Awards
2003 Michael L. Printz Award Honor Book
Synopses & Reviews
Ellen loves Link and James. Her older brother and his best friend are the only company she ever wants. She knows they fight, but she makes it a policy never to take sides. She loves her brother, the math genius and track star. She is totally, madly in love with James, his face full of long eyelashes and hidden smiles. “When you grow out of it,” James teases her, “you will break my heart.”
Ellen knows shell never outgrow it. Shell always love James just the way shell always love Link. Then someone at school asks if Link and James might be in love with each other. A simple question.
Link refuses to discuss it. James refuses to stay friends with a boy so full of secrets. Ellens parents want Link to keep his secrets to himself, but Ellen wants to know who her brother really is. When is curiosity a betrayal? And if James says he loves her, isnt that just another way of saying he still loves Link?
My Heartbeat is a fast, furious story in which a quirky triangle learns to change its shape and Ellen, at least, learns the limits of what you can ever know about whom you love.
Review
'\"Narrator Ellen learns about love, family and \'society\'s unwritten rules\' in this sophisticated but gentle novel.\"'
Review
"The fast, clipped dialog will sweep teens into the story, as will Ellen's immediate first-person, present-tense narrative, 'curious, careful, kind, and intense.' The family dynamics are just as compelling as the love and friendship drama, especially Ellen's bewilderment about the unwritten laws that can make people strangers even within the family they love."
Review
'\"...it will engage teen readers to the very last page.\"'
Review
"Narrator Ellen learns about love, family and 'society's unwritten rules' in this sophisticated but gentle novel." —
Publishers Weekly, Starred
"A tightly constructed novel about love, family, and the ambiguities of sexual identity." —School Library Journal, Starred
"Freyman-Weyr writes an astonishing combination of delicacy and clarity of the genuine complexity of family (and all) relationships." —The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, Starred
"Freymann-Weyr sets up a riveting love triangle. As in the author's first novel, When I Was Older, one of the standout qualities is the protagonist's fresh, vital tone." —Horn Book, Starred
"The fast, clipped dialog will sweep teens into the story, as will Ellens immediate first-person, present-tense narrative, 'curious, careful, kind, and intense.' The family dynamics are just as compelling as the love and friendship drama, especially Ellens bewilderment about the unwritten laws that can make people strangers even within the family they love." —Booklist, ALA, Starred Review
"...it will engage teen readers to the very last page." —Kirkus Reviews
Synopsis
Garret Freymann-Weyr's Printz Honor winner and classic of LGBTQ literature about a quirky love triangle that learns to change its shape, the family pressures surrounding "coming out," and the boundless nature of love, celebrates ten years in print in its first Graphia paperback edition.
Synopsis
Ellens older brother and his best friend are the only company she ever wants. She
loves her brother, but she is totally, madly in love with James. Then someone at school
asks if Link and James might be in love with each other.
Link wont discuss it, but James doesnt want secrets. Ellen just wants to know who
her brother really is.
This new edition includes an introduction by Michael Cart and an afterword from
the author.
About the Author
Garret Freymann-Weyr grew up in New York City and often sets her books there. She went to college at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill and received an MFA in film from New York University. She has written four books for young adults, including My Heartbeat, which won a Printz Honor for excellence in literature for young adults. Her books have been published in numerous countries including the Netherlands, Japan, and China. She currently lives outside Washington, D. C., with her husband. She has said that the best way to get ideas is to read a lot. That gets you thinking in terms of story, character, and image.