Book Review

Title: The Girl with More Than One Heart by Laura Geringer Bass

Genre: Middle Grade, Contemporary, Mental Health

Rating: 4.75 Stars

The opening to The Girl With More Than One Heart was interesting as we are introduced to Brianna who father had an undisclosed heart condition and he had recently died from it. Brianna around this time believes she had a second heart that speaks to get in her father’s voice but it doesn’t make sense to her. This might just be a child’s way of dealing with the loss of a parent especially one she is close to. Brianna used to be close with her mother before the birth of her brother, Aaron but since then she had been a lot closer with her father which might explain her reaction to his death. She is not just dealing with grief and loss but the impending feelings of loneliness which isn’t something someone that she should have to go through.

As we approach the ¼ mark in the novel, Brianna is struggling to cope with her new reality only a month after the funeral. Brianna has taken on a more active role in caring for Aaron and his needs as her mother seems to be suffering from severe depression and because of this Brianna is isolated from her friends except Peter. When she returns to school she is slow to adjust to the fact that most of her former friends have moved on to new things and she turns to writing for an outlet. Along the way she seems to become friends with an artistic girl named Daisy who was present at the funeral and has done some really kind things for Brianna since the death of her father. During this month or so Brianna is relying on her Dad heart as she calls it give her guidance but she struggles to understand it most of the time as it seems to speak in riddles that she doesn’t really understand yet. I can sympathise with the fact that Brianna is hurting and frustrated at her situation but there isn’t really anything she can do about it until her mother pulls herself out of the depression she is in as she really should be focusing on her children first or bringing in outside support if she can’t but she isn’t willing to do that despite Brianna asking her to bring other people over during this time.

As we cross the ¼ mark in the novel, we learn Brianna is carrying around a lot of anger especially aimed at Aaron who we learn is autistic which explains his extra needs. Brianna seems resentful of Aaron and her grandfather’s devotion towards the boy and her mother’s refusal to do anything at the moment even though they are needed and there are certain things she can’t do by herself. Brianna’s friendship with Peter is also suffering because of this and it is hurting her but she seems to developing new connections with Daisy and Neill and she is also being pushed by them to write for the school paper that is coming. We can clearly see that Brianna bottled up a lot of her emotions when Aaron was born but she had her father to lean on who also felt the same way and it seems that Aaron’s social needs were causing issues in the family as her father said it was killing him and the stress might have added to his heart condition. They might have had more support in place for Aaron is their mother and grandfather hadn’t been so reluctant to get him tested in the first place and continue to try and appear “normal”.

As we approach the halfway mark in the novel, Brianna is desperately trying to cope with the situation the best she can which isn’t well at all and she really needs some support from a grown up right now but there is no one there. Brianna’s is listening to the dad heart and trying to figure out what it wants her to do and it seems like it is telling her to take care of her family and bring them back to themselves especially her mother but she isn’t sure how to do that. Brianna is also plagued by memories of her father especially in the time they had together before Aaron when in her mind everything was better. I am not sure where the story is going to go in the second half but this seems like a coming to terms with grief novel which is something I appreciate as long as its got either a happy ending or an understandable ending but it is trying out to be a quick read which is expected of middle grade.

As we cross into the second half of the novel, Brianna isn’t coming to terms with her dad’s death but she is starting to come to terms with what life is going to be like without him being around constantly and the new role she needs to take within the family. Her relationship with Aaron is getting better especially when he is held back a year at school and he is upset thinking there is something wrong with him and she swears that she loves him no matter what even after the way she felt about him before. She is also becoming more sympathetic towards her mother especially after her grandfather shares his experience with grief after the death of her grandmother. Brianna is also finding herself as her former friend and Peter become more distant from her but she finds people like Daisy and Neill who like her for who she is and encourages her to do things that are going to make her happy not the people around her which is a really important message to be sending to young people. That you don’t have to please everyone around you as long as you yourself are happy.

