I adored thirteen-year-old Rachel, the main character in this book, her spunky eight-year-old sister Ivy and her best friend Micah that has had a lifelong crush on her. Rachel’s family is struggling financially and Rachel is trying to do her part and be the strong oldest child and big sister. However Rachel is also struggling with her identity and realizes a few things about herself that’s she’s confused by. I absolutely loved how Jo Knowles tackles the challenge of a young teenager with an identity struggle in a way that is not central to the story but still a huge part of it. Bravo! I loved it and will definitely be adding it to my classroom library

Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this book.

DNF @ 40%

While I really wanted to love this one due to it being a very diverse middle grade, the subject matter of debt and poverty is stressing me out for personal reasons and I'm just not enjoying reading it at the moment. Also, I'm finding the plot pretty boring and nothing is keeping me engaged at all.

Great coming-of-age story. Rachel isn't sure where her heart is... Her family may be losing their house that has been her home for her whole life and a piece of her heart is breaking because her parents are arguing about money and she doesn't want to lose her home. She also isn't sure where her heart is with regards to her best friend Micah. They've been best friends for as long as she can remember, but he wants more than friendship. But Rachel isn't sure she wants that with any boy. She's starting to have feelings for a girl...is her heart there? Knowles "Where the Heart Is" is a wonderfully real story about family, attraction, friendship, loss, and healing.

In this middle-grade novel, the summer holidays have begun and Rachel, who’s just turned thirteen, finds her life to be in unsettling flux. Due to the town’s budgetary constraints, her mother has recently lost her job as the local high-school librarian, and the family is suffering as a result. Even before this, finances were tight. Rachel’s and her younger sister Ivy’s clothes (to Rachel’s shame) have always come from thrift stores; the two ride junky, rattling old bikes; and gifts have often been handmade. Now, however, the sisters regularly hear their parents arguing over money, and they’re worried. A rich elderly couple, the Townsends, have moved into a newly built designer home and hobby farm across the way, and Rachel has been hired to care for the animals during the week. She has taken the job thinking she can help with the finances, but she’s troubled that at least one of the animals she’s caring for—a pig named Lucy—is being raised for meat. Rachel hopes that she might somehow intervene to save the animal’s life. Another worry for Rachel is that things are changing between her and her best friend, Micah. When the two were six, everyone thought their becoming “engaged’ was darling, but Rachel knows that she doesn’t have the right feelings for Micah. She’s not sure she has them for any boy. She’s “different”. Even so, she fears Micah will get a girlfriend and the long friendship between the two will end.

This kids’ novel is well written enough, but, boy, is it dreary. Frankly, I cannot recall the last time I read such a depressing children’s book. It tackles some fairly heavy issues: coming to grips with one’s sexual orientation; the use of animals—sentient beings—for food; and the extreme disruption of insolvency. (The family is in so much debt, they ultimately lose their house and their little pet pony, Rainbow.) I’m always worried when animals appear in stories. So often authors can’t resist killing them off. (Knowles is one of these authors unfortunately.) I can’t handle it. (An aside: Canadian-American children’s author Gordon Korman is so well aware of this phenomenon in kids’ lit that he titled one of his novels <i>No More Dead Dogs.</i>)

Knowles’s protagonist, Rachel, is not a particularly appealing or sympathetic character. Fairly or not, I quickly grew exasperated with her concern about how others looked upon her hand-me-down and thrift-store clothes. I know this character is of an entirely different generation from mine; nevertheless, Rachel’s complaining just rubbed me the wrong way. I also found the melancholy tone and the girl’s preoccupation with the past surprising and unsettling. (It’s more what you’d expect from someone nearing death, not a child.)

Knowles deserves some credit for addressing issues that are of genuine concern to middle-grade kids, and there may be indeed be an audience for this book. Having said that, I really cannot recommend it. I was actually relieved to turn the final page.

Thanks to the Goodreads Giveaway Program and the publisher for providing me with a free copy.

