Heartbeat is a short novel by Sharon Creech. It has an interesting-looking cover with a curious and attractive title. It is written in verse rather than the standard prose used in most novels. Each chapter is a poem and each of these links together to form the story. The language used is very simple and contains few detailed descriptions. People of a younger age-group will easily understand it. I find that the title is not of very significant relevance to the story. The story itself does not contain any major plot; it seems to be centred on the birth a new baby. Much of it however is just the day-to-day events of a few months of the main character’s life.

The book is written almost like the diary of a girl of about 12. Her name is Annie; she loves running and enjoys drawing. Her mother is expecting a baby soon and her grandpa is a source of knowledge. She and her friend Max often run together.

The book then continues on with the next couple of months in her life: school, running and sacrificing for her friend.

I didn’t really enjoy the book very much. I felt it was a little too short and did not consist of enough detail. I had only just ‘got into’ the book when it ended. I think this book will appeal to a slow reader who is looking for a day-to-day account of a young girl's life. I would only rate it 4 out of 10.