About Griffen's Heart — Tina Shaw

Told in smart, nifty prose by a veteran writer, this YA story is gentle with tough moments, and has real heart-appeal for 12 to 15-year-olds.James Griffen is sixteen, with a bad heart. He's on the hospital waiting list for a valve replacement. Meanwhile his physical activities are seriously curtailed so he gets about on his dead father's Vespa - his lifeline. He's a nerd. In contrast, his younger brother Ryan is tough and worldly-wise with a smart mouth. Reflective, funny, self-deprecating, James falls for the hottest chick' in school - who's also the unlikeliest catch. Roxy is more like Ryan: cool, streetwise and angry. James is loyal in his affections and in spite of the thrashing his heart gets in the pursuit, he and Roxy form an odd bond. There's a street-fighting crisis, a near-death, and James finally gets his operation. A romantic, contemporary, urban story with great tension that will apepal to girls and boys.