I was worried about this as a Middle Grade story at first because the MC was thirteen and the Netgalley summary made it sound like she was trying to decide whether she liked boys enough to have sex with her friend, but although it was about sexuality, it wasn't about sex; which proves MG stories can be written with those budding amorous feelings included, without making things sexual. The story also wove in the dynamics of different families, and how change, to what seems the worse senerio, can be navigated better in a supportive group; whether it be family... or friends. The writing was fabulous, too. Plus, they ate peanut butter and mayo sandwiches, I love peanut butter and mayo sandwiches! The MC also understood how comforting the smell of a horse's velvety nose is. I will be searching out and reading all of this author's titles.

As always, Jo Knowles gets you right in the heart. Another middle grade hit from one of my students’ favorite authors.

A tender book that explores friendship and family and where we fit. Rachel struggles with her feelings for her best friend - Micah promised to marry her when they were six, and it's pretty clear that he still feels the same way now, as they're getting ready for middle school. But she doesn't *like* like him. In fact, she's not sure she *like* likes anyone at all, despite Micah's questions about whether maybe, possibly, she likes girls instead of boys. In addition to her (very middle-grade appropriate) relationship issues, Rachel is also worried about her parents. They fight all the time about money, and judging by the contents of the pantry, it's a valid concern. Rachel and her sister Ivy, along with Micah and a cast of friends (and animals) spend the summer figuring out what things matter most. An engaging read that I think my students will love, both because of the rural setting, and because it has some sad parts.

This is a book that stays with the reader. The main character's life is in a time of flux like many of the readers this book is aimed at. She is questioning everything from what home means to what it means to be a good family member, to identity issues. Jo Knowles writes believable characters who you will root for. There are no one dimensional people here or villains. There are only people with flaws and difficulties that you root for everything to work out for the best. I could not put this book down.

Review copy courtesy of NetGalley.

The book skewed a little too old for my elementary library taste.

Another win from Jo Knowles! Absolutely loved this sweet story. About a family faces with a financial hardship and a 13-year old with a big heart. XO

Rachel's excited for the summer as she's got a new summer job and a best friend to spend time with. But, as her parents begin to worry more and more about paying the bills, the next door neighbor's pig keeps charging her at dinnertime, and her best friend Micah wants to be more than just friends, Rachel realizes that this summer might be more than she can handle.

I love Jo Knowles work - she tells it like it is, life can be difficult and there aren't often easy answers, but in the end, she writes with a little bit of hope and light. Although this story tackles a lot of different topics, Jo writes with a deft hand and is able to focus on each one as necessary - a family dealing with a limited income, a young girl dealing with friendship, crushes, and jealousy. This is a beautiful coming of ages story with a girl who searches for where she fits in.

Three years ago, I read See You at Harry's, Jo Knowles’ most popular middle grade book and perhaps her best known work overall. I enjoyed it, though I confess I never wrote anything about it and so I don’t remember specific reactions to it. But I remembered Jo Knowles as a good writer of middle grade, and so when I saw her latest release up on Netgalley, I requested it. I’m not even sure I read the summary very intently, though if I had, it’s pretty clear why I clicked request–it suggests the main character is some sort of LGBTQIAP.

I kind of devoured this book. Knowles balances essentially two major threads: Rachel witnessing her family’s financial crisis, and her figuring out her sexuality and relationship to her friends. (There are also chapters earlier on about her job taking care of the new neighbor’s animals, but this eventually sort of combines with her family’s situation.) I was very invested in both of these and so when I saw the next chapter was going to progress one of the storylines, I had to keep reading.

Rachel lives on a farm with her parents, her younger sister Ivy, and an old pony named Rainbow. They’re within biking distance from the beach, where her classmates hang out, with Ivy often included because her friends are away at summer camp which her family can’t afford. At the beginning, new neighbors move in, and Rachel can tell immediately that they have more money. Rachel’s home life comes from less money than her classmates, especially since her mother recently lost a job as a school librarian because of budget cuts (booo, school librarians are so important!!), and this self-consciousness plagues her. She knows her parents whisper and argue about money and their mortgage. Her clothes come from thrift stores or were given away, and she’s always aware how she doesn’t have the name brands other students do and that she only has a singular one-piece bathing suit. She wants the money she makes taking care of the new neighbor’s animals to help her family out. All of this was heartbreaking but so realistic, and definitely will be relatable to many kids out there (including me, honestly, though I acknowledge my situation has never been as dire).

