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    Sweeping Up the Heart
    Sweeping Up the Heart
    Sweeping Up the Heart
    Ebook150 pages1 hour

    Sweeping Up the Heart

    By Kevin Henkes

    3.5/5

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    About this ebook

    From two-time Newbery Honor and New York Times–bestselling author Kevin Henkes, this timeless novel about loss, loneliness, and friendship tells the story of the spring break that changes seventh-grader Amelia Albright’s life forever.

    Amelia Albright dreams about going to Florida for spring break like everyone else in her class, but her father—a cranky and stubborn English professor—has decided Florida is too much adventure.

    Now Amelia is stuck at home with him and her babysitter, the beloved Mrs. O’Brien. The week ahead promises to be boring, until Amelia meets Casey at her neighborhood art studio. Amelia has never been friends with a boy before, and the experience is both fraught and thrilling. When Casey claims to see the spirit of Amelia’s mother (who died ten years before), the pair embarks on an altogether different journey in their attempt to find her.

    Using crisp, lyrical, literary writing and moments of humor and truth, award-winning author Kevin Henkes deftly captures how it feels to be almost thirteen.

    With themes of family, death, grief, creativity, and loyalty, Sweeping Up the Heart is for readers of Kate DiCamillo, Rebecca Stead, Lauren Wolk, Kimberly Brubaker Bradley, and Pam Muñoz Ryan.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins
    Release dateMar 19, 2019
    ISBN9780062852571
    Author

    Kevin Henkes

    Kevin Henkes has been praised both as a writer and as an illustrator and is the recipient of the Children’s Literature Legacy Award for his lasting contribution to literature for children. He received the Caldecott Medal for Kitten’s First Full Moon; Caldecott Honors for Waiting and Owen; two Newbery Honors, one for Olive’s Ocean and one for The Year of Billy Miller; and Geisel Honors for Waiting and Penny and Her Marble. His other books include The World and Everything in It; A House; A Parade of Elephants; Chrysanthemum; and the beloved Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse. Kevin Henkes lives with his family in Madison, Wisconsin.

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    Reviews for Sweeping Up the Heart

    3.5/5

    26 ratings3 reviews

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    • 3/5
      Amelia wanted to spend her spring break in Florida or France but her father, who doesn’t like to travel, won’t do it. Instead her spring break turns out to be more eventful than expected. Amelia meets 12-year-old Casey at the art studio she frequents. During a game of making stories about people they see on the street, they spot a woman who looks like Amelia’s mother, who died of cancer when Amelia was 2 years old. Amelia has no memories of her but her imagination is stirred by the woman she dubs “Epiphany.” Henkes always has the ability to imbue the quiet and mundane with significant meaning. He expresses the full import of vague but insistent feelings of children.
    • 3/5
      Thank you to the publisher and edelweiss for this DRC.
      This is a sweet story about love and loss and how those two things shape our interactions with the people in our lives.
      I empathized with the main character, Amelia. I saw her clay creations, many of which were identical, as a reflection of how she was trying to hold on to what was comfortable in her life. Change can be difficult, especially when it has to do with family.
      I did feel as though Amelia presented more like a 5th grader than a 7th grader and there were many times where I thought the author could have delved farther into the story, but I appreciate the overall message.
    • 4/5
      Twelve-year-old Amelia's world is pretty small: her mother is dead, her father is emotionally distant, and she relies on the grandmotherly support of their housekeeper, Mrs. O'Brien. It's spring break, and Amelia wishes they could go to Florida (or to France, like her best friend Natalie!), but it appears that she will go no farther than the pottery studio a few blocks away, where she often spends her time losing herself in her art. When Amelia arrives at the studio that week, she meets Casey, the owner's nephew. The two form an immediate friendship -- or is it something more? -- and, on an excursion to a nearby coffee shop, they see a woman who looks surprisingly like Amelia... or, more accurately, like Amelia's mother. When Amelia continues to see the woman around the neighborhood, she starts to wonder: is this woman following Amelia? Does she have a message for her? Is Amelia's mother really dead?

      Henkes' trademark writing style is gentle, reassuring, with emotional depth, and that's definitely what you'll find in this book. From the cover and the brevity of the book, I expected it to appeal to a younger audience, but the age of the characters and the first crush element sets it in the middle grade range (ages 9-11, I'd say). That may be why it hasn't gotten a lot of attention at my library. It's also set in the spring of 1999, as there are a couple of references to Y2K. I thought maybe it had been published then, but no, it came out in 2019. I'm not sure why it needed to be set 20 years in the past, as it doesn't have a major impact on the story. All that to say, it's a sweet book, but I understand why it hasn't been flying off the shelf.

    Book preview

    Sweeping Up the Heart - Kevin Henkes

    1 • Poor Thing

    Poor Amelia Albright.

    Gordon Albright’s daughter.

    Poor thing, people said.

    It was Mrs. O’Brien who said it most often. Nearly every day.

    Right now Amelia couldn’t agree more with the sentiment. Poor me, she thought. It was the beginning of spring break. Saturday. She should have been happy, excited to be free of the curse of seventh grade for a week, but she felt a nagging disappointment in general, and sharp pinpricks of anger specifically directed toward her father.

