34 pages 1 hour read

Sharon Creech

Heartbeat

Fiction | Novel/Book in Verse | Middle Grade | Published in 2004

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides that feature detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, quotes, and essay topics.

Pages 9-40

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Pages 9-40 Summary

Annie, a 12-year-old girl, loves to run. She especially loves to run barefoot and listen to the rhythms of her footfalls and her breathing. She often runs through her small town with her childhood friend Max, who is one year older than her. Her mother tells her that she was running even before she was born. Annie lives with her parents and her grandfather. Her grandfather says that his brains are like “scrambled eggs” (19), and often forgets who he is or what happened in his past. When he was younger, he also loved to run, but often cannot remember why he quit. Annie’s mother tells her that he was a champion racer who stopped running at 15, and only ran again with her when she was a child. Annie worries that her mother is sick, because she is often nauseous and tired, but learns that she is pregnant. Annie is fascinated by the idea that there is a person growing inside of her mother and imagines that the cells multiplying in her stomach are a horse instead.

In “Moody Max,” Annie reflects on how she does not understand her friend Max, and how he changed after his father left his family.

Related Titles

By Sharon Creech

Study Guide

logo

Absolutely Normal Chaos

Sharon Creech

Absolutely Normal Chaos

Sharon Creech

Plot Summary

logo

Chasing Redbird

Sharon Creech

Chasing Redbird

Sharon Creech

Study Guide

logo

Granny Torrelli Makes Soup

Sharon Creech

Granny Torrelli Makes Soup

Sharon Creech

Study Guide

logo

Hate That Cat

Sharon Creech

Hate That Cat

Sharon Creech

Study Guide

logo

Moo

Sharon Creech

Moo: A Novel

Sharon Creech

Study Guide

logo

Saving Winslow

Sharon Creech

Saving Winslow

Sharon Creech

Study Guide

logo

The Great Unexpected

Sharon Creech

The Great Unexpected

Sharon Creech

Plot Summary

logo

The Wanderer

Sharon Creech

The Wanderer

Sharon Creech

Study Guide

logo

Walk Two Moons

Sharon Creech

Walk Two Moons

Sharon Creech