*ARC provided by NetGalley

So many young adults are going to connect to this story of a girl who is struggling to figure out her identity and navigating changing relationships, all amidst financial troubles in her family. The author does a wonderful job of capturing the tension between worry about life changes and the hope of new beginnings that change also brings about.

Animals, family, and friends will get you through the toughest times.

A sweet little combination of fun characters and relatable storyline.

***Thanks to NetGalley for providing me a complimentary copy of WHERE THE HEART IS by Jo Knowles in exchange for my honest review.***

Rachel’s summer isn’t going as planned. Her parents are fighting about money, her best friend Micah has feelings for her and Rachel is stuck babysitting her little sister Ivy. As financial concerns grow, she worries they’ll become homeless.

Jo Knowles had a way of getting to the heart of issues that affect kids in an organic manner that never feels like A Very Important Lesson. Poverty isn’t a topic found in many middle grade books and Knowles handles the family problems in a sensitive manner as well as Rachel’s confusion about her sexual orientation.

Rachel shows strength with a classmate gets pushy with her and tries to get her to do more than she’s comfortable with. She’s strong and stubborn and flawed, but also wonderful and real. Like most thirteen-year-olds, she isn’t always kind or a good friend.

At times the pace of WHERE THE HEART IS slow and repetitive. I don’t know how many times readers want to hear the ins and outs of the farm animals quirks at Rachel’s summer job. Knowles throws in a subplot of one of the animals eventually being used for food which didn’t add to the book. I’m not sure whether WHERE THE HEART IS will be part of a series. The ending of the book also felt like an unfinished beginning.

WHERE THE HEART IS is an important book that kids who enjoy realistic fiction will devour.

This was a sweet book that my daughter and I enjoyed reading together. I gave it 3 stars because it was veryyy wordy. I think for YA, they'll lost interest. I loved the premise and love that the main character is really struggling to find herself. I think a lot of pre-teens and teens will be able to relate.

Where the Heart Is
by Jo Press

Candlewick Press

Candlewick

Middle Grade

Pub Date 02 Apr 2019


I am reviewing a copy of Where the Heart is through Candlewick Press and


It’s the first day of Summer as well as Rachel’s thirteenth birthday. Rachel is excited about going to the lake with Micah, her best friend. As summer progresses though things get more complicated the job she thought would be fun caring for the neighbors farm animals quickly becomes a challenge. She had to avoid being pecked at by the Chickens as well as dodge charging pigs at feeding time.

Her parents are more worried about money than they ever had been before. They argue about bills more intensely. Thankfully Rachel can count on Micah to help her deal with the stress. Micah wants to be more than friends with Rachel now though and she’s not sure she’s ready or even if she feels the same way. She’s not sure she ever feel that way about any boy.

I give Where the Heart is four out of five stars!


Happy Reading!

Where the Heart Is by Jo Knowles is a book about family, identity and sexuality. Rachel and Micah have been lifelong friends and Micah starts expressing to Rachel that he has feelings for her. Rachel begins to discover that she has feelings for girls and does not think she will ever be able to have feelings for boys. Then the story delves into a classmate named Cybil. Cybil starts talking to Rachel and stirring up feelings in her. While this is going on, Rachel's parents are struggling financially. They are barely making ends meat and trying to figure out how they are not going to lose their home. Through this novel you are empathizing with Rachel and her confusion about her sexuality, as well as empathizing with her parents for their financial situation. Will Rachel and Micah be friends? Can Rachel identify where she belongs?

I enjoyed this story, but at some points wished it moved a little bit faster. As a teacher, I will recommend this to the 5th/6th grade teachers at my school. Thank you NetGalley and Candlewood Press for the ARC!

I really enjoyed this book. The characters were enjoyable and the situations were realistic. I really liked seeing the main character’s struggle regarding her sexuality and her friendship with Micah. If I had one issue with the book it is that it ended very abruptly. I know the author is writing a sequel about the sister of the main character and I can’t wait for that. I definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for a cute middle grade story.

This was a wonderful story about a family struggling with financial issues, and a girl struggling with the things she feels (or doesn't feel) for her best friend. Definitely recommended.

Rachel's summer is not off to a good start; her parents don't remember her 13th birthday right away, and new neighbors move in across from her family's run down farm. They are very wealthy, and while Rachel is angry that their new home took away the sledding hill she always used, she is somewhat interested in a summer job taking care of their rescue animals, since it pays better and is less stressful than babysitting bratty young neighbors. She's glad of the money, since her parents seem to be struggling quite a bit. Rachel tries to be more helpful, taking care of her younger sister Ivy and trying not to complain about the lack of food in the house. She has a good friend, Micah, who has been by her side for years. Unfortunately, Micah "like" likes her, and she doesn't feel that way about Micah. In fact, after an encounter at a pool party with Evan, she is reminded that she really doesn't have any romantic feelings towards boys at all. Micah is okay with that, but angry that she kissed Evan and not him. Rachel's time is spent working on the neighbors farms and hanging out with friends, including Cybil, who seems really nice, but her mind is occupied with the increasingly unstable situation at home. When her parents finally let her know that they have to sell the house, Rachel isn't happy, but tries to make the best of the situation. Her friends rally around her, she manages to get her pony, Rainbow, placed with her neighbors, and life continues even though bad things happen.
Strengths: There are lots of good details about living in the country and farm chores, as well as the chain of circumstances that lead the family to have to sell their house and move into low income housing. Rachel's questioning of her sexual identity is lightly done, which I think is appropriate for books for middle school students. Her friendship with Micah is sweet, and her attempts at being a better sister and daughter are touching. This book moves along very quickly in an interesting way. I enjoyed this a lot.
Weaknesses: There are a couple of times where Rachel complains about details of her impoverished upbringing in a way that didn't feel authentic to me. I raised my daughters in a neighborhood where children ride beat up bicycles and shopping at the thrift store is what everyone does, and I frequently make a mean scalloped tuna and saltine casserole. Rachel's mother is an out-of-work librarian, and it just seemed to me that she would be used to these economies. Maybe it just hit a little too close to home!
What I really think: This hits that hard-to-define sweet spot of sad but hopeful books that my students enjoy. The sense of place and cover are great, and I can see this being very popular!

Where the Heart Is by Jo Knowles is a book about identity, family, and coming to terms with the way things are. Rachel (13) and Micah have been best friends since kindergarten and lately Micah has been hinting that his feelings are deeper than friendship. However, Rachel is not sure if she will ever have romantic feelings towards boys. This confusion grows when Cybil, another classmate, starts to take an interest in her. In addition, Rachel’s parents are having problems making ends meet this summer and they are in real danger of losing their home and their beloved pony, Rainbow. How can Rachel learn to accept her family’s financial situation as well as her own identity? Can she and Micah remain friends, even if they have feelings for others?

Rachel’s voice, and her relationship with her younger sister and parents, are both authentic and realistic. Knowles does not sugarcoat the tough family financial situation. The story moves a little slow at times, but many readers will really relate to the family’s financial crisis as well as Rachel’s own identity confusion. I will be adding this book to my middle school library. Thank you to NetGalley and Candlewood Press for an ARC of this book.