Where the Heart Is
Summary:
“It’s the first day of summer and Rachel’s thirteenth birthday. She can’t wait to head to the lake with her best friend, Micah. But as summer unfolds, every day seems to get more complicated. Her “fun” new job taking care of the neighbors’ farm animals quickly becomes a challenge, whether she’s being pecked by chickens or having to dodge a charging pig at feeding time. At home, her parents are more worried about money than usual, and their arguments over bills intensify. Fortunately, Rachel can count on Micah to help her cope with all the stress. But Micah seems to want their relationship to go beyond friendship, and though Rachel almost wishes for that, too, she can’t force herself to feel “that way” about him. In fact, she isn’t sure she can feel that way about any boy — or what that means. With all the heart of her award-winning novel See You At Harry’s, Jo Knowles brings us the story of a girl who must discover where her heart is and what that means for her future.
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Review
Jo Knowles really knows how to hit you right in the feels. So don’t expect anything less with Where the Heart Is. This is a close-up look at a family trying to scrape up enough money to pay all the bills. At the same time, the parents are trying so hard to not put additional stress on the sisters, but with quiet conversations, loud and angry fighting, and little food in the kitchen, both girls now something is up.
Beyond the money trouble, Rachel is a middle school girl trying to figure out who she is, whether she can think of her best friend as something more, and how she fits in with her peers when she’s wearing thrift store clothes and no money for extras – ice cream, shopping, movies, etc.
I always have to remind myself that I’m reading books geared toward 8-12 year olds through the eyes of an adult and so I often am relating to the parents in the story sometimes more than I am the protagonist. I know the parents were trying to do the right thing by keeping their money concerns to themselves, but kids are more perceptive than most adults realize and can pick up on the tension that problems cause in the home. I think that parents often feel like their protecting kids from “adult problems” when in fact kids are all too aware of what’s happening. As, I’m not a parent, I’m not sure how I would have handled the situation, I just felt so much for the parents who were trying absolutely everything in their power not to lose their home and give their children the best childhood they could.
With themes of financial instability, searching for who you are as a person, whether you’re gay, straight, bi, or something you haven’t discovered yet, managing friendship, family relationships and so much more, Where the Heart Is packs an emotional punch that will have you cheering on Rachel and her family as she searches for what matters most in her life.
Final Thoughts:
Where the Heart Is packs an emotional punch that will have you cheering on Rachel and her family as she searches for what matters most in her life.
Important Info:
Title: Where the Heart Is
Author: Jo Knowles
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Publication Date: April 2, 2019
Page Number: 304 pgs.
