Sweeping Up the Heart

From two-time Newbery Honor and New York Times–bestselling author Kevin Henkes, this timeless novel about loss, loneliness, and friendship tells the story of the spring break that changes seventh-grader Amelia Albright’s life forever.

Amelia Albright dreams about going to Florida for spring break like everyone else in her class, but her father—a cranky and stubborn English professor—has decided Florida is too much adventure.

Now Amelia is stuck at home with him and her babysitter, the beloved Mrs. O’Brien. The week ahead promises to be boring, until Amelia meets Casey at her neighborhood art studio. Amelia has never been friends with a boy before, and the experience is both fraught and thrilling. When Casey claims to see the spirit of Amelia’s mother (who died ten years before), the pair embarks on an altogether different journey in their attempt to find her.

Using crisp, lyrical, literary writing and moments of humor and truth, award-winning author Kevin Henkes deftly captures how it feels to be almost thirteen.

With themes of family, death, grief, creativity, and loyalty, Sweeping Up the Heart is for readers of Kate DiCamillo, Rebecca Stead, Lauren Wolk, Kimberly Brubaker Bradley, and Pam Muñoz Ryan.

What happens when your first friend is a boy who claims he can see your mother’s ghost?

• First Friendship with a Boy: Amelia has never been friends with a boy before. Meeting Casey at the art studio is thrilling, confusing, and might be exactly what she needs.
• Grief and Healing: For years, Amelia has lived with the quiet loneliness of losing a mother she can’t remember. But Casey’s strange claim opens a door she never thought to knock on.
• An Unforgettable Mystery: Is the woman Casey sees a ghost, a stranger, or something else entirely? Their search for the truth will test their new friendship and everything Amelia believes about her family.
• The Power of Art: The clay studio is Amelia’s safe haven, a place where she can shape her world. It’s where her journey begins and where she discovers she’s not as alone as she thought.