Heaven is the perfect name for the small Ohio town where 14-year-old Marley lives. Or at least she thought so until the fateful day when the mysterious letter arrived. Now her life has been turned upside down. Twelve years ago Momma chose to live in Heaven because she liked the name of the town and the white picket fences and the little schoolhouse by the river. Pops agreed that it was a good place after he made sure it had a Western Union office. Ever since she can remember, Marley's been sent to Western Union to wire money to Uncle Jack. Now that she's learned the significance of those errands, life will never be the same. This award-winning author introduces a likeable, believable young character. Listeners empathize with her search for identity and are edified by her choice to forgive the family who hid her adoption from her.
Download and start listening now!
"I thought this book was very confusing during the first part of the book, it slowly got better though. This was a touching story, it is definitely not one of HAVE TO READ books but if you want a quick read then this is great."
— Elizabeth (4 out of 5 stars)
" This is an odd book. I think it's probably just too literary for me --- all these interesting scenes, but no real plot. "
— Anna, 2/16/2014" This book was a bit of a disappointment. I thought from reading the blurb on the fly-leaf that it would be a good story, but it just seemed to ramble on, and there were times I truly didn't get the point of what was going on and what it had to do with anything. I read this book because my young niece was reading it and I told her we'd read it together ... I'm hoping she understands it in the end -- I have a feeling she won't really. "
— Kati, 2/12/2014" It was a miracale that i read the whole book because these kinds of sad books arent really my thing. As i finished reading though i realized hey this book wasnt bad after all it actually got you thinking,and i like when a book makes me think. "
— Edgar, 2/1/2014" I did not like this book because I I thought it was going to be about a girl that was always HAPPY. But no it about a girl who finds out who she really is. Which is her parents are her aunt & uncle and her uncle is her dad and her mom died in car crash. "
— Emilia.andrade, 1/14/2014" Read this years ago and searched Ohio for the location of this city, Heaven. A good story for youth. "
— Ms.m.johnson, 1/14/2014" I gave this book three stars but only because I found it confusing at times. The writing was beautiful and the story was great but I think some kids might struggle with this writing. "
— Andrea, 1/11/2014" This is a wonderfully short tale about how unpredictable life can be. We have to learn to find our heaven wherever we are. "
— Kesha, 1/1/2014" Picked this up from Ben's battle of the books pile because it was short and I needed something to read while nursing. I really enjoyed the book and it's look into how we define ourselves and family. I now want to read the others in the trilogy "
— Jenny, 12/24/2013" Marley is 14 years old living in a town called heaven. Blah blah blah; and then she finds out that the person that she thought was her uncle was actually her dad. "
— Isaiah, 12/8/2013" would give it five if some of the characters and details didn't seem unrelated....I imagine these are setups for the next book in the series but it takes away for me. But I do love the characters. mmmmmmm "
— Kathleen, 11/23/2013" I really didn't like this book. I felt like not much progress happened on the book until the end. I also felt like the introduction was super long and it kept repeating many thing over and over again. But at the end the "box" brought more action into the book. "
— Viri, 10/18/2013" This book kind of confused me in the begining but at the end it was good "
— Jakenna, 9/23/2013" I didnt like this book, this book bored me. There was no adventure, no mysteries, no comedy, just plain boring, i dont recomend this book to anybody. So what she found out her uncle was her dad, BIG DEAL! NOONE CARES! "
— Loryn, 7/23/2013" Excellent YA book about what family really means. "
— Katie, 9/20/2012" Short, thematically rich, with a powerful voice. Still, not an easy sell for book clubs because it's so character driven. The students who read it like it but don't love it. "
— Liz, 8/20/2012" A friend loaned this book as an adult. It is a well written, young adult book that would probably strike home for children from non-traditional families. I found it interesting and easy to read in an afternoon. "
— Janet, 5/19/2012" Usually I'm not into these kind of books but this was good. "
— Claire, 8/20/2011" I thought that this book was pretty good. It is about a girl who's life is shattered when she finds out that her parents of twelve years are not her actual parents. She thens tries to find some type of stability in her life so that she can get back on her feet. "
— Cory, 8/13/2011" I thought that this book was pretty good. It is about a girl who's life is shattered when she finds out that her parents of twelve years are not her actual parents. She thens tries to find some type of stability in her life so that she can get back on her feet. "
— Cory, 2/8/2011" Picked this up from Ben's battle of the books pile because it was short and I needed something to read while nursing. I really enjoyed the book and it's look into how we define ourselves and family. I now want to read the others in the trilogy <br/> "
— Jenny, 2/3/2011" th review is in my journal <br/>- for Ms.Checka "
— Valeria, 1/4/2011" This is a quick heart-warming read that deals with issues of family and identity. There are maybe four curse words in this book, some teen smoking and cutting. The smoking and cutting are never really addressed, that along with the few cuss words lowered my rating from a probable four to a three. "
— Janet, 11/28/2010" Has a really good message about what family means. A lot of love in this book. It read a bit like a (longer) short story - not a lot of action, but plenty of character change. "
— Suzanne, 9/7/2010" Poignant story about a 12 year-old growing up...and finding her life is not what she thought it was. "
— Cookie, 8/5/2010" I like Marley and would love to live in Heaven but the characters are not fleshed out very well and the whole book feels a bit shadowy. Quick read though and one which raises interesting questions... "
— Annamaria, 8/3/2010" Cute story about a girl whose life turns upside down. She deals with the changes with the people she loves. <br/> <br/>Light dialect, simple plot, good characterization "
— Elizabeth, 5/29/2010Angela Johnson is the author of several picture books and highly acclaimed novels for young readers, including Maniac Monkeys on Magnolia Street, Heaven, and Toning the Sweep. She is a three-time recipient of the Coretta Scott King Award.
Andrea Johnson is an actress and audiobook narrator that has played roles opposite Jack Nicholson and Chris Rock.