What Hearts
This book crafts 4 short stories into a coming-of-age novel. The central character in each story is Asa, a cerebral boy with a quiet gift for understanding other people, and the novel traces his growth from a happy-go-lucky first grader to a sensitive, life-savvy 12-year-old. In each story, Asa's precocious wisdom enables him to develop new relationships and cope with new challenges.
In “Straight A's and an Empty House,” the triumph of Asa's flawl...
