Product Description

Run run run.

That's what twelve-year-old Annie loves to do. When she's barefoot and running, she can hear her heart beating . . . thump-THUMP, thump-THUMP. It's a rhythm that makes sense in a year when everything's shifting: Her mother is pregnant, her grandfather is forgetful, and her best friend, Max, is always moody. Everything changes over time, just like the apple Annie's been assigned to draw. But as she watches and listens, Annie begins to understand the many rhythms of life, and how she fits within them.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #39788 in Books
• Published on: 2005-10-01
• Released on: 2005-09-27
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 208 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780060540241
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

From School Library Journal
Grade 4-7 A tenderhearted story told in spare, free-verse poems. Annie, 12, takes great pleasure in running, but has no interest in racing or becoming a member of a team. For her, the pure joy comes from feeling the earth beneath her bare feet and the wind in her face. The experience is totally different for her moody friend and running partner, Max. For him, running is a way to escape his personal problems. Annie's comfortable, tightly knit world begins to unravel when she learns that her mother is pregnant and she becomes increasingly aware that her beloved Grandpa, a former champion racer, is slipping into dementia. She is a resourceful, self-possessed kid who takes comfort in the familiar but is able to face change and take it in stride. She marvels at the new life taking shape in her midst (her father provides month-by-month summations of the baby's development) and mourns the loss of her grandfather's strong and nurturing wisdom. School, art class, and chores appear throughout the verses, creating an everyday rhythm that matches the footfalls of this engaging heroine who loves to move, but who is willing to stop and smell the roses. Readers will enjoy meeting Annie, her family, and friends and will appreciate her resilience and spirit. This is vintage Creech, and its richness lies in its sheer simplicity.--Luann Toth, School Library Journal
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
Gr. 3-6. "I love to run / but I don't want to run / in a herd," avows 11-year-old Annie, the free-spirited, ruminative narrator of Creech's second novel in verse. Annie's nonconformist outlook has raised tensions with her running buddy, Max, who can't understand why Annie won't join him on the track team. In the meantime, Annie's mother is pregnant, which thrills Annie but brings her grandfather's failing health into painful focus. In the midst of these shifting relationships, a creative teacher's school assignment offers solace and, as in Love That Dog (2001), an opportunity for self-discovery: Annie must draw a single apple each day for 100 days. The symbolism of the apple seems belabored, and the story's gentle momentum will probably hook only the most thoughtful young readers. But like the apple Annie draws, this story is a lovingly crafted, miniature landscape, which will find its most passionate advocates among Creech's numerous adult fans. Jennifer Mattson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review
'A writer of extraordinary perception, Sharon Creech has created a novel which generates considerable compassionate empathy for Annie, the central character, who is trying to understand her role in life wonderful to read in one session' Carousel

Customer Reviews

Exquisite book- great for reluctant readers and more
It is so rare to find a book told from the point of view of a 12 year old that anybody over 12 could bear to read! This book is a great book for reluctant readers- told in a loose poem form, it is highly readable, moves along quickly, and has a wonderful rhythm to it. It is wonderful for children whose life is in flux (which means just about all 10-13 year olds- a tough age for books, as they have outgrown a lot of the children's books but are not necessarily ready for young adult books). Lots of emotional issues flow through the book, but it is still a good choice for children who are uncomfortable with too much intensity in books, as the writing is light and nuanced and the issues are handled with care. However, as another reviewer noted, it is completely different from Walk Two Moons. In our house, that was a good thing, but if you have major WTM fans in your house you might want to look at the preview pages first.

Simple writing that resonates
Annie loves to run and draw. When her teacher assigns them to draw 100 pictures of the same apple, Annie begins to see things in different ways. Her grandfather's forgetfulness and the baby growing inside her mother are part of a rhythm, a heartbeat, that Annie begins to explore.

Simple writing underscores it's profound themes. Destined to become a classic.

Wow!
Wow. Amazing narrative poetry of a very self-aware young girl. Annie is a runner and an artist. Her mother is expecting a new baby, her grandfather has Alzheimer's and is slowly slipping away, and she spends a lot of time with her neighbor and competitive friend Max. The novel made charming use of footnotes and grammar. It's a poignant and beautifully told tale, with simplicity and heart. I wept. It was beautiful.