HeartLand

by Jilanne Hoffmann

Out of the Dust  meets Me and Marvin Gardens in this coming-of-age novel about a young misfit searching for the truth of her family’s past, set against the backdrop of an environmental cover-up.
 
Twelve-year-old Xyla is sick of two working on her family’s sixth-generation Iowa farm and her mother’s nagging words, “Pay attention!” But Xyla can’t help getting lost in the thoughts that fill her head, sometimes leaving a wake of costly mistakes. If only her mother would tell her something, anything, about her father, who left when she was little. When Xyla finds her mother’s hidden childhood diary, she’s soon sucked into the story of a hardscrabble life on the family farm in the 1980s. Can she find the key to her past and her father in the pages?
 
Xyla's life grows even more complicated as a new family begins renting a vacant house on the farm, and the daughter Alegría is focused and motivated—the kind of kid Xyla is sure her mother prefers. But when the girls stumble upon an environmental disaster right next door, Xyla must trust her new friend and her complicated mother to figure out how to stop it. Alternating timelines in prose and verse connect the quiet desperation of Iowa farmers in the late 1980s to the modern farming landscape in this layered and voice-driven middle grade debut.

Genres: Middle Grade, Historical Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Juvenile, Childrens

432 pages, Hardcover

Published July 7, 2026

About the author

Jilanne Hoffmann is the author of HEARTLAND, which received a ⭐️ from School Library Journal: “Hoffmann beautifully blends the stories of Xyla, a character readers will fall in love with, and her mother’s diary…VERDICT: Highly recommended for all middle grade collections.” Booklist says HeartLand is "A nuanced portrait of a tween aspiring to find herself in a deeply complex world." Publishers Weekly calls HEARTLAND "an evocative story" and "an illuminating exploration of the enduring impact of past decisions on future generations." Jilanne is also the author of THE OCEAN'S HEART, which received ⭐️s from Kirkus and Booklist, and A RIVER OF DUST, which received a ⭐️ from Publishers Weekly. She lives in San Francisco with her husband, son, and a book-loving rescue dog. Find links to Jilanne's books, blog, and more info here: https://linktr.ee/JilanneHoffmann
Follow Jilanne:
Instagram: @jilanne2694
Bluesky: @jilanne.bsky.social

Reviews

[Mitzi]

This was a surprise! What made it especially interesting, almost eerie, is that this book became available to me a day after returning from visiting family in rural, southern Minnesota where I grew up and this story is based in Iowa so I really related to it! It's a story about Xyla, who is being raised by her mom on an organic farm in Iowa and she is tiring of the daily to-do's that she is required to do this summer after 6th grade. She's getting frustrated with her mother who seems to be so demanding. Xyla also wants to learn about her dad but her mom is very tight-lipped when it comes to that topic. One day Xyla finds her mother's diary (from when she was a young girl) and she begins to see her mom in a whole different way. But the story is about so much more than a mother/daughter relationship. It's also about small farms competing with big agricultural companies; CAFO, concentrated animal feeding operations; the effect of fertilizers and insecticides; and the risks that farmers face: weather, markets, rising costs, etc. It's a story that I lived growing up in rural Minnesota where soybeans and corn were the staple crops and the Go Big or Get Out crisis caused many small farmers to file bankruptcy, which then caused schools to close and other small businesses to fold. It's an ode to sustainable farming and taking a stand against big companies that are polluting the Midwest's water, soil and air. I love how she closes by sharing ways to raise our voices and live our lives regarding sustainable farming. Pretty big topic for middle grade readers but such an important one!

[Holly Wagner]

I read this book to determine if elementary school libraries would find it a good purchase. And sadly, I would not recommend purchasing it. Young readers will struggle to get through it. The gist of the conflict starts far too late into the story. (Over halfway through). The alternating voices are difficult to believe. Why would anyone have written a diary in verse? It seems ridiculous. The characters are way over the top. Xyla’s father is over the top bad guy. Xyla’s mom is over the top workaholic, uncaring parent. And the resolution comes too easily and without real struggle. The reader pretty much dislikes Xyla and her mother, Cassie, for the majority of the book.

I appreciate that this is the author’s first attempt at writing for kids. But with such limited budgets in school libraries, I would not get this one.

[Laura Roettiger]

