Heart Finds

by Jaime Berry

A heartwarming novel about a girl who must learn to let go of the past and embrace the future, perfect for fans of Kate DiCamillo and Barbara O’Connor.

Eleven-year-old Mabel Cunningham is a quiet loner who only feels free to be herself when she's "extreme treasure hunting" with her grampa—much to her perfectionist mother's disapproval. Nothing excites Mabel more than discovering a heart find, an item that calls to her heart, and the maybes that come along with it.

But when her friendships start to crumble and her grampa suffers a stroke, Mabel quickly learns that real-life maybes are harder to handle than imagined ones. Desperate to change things back to the way they were, Mabel devises a plan that she believes will fix everything. Except bringing her plan to fruition means lying to her grampa and disappointing her mother.

Will Mabel learn that letting go of the past doesn’t mean letting go of her grampa and that embracing the future might be one of her most important heart finds yet?

Genres: Middle Grade, Realistic Fiction, Family, Contemporary, Young Adult, Fiction, Juvenile

320 pages, Hardcover

Published November 15, 2022

About the author

Jaime Berry is a native of rural Oklahoma and a former New York City public school teacher. After years with two small boys in a too-small Brooklyn apartment, Jaime and her husband moved to the wilds of suburban New Jersey and added another boy and a dog to the mix. There, they live in a Victorian house that, despite slowly falling apart, they all love. And where telling, reading, and writing stories takes up most of her day.

Reviews

[Kathie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Intergenerational reads are my favourite type of story, so I picked up this book because the relationship between the main character and her grandpa appealed to me. I was not disappointed. In Berry’s recent release, we meet Mabel, who loves spending time with her grandpa scavenging for new-to-them treasures. But her grandpa has a stroke and cannot stay in his home during his recovery, changing the nature of their relationship and Mabel’s fixation on raising money to pay for his aftercare. Mabel’s relationship with her best friend is morphing, too, and we watch her struggle to move her life forward when she wants to cling to the past. This is one of those books that wonderfully captures the many changes that can happen to a young teen at such a transformative time. Filled with heart and longing, I will highly recommend this book, as well as the author’s debut HOPE SPRINGS, and add her to my list of must-read authors.

[Chrystal D. Giles · Rating 5 out of 5]

HEART FINDS is a beautiful intergenerational story full of heart! It features a girl who finds herself on the outside of her friend group. The only special relationship in her life is with her grandfather. I loved watching Mabel’s interactions bloom with new friends and was especially happy with how her relationship with her mother grew throughout the story.

[Sarafina]

DNF at 4%
There are little clues to how this book is going to go. I don’t like liberal agenda’s, especially not in middle grade books.

[Stephanie Fitzgerald · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars
Good story, with a heart-warming relationship between a young girl and her granddad. Their special bond is finding things that others have trashed, and refurbishing them into “treasures”. When the grandfather is no longer able to search with her, and her best friend seems to have totally abandoned her for a new girl, Mabel feels lost and afraid with all the changes happening around her.

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVE this book. The cover caught my attention in the library and the characters and the story did not disappoint. I could identify with Mabel on so many levels and it brought back some preteen memories of my own. My only regret about this book? That I don't own it and must return it to the library. Five stars.

[Nicki · Rating 5 out of 5]

A tween book that is actually appropriate for them! It follows Mable through the start of middle school. She encounters changes both common and unexpected and has to learn how to deal with them in a healthy fashion. She discovers that honesty and open communication are the best ways to relate to others, even when being honest is hard to do.

[Kimberly K · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a delightful story about a 6th grader dealing with friendship changes and a grandfather who becomes suddenly hospitalized. Highly recommended.

[Melissa Dassori · Rating 5 out of 5]

A perfect, heartwarming read for fans of cozy stories like A Place to Hang the Moon and Jaime Berry's first novel, Hope Springs (with the tiniest, perfect nod to that book, too). This is a warm, fast novel about Mabel's struggles to navigate changes among her peers and her family. I was rooting for her from start to finish.