Meanwhile, Rachel’s a thirteen-year-old dealing with everything that entails, including her classmates starting to flirt and have crushes and date. When she was little, she and her best friend Micah said they would be together forever, and while Micah definitely likes her…she doesn’t feel the same way him. In fact, she’s not sure she likes anyone (but if you’re looking for asexual representation, this isn’t it). But she’s afraid of being different and losing him as a friend, especially since Micah seems to be interested in a new girl. Even though her situation seems fairly progressive–they had an LGBT-inclusive health class, and two boys in her grade are dating–so it’s the internal struggle of figuring out herself that is focused on, and I really appreciated that. This is also the first middle grade I’ve read with multiple queer characters actual of the same age as the main character, which I loved; there’s the two boys I mentioned earlier, and another girl Rachel reconnects with who says she has crushes on people regardless of gender, but doesn’t claim a label. (It gives me so much hope for the kids out there!)

(Spoilers ahead, perhaps!) Ultimately, this is the secondary plot, and with everything that starts to happen with Rachel’s family, she can’t focus much on exploring her sexuality. She definitely has feelings for the girl I mentioned above, and there’s a promise of more to come at the end, which I really liked, especially as some middle grade books feature queer girls who end up crushing on girls who don’t have or aren’t capable of feeling the same way. She doesn’t claim a label, either, and is pretty frustrated when Micah keeps pushing her in the direction of coming out (as gay, it is implied). But I was kind of disappointed about the general lack of disregard of labels in the book, especially since as far as I know, it isn’t #ownvoices. Rachel’s says her health teacher gave them a list of sexuality labels, which she found confusing because it was so much information at once, and the other girl says she’s not into labels. It just veered a little too close to an adult’s attempt at “kids these days and their labels for everything” with some “I saw that article that Gen X kids are saying they’re queer or fluid instead of specific labels” for my liking. At least acknowledging some possibilities of some labels and desperately trying to find representation out there, rings truer to me. It makes sense this was avoided because it wasn’t the focus of the novel as it continued, but…this tends to be a recurring issue with girls in media, and it repeats itself here. The boys have no problem saying “we knew we were gay,” after all.

However, I also really connected emotionally with Rachel as her family’s situation became more serious and apparent to her. Unfortunately, I do think the cover spoils some of that, and I’m glad I didn’t look too closely at it, but I had the advantage of reading it digitally. Still, the emotional rollercoaster the whole family went on and the fact they can get through it, even if things will change, brings about some hope. I also loved Rachel’s relationship with her parents and her sister. They loved and care for each other, but there are also arguments and fights.

Where the Heart Is a worthy addition to the middle grade canon and tackles financial hardship head-on, with all the complicated feelings that arise. I wish it was a little more nuanced about queerness, but I still think many kids will see themselves in this, and thankfully it’s joined by quite a few other MG books featuring queer girls!

A thoughtful, well written story about finding your own self in the world. I loved how she wrote about the relationship between the sisters.

Heart-warming and engaging, I thoroughly enjoyed this story of finding your place and yourself. Lots of readers will easily relate to the financial struggles experienced by Rachel’s family and many readers will also see themselves in Rachel’s identity struggles. A timely and important book.

I had the opportunity to read a NetGalley digital ARC of this middle grade novel in exchange for a review. Just in time for summer, this story opens on the first day of summer on Rachel’s thirteenth birthday. Just the fact that she has all of summer rolling out in front of her seems like an amazing birthday gift. But as the hot, lazy days play out, she has more stress and tension than fun, playful times.
Middle grade kids will definitely be able to relate to the problems that seem to pile up in Rachel’s life – an annoying younger sister who enjoys stinking up the bathroom before Rachel’s turn to brush her teeth, a summer job taking care of the new neighbors’ farm animals that has plenty of challenges, and the changing nature of friendships that has Rachel questioning who she’s supposed to “like” and how she’s supposed to feel about it. On top of all of those typical adolescent stressors, there is the growing financial distress that her family is experiencing and her parents’ increased arguments that grow out of the worries.
Jo Knowles, as in her other middle grade novels like See You at Harry’s and Still a Work in Progress, does a great job of bring authenticity to the characters and their reactions to their challenges. Kids understand the anxiety of not having a new bathing suit to wear to the big pool party, the strange feeling of adolescent mood swings in the face of new problems and feeling like others are pushing you to have more serious relationships than you’re ready for. I also like the positive ways that Rachel deals with her emotions that takes into consideration the feelings of those around her.
I also think that while the book deals with mature themes (deciding whether you’re attracted to boys or girls), the subject is dealt with in a very sensitive and age appropriate manner. This is a book I would recommend for kids in grades six and up.

