lve and friendship. This is an awesome book.