HEARTBEAT

Creech’s brief, light, gracefully constructed portrait of Annie, who loves running and who never seems to miss a step, is readable and appealing in poetry form. Annie throws herself whole-heartedly into drawing, running barefoot in all seasons around her rural town, and observing the world. Intertwined stories about changes in Annie’s world include the wait for and birth of her new sibling, her beloved grandfather’s memory lapses, her best friend’s ambition to win a cross-country race. Contained, pleasing glimpses into a perceptive child’s mind, though without strong emotional resonance in the trajectory of the story: most readers will be unable to match Annie’s sure sense of self at 12 (“I don’t want to run in a herd”). Still, Annie leaves an impression of a cherished, familiar friend. (Fiction. 9-12)