Heaven

by Angela Johnson and Andrea J. Johnson

Book Overview

Coretta Scott King Award-winning author Angela Johnson writes a poignant young adult novel of deception, self-discovery, and knowing what to do when truth is at hand.

You never know what's gonna come down--in Heaven.At fourteen, Marley knows she has

Momma's hands and Pops's love for ice cream, that her brother doesn't get on her nerves too much, and that Uncle Jack is a big mystery. But Marley doesn't know all she...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 144240342X
• ISBN13: 9781442403420
• Release Date: January 2010
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
• Length: 160 Pages
• Weight: 0.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.5" x 8.5"
• Age Range: 12 to 15 years
• Grade Range: Grades 7 to 10

Customer Reviews

i'm in HEAVEN when I read this book

This is a really great book because it is short and sweet. It has a good moral, that you don't have to be one's biological daughter or son to love the people you call mom and dad. It is a truly touching and well- written story. I think most people who read it will like it.

Identity is everything

Identiy is everything, even in Heaven. Whether or not life is happy, indivuduals need to know who they! This novel makes that point elegantly. Moreover, it clearly aruges the case for honesty, something young adults crave! This is an excellent novel for any age.

It's a great book

I think this is a very interesting book because the story ends up being something that you never would have thought. As I read the title "Heaven" I didn't think it would be the name of a town. I thought more of a wonderful place to go. I enjoyed reading this book and would recommend it to my friends.

A great book for teens!

I believe this Coretta Scott King Award winning book is a refreshing departure from most books about African Americans. It shows no drug use, nor violence and no one is living in an urban ghetto. Instead it shows a loving nuclear family who has normal ups and downs, and it even shows a very RESPONSIBLE single father! Written in first person, it feels as if you are really experiencing life through the eyes of a 14 year old. And even though I have not been adopted, I can certainly relate to Marley's dismay at the traumatic revelation - when everything you once thought true suddenly changes. My only problem with the book is with the storyline about Marley's girl friend. What was the real reason behind Shoogy's hurting herself and why did she dislike her family so much? Johnson seemed to let the storyline about the girl drop rather then bringing it to some sort of conclusion. But in all, I found "Heaven" to be satisfying and unique. There is almost no references to race in this book, letting the fact that she is Black just to be a given, and making Marley's struggle for self-discovery a universal story that would cross all color lines as an issue that any teenage girl (or boy?) could identify with.