**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.