How To Build A House review by ECra
How to Build a House
by Dana Reinhardt
Age Range - 12 and up
Genre - Fiction
Five Star Award

LitPick Review

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Age at time of review - 14
Reviewer's Location - Royersford, PA , United States
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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.
Rating:
5
Content Rating:

Content rating - some mature content
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