Heartbeat

The book Heartbeat, by Shannon Creech, holds a variety of different poems by the main character. She deals with the struggles of her life by running and drawing. She always runs barefoot, sometimes with one of her friends. However, although she is fast, she refuses to join track, much to the chagrin of the coach and her friend. The book is a composition of all of the poems she writes to express her complicated feelings. Creech is the author of many books that include poetry. One example of these is the book Love That Dog. That is one of my brother's favorite books. It is about a boy who is sad that his dog died, and when his class has a poetry unit, he uses poems to show his emotions. Throughout the book, the boy comes out of his shell and tries new types of poetry, thanks to his role model, poet Walter Dean Meyers. In the end, the boy, who was so confident that he would never get another pet, receives a kitten and welcomes it into his family. These books often are bitter-sweet, with sad memories but bright futures. They are well written and enjoyable.