LitPick Review
Harper's life is wonderful. She has two stepsisters and a
half brother, all of whom she loves, and her family is
happy and whole. And then her father and stepmother decide
to get a divorce, and, seeking to escape her life briefly,
Harper joins a community service program to rebuild the
house of a family in Tennessee who lost it to a tornado.
Following this, the story switches between Harper's
experiences in Tennessee and what happened at her home
before she left. In Tennessee, she learns how anything
must be built; it involves a precise order of events and a
determined patience. Corresponding to each step in
building the house is a segment that refers back to her
home. The reader learns about Harper's tortured love life
and the events leading up to her departure as Harper
learns how to build a house.
Opinion:
How to Build a House uses a simple and elegant metaphor to portray a young woman's
discovery of the mistakes that she made in her life, why
she made them, and what she should have done. The
beautifully written book has a voice that is truthful and
pure. Readers will shake their heads at Harper's mistakes,
rejoice in her accomplishments, and wait anxiously for
each twist and turn of the book. This book depicts the
tender side of a family suffering a divorce and how
distorted a girl's view of the world can become due to
past events. Harper's narrative style is refreshing and
unique, and the author (Dana Reinhardt) shows her deep
understanding of a teenage girl's mind. Girls will enjoy
the story line and the accurate depiction of teenage life.
Though there is no inappropriate content, some references
may be inadvisable for readers under age 11 or 12.
Overall, this book was wonderful and did not follow a
predictable pattern for its genre, creating a new and
pleasant experience for any reader.
KEYWORDS
Read more reviews by this Litpick Book Reviewer: ECra