The Girl with More Than One Heart

When Briana’s father dies of a heart attack, she feels a new heart grow inside her. Through this heart, her father’s voice guides her through her grief and helps her navigate her new, not-so-normal life at home.
 
When her mother’s own grief becomes overpowering, Briana feels like she’s responsible for her autistic little brother, Aaron. Spending much of her time and energy caring for Aaron, she wonders: Did his special needs hurt her father’s very fragile heart? The voice of Briana’s “new heart” helps her to cope with the messy uncertainties, as she balances her first feelings of romance, making new friends, and following her dream of writing for the school newspaper. And as Briana finds strength and knowledge in herself, she’s finally able to let go of her new heart and rely solely on her own.

Laura Geringer Bass is the author of many books for children including A Three Hat Day, an ALA Notable Book and Sign of the Qin, an ALA Best Book as well as the Myth Men series, adapted by CBS as an animated TV show. As publisher of the award-winning Laura Geringer Books, an imprint of HarperColllins Publishers for over twenty years, she collaborated with many celebrated authors and illustrators in the field of children’s books. She is a mentor for Girls Write Now, for Prison Writes serving teens at risk, and for the graduate Fellowship program in Children’s Literature at Stonybrook/Southhampton, as well as a faculty member of New York Writer’s Workshop. She serves on the advisory board of First Book, a non-profit organization that has delivered over 180 million books into the hands of children in need. Find Laura on her website www.laurageringerbass.com and on Facebook.