Wow! Dual timelines artfully woven together through the mother's diary found by her daughter; each telling their own story of Iowa farm life from very different perspectives. Times have changed considerably for farmers and the world in the 30+ timespan between the two main characters being 12/13 years old. Each narrator has a unique voice, Cassie in the late 1980s has tremendous hardships to deal with as the beginning of "Big Farming" threatens their way of life and her best friend Ryder has to move away. The reality of danger and life & death issues are always running beneath the surface of the writing but not in a scary way. Our current day guide is Xyla who wants to discover who her father is which is why she snoops in her mom's diary. She's sure he wants to know her too! She loves the library, and when she's not helping her mom on the farm, she's at the library hanging out with her only friends: Mr. Lanski, the librarian and his golden retriever, Rory. Until Alegría, her father and brother show up. Then Xyla and Alegría form a bond that really demonstrates the beauty and challenges of friendship.
Xyla who is neurodivergent has a lot of endearing idiosyncrasies including an expansive clock collection among other things but I need to mention one of my favorites: Xyla has some of the best "curses" that aren't swear words!
Kudos to author Jilanne Hoffmann for incredible creativity woven throughout this book. Some of it is in verse, some chapters are prose, there are interspersed letters from the farm, weather and time. But a hill I will die on that was handled exceptionally well - we don't need so many F-bombs in the world and this book proves that with a little creativity we can do better. Here are just a few examples from Xyla. "Snapdragons!" "Loggerheaded maltworms!" "What the cowflop!" "Spudnuts!" "Cheese weasels!" I am sure teachers will be using this as a springboard to encourage new word creation with their students! Well done. I highly recommend this book for classroom, library, and home use. Perfect for discussion and cross-curricular planning with government education and STEM learning.

[Charlotte Sheer]

When I finished reading Jilanne Hoffmann's HEARTLAND, I couldn't stop thinking about what an extraordinary job the author did weaving together dual timelines, prose and verse, and a variety of believable characters, including "the Farm", all within the context of heavily researched information about the fragile state of Iowa's farming community and the ecological crisis it's been facing for decades.

Jilanne Hoffmann's writing is "delicious", as shown in this passage:
(p. 86) "This is one of time's many slick tricks. When you're having fun, it slips away like a greased pig. When you're bored, it stretches out in front of you like the road to infinity."

The author's personal experiences growing up with the challenges and joys of farm life are infused seamlessly into the storyline, making it come to life in a way that makes it hard to stop page-turning! (HEARTLAND is no "Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm"!)

As a former fifth grade teacher, I highly recommend this novel not only as an example of historic fiction for English classes, but also in the context of themes relevant to Social Studies, Science, and Math. The extensive, research-based backmatter provides ample material for finding springboards to discussion and potential community action projects.

[Tales Untangled]

Heartland stirs up the passions and problems of farming in this touching coming-of-age novel.

Genre: Coming-of-Age, Contemporary Fiction, Family Saga
Audience: Upper middle grade (about ages 9-14)
Representation: I thought the main character reads as neurodiverse.

If you haven't been involved with farming, I think this book will surprise you. There is so much complexity to the issue and how it affects a family. Xyla would rather be in the library than farming. And she wants to know the secret of who her father is. There is this sense that she is trying to understand herself and not getting the answers she expects. I really enjoyed her as a character and feel like we would have been best friends when I was a child. I also liked how she built a friendship with Alegría.

This is a complex book with great subjects to begin conversations about the environment, family legacies, why people keep secrets, and more. I can see how a teacher might want to use this in the classroom. Kids who love realistic stories will eat this up.

I recommend this book!

Happy reading!

My thanks for the ARC goes to Edelweiss and Little Brown Books.

[Linda Joan]

In dual timelines set in 2023 and the late 1980s, HeartLand creatively weaves together the stories of exuberant 12-year-old Xyla, her hard-working mom, Cassie, and the Iowa farm that’s been in their family for generations—a farm that Cassie is struggling to save and Xyla longs only to escape. When Xyla unearths her mom’s teen-age journals, written in verse, she discovers that she and this earlier, more relatable version of her mom have more in common that she thought—including deep friendships, losses that scar them, and thought trains that sometimes jump the tracks.
Jilanne Hoffman’s creativity jumps off the page in narrative contributions from the farm itself, as well as from the weather. and her poetic background shines through in both the Xyla’s prose and Cassie’s free-verse sections of the story. I found much to love in both characters—poetic Cassie and clock-loving time-challenged Xyla—and came away with an increased awareness of the threats to family farms and the land and waterways around them. I particularly loved the story sections that highlight how friends can both sustain us through hard times and make the good times even better.

[Ann Staats]

This book centers around a girl named Xyla who I fell in love with from the first page. Who else says things like “I couldn’t give a rat’s bumfuzzle what they all think?” But with books instead of people as her best friends, Xyla’s life isn’t all it could be. Then there’s the mystery of her dad leaving them (was it really because she cried too much as a baby?) and her mother's frequent disapproval. Not to mention the endless work on their Iowa farm which Xyla despises. But when a girl named Alegrίa turns up, is there a possibility for actual friendship--and help with an issue involving the environment? With a story of many layers and a ton of heart, this is one that definitely keeps you turning the page. Recommend!

[Christine Zandt]

I like how this book alternates between "today" and the 1980s by showing us 12-yo Xyla's ups and downs of navigating friendships and sixth grade, as well as sharing lyrical journal pages written by her mother in the 1980s. Beyond the engaging voice and personality of the main character is the interesting element of farming which is something we don't often see in middle grade novels. How the family farms in contrast to big farming is shown. We even get the farm's perspective as it engages with this sixth-generational farming family. Overall, kids will love it for the characters but also for how the plot is something different. Teachers will like it too and will hopefully be able to teach it as it's an SLJ starred-review MG book.

