Once again, I'm catching up with another (nearly missed) #BlogTourTuesday stop. This one is for How to Build a Heart by Maria Padian.
The story focuses on Izzy. Since her father was tragically killed while deployed, she and her mom and brother have moved often and been trying to find someplace to call home. At their newest stop, Izzy loves her school. However, even though she finds friends and a boyfriend, she's doing this with a secret. She's on scholarship, and she doesn't have the privilege that the other students do. Her family has also been selected for a Habitat for Humanity build. While exciting, Izzy doesn't want to be the face of this project, especially because she doesn't want her classmates to find out who she really is. She especially doesn't want her boyfriend to know as she's never had a relationship like this. This book explores the complexities of one girl's story. She is in some ways living multiple lives and cannot live her full truth in any of them. Like many young adult reads, I think about when I was the target audience. This is definitely a story I would have been drawn to. I would have liked the love story overlayed with the difficulties of Izzy trying to find herself.
MOST ANTICIPATED / BEST OF LISTS:
Children’s Book Council: “Hot Off the Press: February 2020”
Latinos in Publishing: “January 2020 Latinx Releases”
Kirkus Reviews: “11 Early Books We Love”
Kirkus Reviews: “16 Books We Can’t Wait For in 2020”
“A Pretty In Pink story about grief, family, class, and first love.”
—Bustle