[Bonnie Grover · Rating 4 out of 5]

Twelve-year-old Mabel’s best friend is her Grampa and her favorite thing to do with him is extreme treasure hunting, which involves all sorts of scavenging and dumpster diving, all in an effort to find the perfect heart find. But when middle school friendships are crumbling and her Grampa suffers a stroke, Mabel is forced to devise a plan that she believes will fix everything.

I love intergenerational stories and this one does not disappoint. “Sometimes you don’t find what you expected, but just what your heart needed.”

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eleven year old Mabel and her grandfather are best friends who share a love of extreme treasure hunting. This means they are always on the lookout for treasures on the side of the road, in second hand shops or sometimes even dumpsters. Sometimes they even find a “heart find” - an item that really touches their hearts. Quiet Mabel keeps her passion to herself, except for sharing with her best friend, Ashley. But Mabel’s not so sure Ashley is really her best friend anymore, not since she went to church camp and came back being close friends with Farrah. And now on the first day of middle school, instead of just Mabel and Ashley starting school together, Farrah is there, too, wearing a t-shirt that matches Ashley’s and makeup. Mabel’s life is changing and she doesn’t like it. And then a huge, unexpected change comes her way; Grandpa has a stroke and ends up in a senior living home, unable to be Mabel’s treasure hunting partner.

Mabel has so many changes facing her and she struggles to deal with them. Luckily, she finds two new friends (but are they good friends like Ashley?), her grandpa’s health is improving and he really seems to like his new home, (is it possible he wants to stay there, instead of returning to his treasure filled home?), her mom includes her in her tablescaping competitions and actually accepts some suggestions from Mabel and could “heart finds” mean people and not just things?

This is a story about hope, family, friendship, learning different is okay and making mistakes. It’s one that will make you think about your “heart finds” whether they be objects or people.

[Lovepeaceandstories · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't actually know why I made a big deal out of this book, but I just did because I think it went sort of deeper for me. It touched on some topics that I had thought of. Anyway, so she goes trash picking, and she's going through a lot of personal things in her life, when all of the sudden she learns that they're going to sell the house. She doesn't want them to put the house up for sale. Along the way, she meets new friends and "pays them back" for lunch on Tuesdays, and learns just how to be herself.

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was exactly what my heart needed today. I enjoyed getting to know Mabel and her quest with her grandfather for "heart finds." The best part of this book for me was the theme of embracing change and letting go when necessary. "Change can sometimes leave a space for something new to grow." And yes, I had to look up tablescaping.

Thank you to the author for sharing an ARC of this book with #bookposse!

[Melanie Dulaney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jaime Berry made my heart sing with Hope Springs in 2021 and my heart found that music again with this year’s Heart Finds. Mabel and her grandfather both love to go on treasure hunts in retail dumpsters and curbside trash and sees so many possibilities in items that are discarded by others. Mabel’s mom only see beauty in items that are new spends her time creating elaborate and perfect “table scapes” and hopes that competitions are something that she and her daughter can do together. Both tragedy and middle school force Mabel to deal with so many kinds of change and her mistakes outnumber wise choices. How she finally resolves problems with friends and family will touch readers’ hearts. Valuable middle school lessons in conflict resolution, embracing change, and positive self-image join more practical themes of reuse and recycle in a book that is sure to be a winner with those in grades 4-7. No profanity, sexual content or violence. Representation: Race is not defined for any characters although the book’s cover shows Mabel to be Caucasian, characters come from differing financial situations, and families compositions are diverse.

Thanks for the print arc, Jaime Berry!

[Joanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a delightful read! Mabel stole my heart (I understand her loneliness, and I adore her puns!), and I learned so much. I'd never heard of tablescaping competitions but I do watch Antiques Roadshow, so I enjoyed the search for treasures. I loved the special relationship between Mabel and her grandfather, who go scavenging together for "treasures" among other people's trash. Mabel always searches for a "heart find" or a piece that speaks to her heart, like the spider pin she wears inside her pocket for good luck. I felt for Mabel as she navigated the start of sixth grade while dealing with changing friendships. But most of all, I felt for the family when Grampa had a stroke and had to move into an assisted-living and retirement center. This book will fill your heart with all the feels.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this heartwarming book. Mabel and her grampa love collecting treasures - heart finds. As they say, one person's trash is another person's treasure. Hunting is not the popular or cool thing to do, and for one reason or another, her mom doesn't approve of it any more than her classmates do. But when Grampa has a stroke, Mabel and her mom finally have the chance to "take out of the trash" in their own relationship and find the treasured buried within.

[Gigi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heart Finds is the perfect middle grade novel about family, friends and embracing change. This book is just what your heart needs!

[Danielle Hammelef · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novel feels authentically middle grade with family drama, friendships new and old, and life-changing events. Mabel is lovable and flawed and I cheered for her all throughout my time reading. I loved the supportive, loving adults in her life and lived vicariously through her as she spent time with her grampa.

[Joanne Kelleher · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed so many aspects of this cozy book:
-the relationship between Mabel and her grandfather and how they bonded over seeing the beauty in ordinary, unwanted objects
- a peek into the world of competitive tablescaping
- by the end of the story, all of the characters gained empathy and understanding for the others
A heartwarming and satisfying read!

[Joy Thompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. This was a sweet, slice-of-life story and I enjoyed living in Mabel’s world for a while! I loved Grampa and Jasper especially, and how Mabel and her mom eventually found some common ground. The depiction of a middle school friendship disintegrating felt very authentic. I was impressed how the author was able keep the pace moving really well in a “quiet” story. Long live quiet books!

[Mary · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF

[Ms. Yingling · Rating 4 out of 5]

E ARC provided by Netgalley

Mabel lives in Oklahoma with her mother, who works with a wedding planner, and spends a lot of time with her grandfather, who loves to go "treasure hunting" in various dumpsters, secondhand stores, and any other place that may have good junk free (or cheap). He had been a banker, and has a house in a pricey part of town, but now spends his days on his collections. Mabel likes to spend time with him, and finds his presence comforting. Her mother is very driven, and very interested in table design competitions, which use all new things. She has some disdain for her father and daughter's love of trash. Mabel's best friend, Ashley, soent the summerr at church camp, and made friends with the snooty Farrah. This makes middle school harder, especially when Mabel's classmates catch a glimpse of her grandfather dumpster diving and make fun of him. This leads Mabel to distance herself a little, and when her grandfather has a stroke out hunting by himself, Mabel feels guilty. Grampa ends up in the hospital, and then in the Whispering Pines nursing facility. This stresses Mabel's mother out, since she is trying to earn her way to the national tabletop design competition. She also starts to talk about selling the grandfather's house, since the taxes are high and money for therapy and care is tight. Mabel befriends Jasper, whose mother works at Whispering Pines, and comes up with a plan to help fund Grampa's care by selling some of what she finds to her grandfather's contacts. Jasper is glad to help, since his outspoken fashion sense hasn't gone over too well with his new classmates. As her mother spends more and more time working on her designs, Mabel worries about her grandfather's health and future, and is dismayed when her mother starts to sell off some of Grampa's things. As the big table decorating contest nears (where decorating celebrity Arletta Paisley from Hope Springs will be speaking!), Mabel has some plans to have one of her grandfather's "heart finds" valued by a antiques show personality in hopes that the money from it can fund some care. Will she be able to work with her mother to iron out all of the messiness in her life?
Strengths: Well, I absolutely loved this one. We are inveterate fans of secondhand items in my family; if there's anything on the curb when we're out driving, every head turns to check it out. The Oklahoma junk shops reminded me of some of the ones I've visited in rural Iowa, and it was just pure fun to see Mabel and her grandfather tool around in his truck and look for good junk. Cameos by specific glassware didn't hurt either! Of course, there has to be more to the story than that. The friend drama with Ashley was absolutely perfect, and will resonate with middle school students who have had a friend decide that they no longer had anything in common any more. Making a new friend with Jasper was also well done. The Whispering Pines community was interesting; I always enjoy seeing grandparents in middle grade books, but they are often getting on in years and apt to experience some health problems. Mabel's relationship with her mother was also interesting and realistic. All of these elements worked well together, with Mabel's anxiety swirling around in a well developed plot. Included Arletta Paisley was just the final dusting of glitter on a perfectly arranged table setting of a book!
Weaknesses: The cover is a bit odd and doesn't quite capture the essence of the book for me.
What I really think: Definitely purchasing this one. It might take some hand selling, but will be the perfect book for the right reader.