As we approach the ¾ mark in the novel, Brianna’s emotions are all over the place which is expecting of someone her age and what she has been through but she still isn’t getting the support she needs except from the dad heart which isn’t much at all. She is trying to be there for Aaron by going to his play with their grandfather and he does amazing but their mother spoils the entire night. She turns up late and looking as crazy as Brianna feels she is and leaves halfway through when Aaron pretends to faint and this causes a meltdown from the boy. Their grandfather rarely sees this side of Aaron and he is shocked but Brianna takes control of the situation and gets everything under control. Peter also feels guilty about ditching Brianna and comes back to her but when she attempts to hold his hand he pulls away which hurts Brianna. The only upside so far is her friendship with Daisy and Neill as they don’t expect anything from her other than what she is willing to give. Daisy also does the most amazing portrait of her father that moves Brianna to tears but everything Daisy has hidden inside the picture.

As we cross into the final section of the novel, I wasn’t sure what to expect from the ending but I was excited to get there. In the end we do get some resolution for the family, it isn’t a happy or perfect ending at all but it does bring the family closer together as Brianna finally confesses her feelings on the death of her father and how her mother’s reaction has affecting her and Aaron. This is a new beginning for them where they aren’t going to forget about the person they have lost but they need to look forward to the future so they don’t get stuck where they are now in a cycle of grief and despair. Overall, The Girl with more than One Heart was an interesting and realistic look into grief and the healing process that comes after for both adults and children. Despite being middle grade which isn’t something I normally read I did really enjoy the book and I hope to read more like this in the future.

True to its title, this book has a lot of heart. It's always difficult losing the people we care about but this title demonstrates there's not always a right or wrong way to deal with these feelings.

I may be the unpopular opinion but I LOVED it. The story was unique, interesting and captivating. The writing was average at best, but the story made up for it. Great for younger kids/YA. Super fast and grief-filled read.

So many YA books have been based on grief recently. There has been a trend of grief among peers; people who are sick losing friends who have helped them through their illness. Yet I haven’t come across one about the loss of a parent.

This is the subject of the The Girl with More than One Heart by Laura Geringer Bass. Bass uses her own real life experiences of losing her dad, albeit as an adult, as she transfers that grief into an intense feeling shared by a child.

The story focuses on Briana who is dealing with the death of her father. She is a burgeoning teenager with a brother who is on the autistic spectrum and who, rightfully so, is quite demanding of time due to his needs. When she loses her father she also loses her mother too. Her mother is awash with grief and cannot come to terms with her husband’s death making Briana grow up faster than she should have to.

Laura Geringer Bass deals with the subject of loss so well it made a painful topic easier to read about. This is definitely a book you want to use to show understanding and empathy towards others.

A great MG-YA read.

The Girl with More than One Heart by Laura Geringer Bass is available now.

For more information regarding Laura Geringer Bass (@LauraGeringer) please visit www.laurageringerbass.com.

For more information regarding Abrams Kids (@abramskids) please visit www.abramsbooks.com/abramskids/.

The Girl with More Than One Heart

by Laura Geringer Bass

ABRAMS Kids

Amulet Books

Children’s Fiction

Pub Date 17 Apr 2018

I am reviewing a copy of The Girl with More Than One Heart through Amulet Books and Netgalley:

After Brianna looses her Father to her heart attack it’s as if she feels a new heart growing inside of her.

After her Father dies Brianna finds herself having to care for her Autistic younger brother because her Mother is nearly overpowered with grief. She finds herself using most of her time and energy caring for Aaron. Did Aaron’s special needs hurt her Fathers already fragile heart? The feelings of her new “Dads heart” help her to deal with uncertainties as well as the friendships and even romances she starts feeling inside her heart.

As Brianna slowly begins to come to terms with what is happening she is slowly able to let go of her “Dad heart” and learns to rely only on her own heart.

I give The Girl With More Than One Heart five out of five stars!

Happy Reading!

I really enjoyed how this book truly delved into the complicated topic of a parent's death. The way the grief is tackled felt unique but also fairly realistic, which is the highest praise for a contemporary dealing with tough topics.

While I enjoyed parts of this book, others felt off to me. I'd be interested in learning more about Ms. Bass's experience with children on the autism spectrum. I myself can't say that I have very much in-depth experience, but Aaron's behavior and the ways in which his family interacted with him didn't quite feel realistic. Briana read very young to me throughout the book, so the romantic developments with Peter towards the end of the book felt a little too grown up for her character. Briana's flashbacks were my favorite parts of the book; the style in whic they were written was the most enjoyable for me. Thanks very much for the advanced copy!