120:." Joel agrees to recite the longer, more difficult poem. At first, Joel is excited, but he has difficulty remembering the lines. Joel's mother and Asa agree on Asa's reciting the poem alone while Joel's mother takes him away, unaware of Asa's solo recitation. Joel shows up on the day of the recital, and Asa, for sake of his friendship, switches back to "Little Blue Boy," which Joel remembers perfectly.
136:
Jean confesses her love to Asa by giving him two candy hearts that say "I love you, I love you," only to find out that Asa would no longer be with her. Asa later calls Jean on the phone but Jean pretends as if nothing has happened between them. When Asa mentions the heart candies, Jean asks, "What Hearts?" Asa realizes the world is ever changing, and that he has to learn to adjust with it.
116:
They move to North
Carolina to Dave's home. In the second story, he is in the fourth grade where he makes a lot of friends. His mother is now married to Dave, but Asa has difficulty accepting Dave as his stepfather. One day at school, Asa is assigned to recite a poem called "Little Blue Boy" with his friend Joel. He does not like the poem, so he plans to recite "
135:
In the fourth story, Asa is in love with Jean, his classmate since the fifth grade whom he finally befriends in the seventh grade. Asa confesses his love to Jean and just as he reaches home that day, he learns that he and his mother are moving, due to his mother's separation from Dave. The next day,
115:
The book tells four stories of Asa's childhood. When Asa comes home with straight A's and hand-grown radishes in the first grade, he learns that his parents are getting a divorce. He moves with his mother to meet her boyfriend Dave, with whom he does not get along, due to Dave's being mean to him.
228:"What Hearts." Dictionary of American Children's Fiction, 1990-1994: Books of Recognized Merit. Alethea K. Helbig and Agnes Regan Perkins. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1996. 361-362. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 31 Mar. 2015.
127:
after practicing with his stepfather and his mother for weeks. A day before his tryout, his mother has an accident with pills. It is later revealed that his mother is suffering from depression. The family moves to
208:
claimed, "Effectively revealing the psychological burdens of an intelligent, sensitive child, this book remains honest and intense from beginning to end."
153:: Asa's mother has a difficult relationship with Asa's father, and later with Dave, Asa's stepfather. She falls into depression because of this.
302:
159:: Dave is Asa's mother's childhood sweetheart, whom she marries after divorcing Asa's father. Dave is mean and does not like his stepson Asa.
29:
297:
107:. It contains four interrelated stories about a 12-year-old boy, Asa, who faces different challenges through stages of his childhood.
307:
292:
274:
171:: Jean is Asa's love interest from the fifth grade, to whom he finally confesses his feelings in the seventh grade.
57:
129:
147:: Asa is the main character, going through different turning points as he learns to move with the changes.
124:
117:
251:
N.V. "What Hearts." Horn Book
Magazine 69.1 (1993): 89. Academic Search Complete. Web. 21 Apr. 2015
191:) Fanfare Honor List 1993 Teachers' Choices (IRA) 1993 Books for the Teen Age (NY Public Library)
209:
204:
184:
28:
261:
238:
275:
http://www.booksinprint.com/DetailedView.aspx?hreciid=%7C2129591%7C32079571&mc=USA
286:
180:
100:
85:
104:
39:
188:
123:
Another turning point takes place when Asa is eleven. He tries out for
212:
reports that the book is "Original in structure and subtle in scope."
81:
73:
63:
53:
45:
35:
132:, and Asa misses his chance to play baseball.
187:1993 Best Books for Young Adults (ALA) 1993 (
8:
165:: Joel is Asa's friend in the fourth grade.
19:
202:received positive responses from critics.
27:
18:
221:
7:
14:
185:ALA Notable Books for Children
1:
298:Newbery Honor-winning works
324:
303:American children's novels
16:1992 novel by Bruce Brooks
26:
125:Little League Baseball
308:1992 children's books
101:Newbery Honor-winning
58:Children's literature
293:1992 American novels
103:children's novel by
23:
210:Horn Book Magazine
195:Critical reception
86:John Newbery Medal
205:Publishers Weekly
91:
90:
74:Publication place
315:
277:
272:
266:
265:
258:
252:
249:
243:
242:
235:
229:
226:
65:Publication date
31:
24:
323:
322:
318:
317:
316:
314:
313:
312:
283:
282:
281:
280:
273:
269:
260:
259:
255:
250:
246:
237:
236:
232:
227:
223:
218:
197:
177:
142:
113:
69:October 1, 1992
66:
17:
12:
11:
5:
321:
319:
311:
310:
305:
300:
295:
285:
284:
279:
278:
267:
253:
244:
230:
220:
219:
217:
214:
196:
193:
176:
173:
141:
138:
118:The Highwayman
112:
109:
89:
88:
83:
79:
78:
75:
71:
70:
67:
64:
61:
60:
55:
51:
50:
47:
43:
42:
37:
33:
32:
15:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
320:
309:
306:
304:
301:
299:
296:
294:
291:
290:
288:
276:
271:
268:
263:
262:"What Hearts"
257:
254:
248:
245:
240:
239:"What Hearts"
234:
231:
225:
222:
215:
213:
211:
207:
206:
201:
194:
192:
190:
189:The Horn Book
186:
182:
181:Newbery Honor
174:
172:
170:
166:
164:
160:
158:
154:
152:
148:
146:
139:
137:
133:
131:
126:
121:
119:
110:
108:
106:
102:
98:
96:
87:
84:
80:
77:United States
76:
72:
68:
62:
59:
56:
52:
48:
44:
41:
38:
34:
30:
25:
22:
270:
256:
247:
233:
224:
203:
199:
198:
178:
168:
167:
162:
161:
156:
155:
151:Asa's Mother
150:
149:
144:
143:
134:
122:
114:
105:Bruce Brooks
94:
93:
92:
40:Bruce Brooks
20:
200:What Hearts
95:What Hearts
21:What Hearts
287:Categories
216:References
140:Characters
99:is a 1992
46:Language
130:Raleigh
49:English
175:Awards
97:(1992)
82:Awards
36:Author
183:1993
179:1993
54:Genre
169:Jean
163:Joel
157:Dave
111:Plot
145:Asa
289::
264:.
241:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
