Review of Strong Heart

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Anna Wodzynska
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Review of Strong Heart

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[Following is a volunteer review of "Strong Heart" by Charlie Sheldon.]
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4 out of 4 stars
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Strong heart is an action-packed adventure story written by Charlie Sheldon. The story begins on a rainy day with an eerie introduction of the protagonist, Sarah Cooley. She is spontaneously dropped of at her grandfather’s place by her grandmother named Ruth. She has not lived with Ruth for an entire week before being dropped of at her grandfathers home. Tom, her grandfather is shocked with her existence and caught off guard. He does not know what to do with her but agrees to take her in under his roof. Sarah is a 13-year-old girl who is irritated and annoyed at everything and everyone; however, the only thing that she keeps on her is her sketchbook. This story is a story of Sarah, of her talents, skills, and growth.

In the beginning, Sarah is portrayed as a girl who has no place to belong, and goes on this journey, with people she has never met before, in finding herself. Along the way, she also helps them in discovering themselves. In the beginning of their journey together, she portrays her strong personality by being disobedient and irksome. She is displeased with the situation she is in and does her best to get out of it, until eventually she runs away, which will be the start of her journey. This is a beautiful story, in which you can travel as Sarah. Once you start reading, you will not want to put the book down because you simply must know what happens next. You will also find that this story is not predictable and that many twists and turns occur throughout the whole journey.

There was a moment in the book that I was a bit frustrated and was asking myself if I am still reading the same book. It was an uncomfortable feeling and a bit unruly. I had to be a bit patient with the reading and simply wait until I would come across Sarah’s name again. For quite a while I felt like this section of the book could be a book on its own. After a few chapters, I was able to return to Sarah and her company. It was not until then that I was able to appreciate the previous chapters and the depth and value it brought in the end.

My official rating is 4 out of 4 stars because the pull I felt throughout the book was unique and very real. I was not expecting to be so riveted in the book. If I could, I would give this a 3.5 out of 4 stars rating because it was a bit disorderly for a few chapters and it did make me feel a bit irritated. When I was reading those chapters, I thought that my official rating will be 3 out of 4 stars, however, to my surprise, it did serve a good purpose. I understood the value of the disruptiveness and how easily the story can be connected to reality! The author did an amazing job in taking reality into the book and turning it into this adventurous journey.

This book is the perfect read for teenage girls who are on a journey of finding themselves or trying to connect to something deeper and meaningful. Older audience of course will enjoy this story as well and truly appreciate the depth of the details and the character development throughout this beautiful journey of finding themselves, learning about their origins and building healthy relationships.

I have found no errors throughout the read; the book has been professionally proofread. The author has put in a lot of effort into the plot and connecting it to our times. The struggles that people face are very well described in this book.

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Strong Heart
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