[Claire Bobrow]

I can't think of the last time I read a middle grade novel with a farm setting, and I hope this book is the first of many. I loved this dual timeline tale of a mother and daughter struggling with family, friendship, farming, and fears about the future, both economic and environmental. The characters burst off the page, successfully making their worries our own. There are some great side characters too, including a heroic librarian (and more than one appealing animal friend). An excellent added layer is the window into farming practices most of us never think about, with helpful historical context woven throughout the story and in the notes at the back. At the end of the day, our young heroes give us hope for the future. They make us care--and think. Highly recommended!

[K G]

Hoffmann's debut middle-grade is a tour de force. In both prose and poetry, she weaves together dual perspectives from dual time periods. Unless you are connected to the farming industry, Hoffmann not only builds an emotional connection between her readers and seemingly indelible characters (especially Xyla!), she also offers an eye-opening education re the challenges of ag life in America. Topics in this poignant, beautifully-written story range from farming challenges and environmental disaster, to tween angst, family issues, and the challenges of learning to trust. When finished, you will find yourself re-reading favorite passages. Highly recommend for mg-aged readers through adults!

[Emily Steele]

Thank you to Little, Brown Young Readers for the ARC!

I read this as an adult, despite it being classified as Middle School, but I did enjoy the read. The story features two timelines which both feature middle school aged POV’s which were believable. I liked that the writing interspersed creative techniques and poems to tell one of the timelines. The plot may be challenging to middle school age, mixing ideas of environmentalism, unions, and family dynamics. It could be a good read along side learning these topics in class though! Definitely a more serious read than most middle school books I see.

[ReadingMum]

I am posting this review on behalf of my twelve-year-old son who read it from an advanced copy we received:
I normally don't love books in verse but I really enjoyed HeartLand. I felt very connected to the characters and invested in their stories. I also enjoyed the alternating perspectives of a mom and daughter both on a similar journey at the same age but one in 2023 and the other in the 1980s and 90s. While categorized as historical fiction, this felt much more like realistic fiction to me. A great read that I would absolutely recommend.

[Carol Foote]

Heartland is a super interesting, touching novel about friendship and family, heartache and growing up—with a rural farm setting and environmental issues that help add to the story. It alternates between the narrative of 12-year-old Xyla, who believes her mother loves the family farm more than her, and the diary that her mother wrote in free verse at the same age. Both girls are relatable and appealing with multiple struggles in their lives and thoughtful ideas as they try to make sense of life. The Author’s Note at the end is especially fascinating.

[Sarah]

Pretty heavy handed for middle grade fiction - farm crisis, factory farming, meatpacking, unions, animal waste, herbicides, Silent Spring…Then you’ve got a stereotypical workaholic mother, who won’t tell her daughter anything about her father. And of course he is a mean corporate lawyer. Add in 2 farming accidents and an animal accident. Add in the flashback told in verse and the present day in prose. I don’t see a middle grade reader enjoying this.

[Nicole Frees]

Jilanne Hoffman has created a satisfying tale of multi-generational farming, friendships, and found families. Despite the inclusion of strained mother-daughter relationships, feelings of abandonment, and environmental crises, the age-appropriate content and voice, part prose and part verse, leave the reader with a hopeful and uplifting outlook. I highly recommend this book for any child interested in farming or environmental justice.

[Michelle Schaub]

Heartland s poignant and poetic. I fell in love with the main character, Xyla, right from the start, with her funny expressions, like “Tasmanian turd-twizzlers!” and her obsession with time. You’ll laugh and cry along with her as she navigates her “out-of-sync” relationship with her mom, her yearning to discover more about her dad. Realistic Midwest farm setting and superb environmental themes!

[Sara Hudson]

Such a fresh and innovative novel! Told in two voices - a novel in verse from mom (Cassie) from her childhood in the 1980s during the farm crisis; a prose novel from daughter (Xyla) that crackles with one of the sharpest voices in middle grade. Readers will learn about farming, quinceneras, immigration, percussion, and clocks! Really - read this one. Fantastic.

[LS Johnson]

Strongly thematic - natural farming, big industry, farm pollution, ecological sustainability. I did not feel a connection to any character and Xyla's dad felt like a caricature of a bad guy. I think this is an important book and it will find interested readers. I think they will be older and will be familiar with how farming works.

[Katy Tanis]

A compelling coming-of-age story with environmental themes set on an Iowan farm. The story is told through alternative narratives when the daughter finds her mother's journal. The main character is relatable and lovable and reads as neurodiverse.

[AnneLibrarian]

Wonderfully written middle grade novel. Two timelines, set on farm, great back matter.

Journal entries and character development make this a top notch read for advanced elementary and middle grade readers.

[Ms. Yingling]

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Review to come closer to publication.

[Katie Reinert]

A touching story about family and friendship with a unique look at life on a farm through two generations of a farming family.

[Abbie James]

HEARTLAND addresses important environmental topics, and I love this book's dual timeline format. This was a great read!

[Carolyn]

Fantastic book. Definitely worth reading. Great combination of prose and poetry. So many themes. I need to re-read the book and write a longer review.