[Lorie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was our June title for our librarian book club. The book fostered thoughtful discussion on many of its themes especially dealing with a serious illness, middle school friendships, and parent/child relationships. We spent a lot of time talking about the relationships between the generations in this family. We loved how each character evolved and how that there is positive change at the end, but you know there is still work to be done. The supporting characters are wonderfully utilized even if their part is small like the hosts for the TV shows at the end of the book.

The discussion we had about what a heart find is and how we or someone we know may have experienced this phenomenon was one of the best parts of our discussion. It was lovely sharing our own experiences.

We all agreed that this would appeal to middle school readers and be loved by them. It would make a great classroom read aloud. I would highly recommend this book to all readers.

[Mary Louise Sanchez · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the bond between the main character, Mabel and her grandfather who enjoy searching for items that are heart finds even when they have to dumpster dive for them. My heart hurt for Mabel as she navigated the waters of friendship between old friends.

Some of my favorite TV shows are the Antiques Roadshow and Legacy List, so it was fun to watch Mabel's excitement on meeting the star of a show like these.

Are table scaping competitions a thing? I'll have to look for information on these.

[Christella Esco · Rating 4 out of 5]

A heartfelt story of a young girl who adores her grandpa and the time spent with him. Changes occur to both of them throughout the story and she has a hard time letting go of the past because sometimes it’s so much easier than accepting what the future may bring. But once she gives herself time to allow those changes to occur, she accepts that sometimes change can be good for everyone and moving on isn’t always so bad. An eye opener for me. Great characters in the story. A must read for old and young.

[Missy Goodwin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This touching tale follows a single mother, her daughter, and their grandfather as they strive to brighten each other's lives. When the grandfather suffers a stroke, life takes a different turn for the mother and daughter. However, through treasure hunting and searching for "heart finds," both the mother and daughter come to accept that change is a natural part of life, and that's perfectly okay.

treasure hunting
stroke
tablescaping
antiques
moving on
making new friends

[LS Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you liked the formula from Hope Springs, you’ll like this one as well. I really appreciate the author writes genuine grandparent/grandchild relationships in her stories. They are hard to find in middle grade chapter books.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had a very close relationship with my grandmother growing up so I am drawn to intergenerational stories, and this one did not disappoint! I'm not sure the cover will entice kids enough, but I think I can recommend this one to kids and they will love it, and then word spreads.

[Kelis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book worth reading and remembering. The diverse, well developed characters enrich the reading experience in such significant ways. Relationships between generations and valuing different age groups makes this a special reading experience.
Definitely recommend... not just for kiddos.

[Alysa · Rating 5 out of 5]

HEART FINDS is simply beautiful. As she did in her debut, HOPE SPRINGS, Jaime Berry brings us a tender and loving story that's told with heart, humor, and the kind of hope that will always bring me back to her books.
This lovingly told intergenerational tale brings us into Mabel's world, one in which at the beginning her closest friend is her grandfather. But through the story, Mabel blooms and blossoms as she finds new friends and the perfect way to be her.
HEART FINDS is an absolute delight, and i can't wait to see what else the author has in store for our hearts!