You’re Breaking My Heart

  • Junior Library Guild selection

  • Grade-A YA, The Horn Book

You’re Breaking My Heart on TeachingBooks

Harriet Adu knows that her brother’s death is her fault. I mean, it’s not actually her fault, but it still kinda is, isn’t it? 

She would do anything to live in a world where she could take back what she said that morning. 

Then a strange girl shows up at Harriet’s high school – a girl who loves the same weird books Harriet does, who doesn’t vibe with anyone at school the same way Harriet does – and that different world suddenly seems possible. The girl speaks of a place underneath the subways of New York, where people like them can go and find a home. A place away from the world of high school, grief, cool people, and depression. A place where one may be able to bend the lines of reality and get a second chance at being a better person.

Will Harriet open the door?

Reviews
“Powerful and moving.”
―Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

“Raw, intense, and utterly unique exploration of grief and guilt.”
―Booklist

“In this moving work, Rhuday-Perkovich has created characters whose internal struggles are palpable and an intriguing narrative with both tension and introspection that delves into themes of guilt, redemption, and the possibility of second chances.”
―Horn Book

“A highly original tale exploring grief and weaving together the realistic and fantastical.”
―Kirkus

“A darkly atmospheric love letter to siblinghood in this speculative foray into processing grief, guilt, and shame.”
―Publishers Weekly