    She’d begged him for months to take her on a trip during break. Rarely did her vacation and his fall upon the same dates. When she’d discovered that they did, in fact, coincide this year, her vision became crystal, and she’d begun her campaign for a trip to Florida. It seemed everyone at school was going to Florida, a place she’d never been. The other place she wanted to go was France, to visit her friend who was living there for a year, but she didn’t dare suggest it; his going along with that idea seemed as unlikely as her mother showing up at the front door.

    Florida? her father had said, the word placed gently, but like a roadblock, between them. Too hot.

    Too crowded, he’d said later.

    Too touristy, he’d said later still.

    He’d barely mentioned the drawing of the seashell or the ceramic dolphin she’d made and left at the door to his study.

    The last time she’d asked him, he’d pursed his lips thoughtfully, then said, You know I don’t like to travel. He sighed his typical sigh, then added in his typically measured voice, We’ll have a nice quiet time at home.

    That’s all I ever have, said Amelia. That’s my life—a nice quiet time at home. Minus the ‘nice.’

    He looked her firmly in the eye. His gaze was sympathetic, but weighty. It could be worse. I do the best I can.

    At that point she walked out of the room, knowing it was a lost cause. She didn’t want to hear it. She’d heard it too many times before. He’d say that he understood how hard it was for her. But that it was just as hard if not harder for him. How do you argue with that? Although she could never do it, one day she thought she might like to scream at him, Get over it!

    When Amelia Albright was two years old, her mother died of cancer. She didn’t remember her mother at all. The only life she knew was her life with her melancholy father and Mrs. O’Brien.

    chapter header

    2 • Mrs. O’Brien

    Mrs. O’Brien moved around the kitchen like a leaf in the wind. With a quick bouncing step, she went from the cupboard to the refrigerator to the counter to the table. She served Amelia a homemade bran muffin, a bowl of strawberries, and a glass of chocolate milk.

    What will the day hold for you? asked Mrs. O’Brien.

    Well, I won’t be getting a suntan on the beach, said Amelia.

    I know, said Mrs. O’Brien. I know. She kissed the air above Amelia’s head. Poor thing.

    Amelia ate without speaking. She picked apart the warm muffin with her fingers, then ate the pieces with a fork. No surprise: the muffin was delicious, but Amelia kept her compliments to herself. Nothing against Mrs. O’Brien. Amelia’s mood was to blame for her silence.

    Mrs. O’Brien was busy at the sink with her back to Amelia. She was an expert at gauging Amelia’s frame of mind. She knew when to probe and when to leave her alone.

    As usual, Mrs. O’Brien was wearing what Amelia thought of as her uniform: tan sweatpants, puffy white shoes that reminded Amelia of marshmallows, a baggy short-sleeved men’s polo shirt in a pastel color, and her pearl necklace. Her hair was the shape and color of a mushroom cap.

    Mrs. O’Brien seemed ageless. She looked the same as she did when she first came to cook and clean ten years ago. It was an interesting arrangement. Mrs. O’Brien lived across the street, but she was at the Albrights’ every day. As reliable as the sun, she arrived before Amelia got up in the morning. And she didn’t leave until Amelia had gone to bed at night.

    Where’s the Professor? Amelia asked suddenly.

    Mrs. O’Brien turned from the sink toward Amelia. Sunlight caught the side of her face, making her look ethereal. Your father’s at his office on campus. He left early.

    Amelia rolled her eyes. It figures, she said. "Who else would be working during break? And, it’s Saturday."

    Now, now.

    "I mean, it would be one thing if he were curing some disease or ending world hunger. But he’s probably just sitting at his messy desk in his dark office reading Jane Austen or The Canterbury Tales for the five hundredth time. For fun!" she added bitterly.

    Mrs. O’Brien laughed. She approached Amelia and touched her lightly on her arm, gave a gentle squeeze. She left her hand there for an extra moment as if to absorb all bad feelings. I do wish Natalie were home.

    Me, too.

    Natalie Vandermeer was Amelia’s best friend. She was gone for the whole school year. The Vandermeers were living in France and wouldn’t be back until August. Amelia missed Natalie terribly. At first they stayed in touch regularly with postcards and letters sent back and forth. But as the weeks and months passed, their communication was less and less frequent. She hoped they were still best friends.

    What would lift your spirits? asked Mrs. O’Brien.

    Amelia shrugged. She knew that she could make any request and Mrs. O’Brien would try her best to fulfill it. Mrs. O’Brien was the adult in her life who made her feel most safe, most cared for. Amelia wore Mrs. O’Brien’s loving watchfulness like a protective cloak. I’m going to the clay studio. Hopefully that’ll lift my spirits.

    When will you be home?

    I don’t know. I’ll call you.

    What about lunch?

    I’ll figure it out. The Professor gave me money yesterday.

    Amelia finished breakfast quickly, put her dishes in the sink, threw on her jacket, slung her backpack over her shoulder, yelled goodbye, and was out the door.

    Make something pretty for me, called Mrs. O’Brien.

    chapter header

    3 • Knobby Knees

    The clay studio was Amelia’s second home, especially with Natalie away. It was only five blocks from her house, in the middle of a row of small, neat, brick-faced shops that also included a grocery, a coffee shop, an antique store, a florist’s, and a dry-cleaning business.

    Amelia had been introduced to the studio when she was six. Her father had enrolled her in an after-school program. Something clicked the very first day of that very first class. From the moment she plunged

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