This excellent middle grade fiction book is about 13 year old Rachel, who is starting off her summer at home with her younger sister and a lot of things to worry about. Her best friend, Micah is acting weird (he wants to be more than just friends), her parents are acting weird (they are shouting at each or having whispered arguments about money), and she's a little mad that people have built a house across the street from their house where they used to sled and ride bikes. This is a terrific story for talking about changes (the ones we choose and the ones that are thrust upon us). Rachel is a terrific character and the story makes you feel like you could be best friends with her. I think the kids are going to love this one.

I really enjoyed this book because it accurately depicted how confusing it can be to be a 13-year-old girl. As if dealing with changes in her body weren’t enough, Rachel is given the challenge of trying to fit in, overcoming the embarrassment of her thrift store threads, and helping her parents earn money to keep their house. Growing up can be far more complex than people assume and this book highlights that concept.

Life is tough. That’s what 13-year-old Rachel is learning. She loves her parents and (mostly) her little sister Ivy. She loves the farm where they live, even if it is a bit rundown. And she loves her best friend Micah. But things in her life are changing, and she’s not sure she’s ready.

For one, the kids from school are changing. Instead of just hanging out together and being friends, they are starting to become couples. Micah wants them to be a couple, but Rachel is confused. She wishes it were that easy, that she could have feelings for her best friend and start dating like the rest of the kids in her class. But she just doesn’t feel that way, and maybe she’s not really ready to feel that way about anyone. That makes her worry that her friends, and especially Micah, are going to move forward and leave her behind. Everything about the situation makes Rachel feel sad and confused and lonely.

As if that wasn’t enough, her parents have been fighting a lot lately, and almost always about money. Rachel wished she could do more to help out. She has a summer job on the farm across the street, taking care of a handful of animals during the week. She feeds the two horses and the mean pig Lucy who seems to hate her, she gathers eggs and feeds the chickens, and she feeds the young cow Ferdinand and walks him around the field. She enjoys her time with the animals but also wishes she could do more to help her family.

As the summer passes by, Rachel learns that despite the changes that life brings, friendship and family are forever. And while you may think of a place as home, home can also be something more, something you can carry with you wherever you go and whoever you choose to become.

Where the Heart Is is a moving, powerful, touching story of a teenager’s struggle with the circumstances of life and how they influence our choices. As she discovers her identity as a friend, as a big sister, as a daughter, and as a young woman, Rachel struggles honestly with anxiety, sadness, and loss. Jo Knowles’ middle grade novel of loss and hope is a bittersweet tale of losing almost everything but finding yourself.

This is a difficult book and not for all kids. It deals with some mature themes, such as poverty and the fluidity of gender roles and sexuality. It can also be a lovely teaching tool about those same issues for young readers who are ready to tackle such topics. Where the Heart Is is compassionate and powerful, personal and universal, and bitter and sweet.

Galleys for Where the Heart Is were provided by Candlewick Press through NetGalley, with many thanks.

This is a quick read about a summer in Rachel’s life. Rachel and little sister, Ivy, and her parents struggle with money and face foreclosure on their home. Rachel is also wondering about her sexual identity. The author handles this struggle with taste and class so that the book is well suited for the middle grades. As with all of the author’s books, her characters come to life and are easily identifiable and relatable.

I am seeing this everywhere - the cover, blog posts but I hate to be rude but it did nothing for me. It was sad - and I know the author just did a blog post about that - but more than that...nothing really happened. The main character is confused, she works for the neighbors taking care of their pets, her family loses their house, they move. I don't know - just not enough something for me.