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How to Build a House
HARPER’S DAD IS getting a divorce from her beloved stepmother, Jane. Even worse, Harper has lost her stepsister, Tess; the divorce divides them. Harper decides to escape by joining a volunteer program to build a house for a family in Tennessee who lost their home in a tornado. Not that she knows a thing about construction.
Soon she’s living in a funky motel and working long days in blazing heat with a group of kids from all over the country. At the site, she works alongside Teddy, the son of the family for whom they are building the house. Their partnership turns into a summer romance, complete with power tools. Learning to trust and love Teddy isn’t easy for Harper, but it’s the first step toward finding her way back home.
Soon she’s living in a funky motel and working long days in blazing heat with a group of kids from all over the country. At the site, she works alongside Teddy, the son of the family for whom they are building the house. Their partnership turns into a summer romance, complete with power tools. Learning to trust and love Teddy isn’t easy for Harper, but it’s the first step toward finding her way back home.
227 pages, Hardcover
First published May 27, 2008
37 people are currently reading
3844 people want to read
About the author
Dana Reinhardt
17 books230 followersWhy don't you have a bio section?
Because I hate writing about myself.
But wouldn't that be easier than answering a whole bunch of FAQs?
Maybe. Probably. Go on...
So where are you from?
I'm from Los Angeles, but now I live in San Francisco. Except for the summers where I go back to Los Angeles in search of the sun.
What are you doing when you aren't writing?
Laundry, usually. Sometimes dishes. And I really like to walk near the Golden Gate Bridge.
Why don't you run instead of walk?
Running is hard. And I'm sort of lazy.
Have you ever had a real job?
Yes. Of course I have. I've waited tables, worked with adolescents in foster care, read the slush pile at a publishing house, and fact checked for a movie magazine. I also worked for FRONTLINE on PBS and Peter Jennings at ABC. I went to law school, which I know doesn't count as a job, but hey, that was a lot of work.
What's your writing day like? Do you stick to a routine?
I like to write in the mornings. Sometimes that means I have to get up really early. I try to write 700 words a day -- about three pages. I know there are lots of writers out there who can write way more than that. I know this because writers like to tell you about how many words they've written on FACEBOOK. So I try not to look at FACEBOOK when I'm writing. And anyway, I've learned that 700 words are about all I'm good for on any given day, and if I write more than that I usually end up getting rid of most of it later.
What, are you lazy or something?
I already told you I'm lazy. But seriously, 700 words are a lot of words. 700 of them, to be precise.
Where do you get your ideas?
From someplace inside my head.
That's not really an answer.
Yes, it is. And it's as honest an answer as I can give.
Are your books autobiographical?
Not really. I'm not adopted, I've never told a lie that sent someone to jail, I've never built a house or had a brother go to war. But there are always things in my books that come from my life or from the lives of the people around me. It would be impossible to make up everything.
Why do you write young adult fiction?
Because I was a young adult when I fell in love with reading and I can remember how books made me feel back then. How they provided both comfort and escape. That might make me sound like a shut-in, but I wasn't. I was just open to the experience books offered, probably more open than I am now as an adult. And I like writing for that sort of audience.
What exactly is young adult fiction?
Lots of people have thought long and hard about this question and have had many intelligent things to say about voice and how YA books can't spend too much time on adult characters, etc. I don't have anything to add to the debate except to say that YA should be a place to go in the bookstore or library if you are looking for a coming of age story, no matter how old you are.
Do you have a favorite book?
Yes.
Don't be coy, what is it?
To Kill a Mockingbird.
How come there aren't any vampires or wizards in your books?
Hmmmm... good question. Maybe I should write about vampires and wizards.
No, you shouldn't. You wouldn't be very good at that.
Thanks for the vote of confidence.
Did you wear a Soupy Sales sweatshirt when you were seven?
Does anybody even know who Soupy Sales is?
That's what the Internet is for. Don't avoid the question.
I'm sorry, is this really a Frequently Asked Question?
No. But, c'mon, tell us anyway.
Yes, I did. But I'm trying to portray myself as someone who wasn't a total loser. So maybe you shouldn't bring that up. And it also makes me sound ancient, which I'm not. Yet I had a Soupy Sales sweatshirt. And I loved it. It was yellow. And really soft.
You're right. It does make you sound like a loser.
Because I hate writing about myself.
But wouldn't that be easier than answering a whole bunch of FAQs?
Maybe. Probably. Go on...
So where are you from?
I'm from Los Angeles, but now I live in San Francisco. Except for the summers where I go back to Los Angeles in search of the sun.
What are you doing when you aren't writing?
Laundry, usually. Sometimes dishes. And I really like to walk near the Golden Gate Bridge.
Why don't you run instead of walk?
Running is hard. And I'm sort of lazy.
Have you ever had a real job?
Yes. Of course I have. I've waited tables, worked with adolescents in foster care, read the slush pile at a publishing house, and fact checked for a movie magazine. I also worked for FRONTLINE on PBS and Peter Jennings at ABC. I went to law school, which I know doesn't count as a job, but hey, that was a lot of work.
What's your writing day like? Do you stick to a routine?
I like to write in the mornings. Sometimes that means I have to get up really early. I try to write 700 words a day -- about three pages. I know there are lots of writers out there who can write way more than that. I know this because writers like to tell you about how many words they've written on FACEBOOK. So I try not to look at FACEBOOK when I'm writing. And anyway, I've learned that 700 words are about all I'm good for on any given day, and if I write more than that I usually end up getting rid of most of it later.
What, are you lazy or something?
I already told you I'm lazy. But seriously, 700 words are a lot of words. 700 of them, to be precise.
Where do you get your ideas?
From someplace inside my head.
That's not really an answer.
Yes, it is. And it's as honest an answer as I can give.
Are your books autobiographical?
Not really. I'm not adopted, I've never told a lie that sent someone to jail, I've never built a house or had a brother go to war. But there are always things in my books that come from my life or from the lives of the people around me. It would be impossible to make up everything.
Why do you write young adult fiction?
Because I was a young adult when I fell in love with reading and I can remember how books made me feel back then. How they provided both comfort and escape. That might make me sound like a shut-in, but I wasn't. I was just open to the experience books offered, probably more open than I am now as an adult. And I like writing for that sort of audience.
What exactly is young adult fiction?
Lots of people have thought long and hard about this question and have had many intelligent things to say about voice and how YA books can't spend too much time on adult characters, etc. I don't have anything to add to the debate except to say that YA should be a place to go in the bookstore or library if you are looking for a coming of age story, no matter how old you are.
Do you have a favorite book?
Yes.
Don't be coy, what is it?
To Kill a Mockingbird.
How come there aren't any vampires or wizards in your books?
Hmmmm... good question. Maybe I should write about vampires and wizards.
No, you shouldn't. You wouldn't be very good at that.
Thanks for the vote of confidence.
Did you wear a Soupy Sales sweatshirt when you were seven?
Does anybody even know who Soupy Sales is?
That's what the Internet is for. Don't avoid the question.
I'm sorry, is this really a Frequently Asked Question?
No. But, c'mon, tell us anyway.
Yes, I did. But I'm trying to portray myself as someone who wasn't a total loser. So maybe you shouldn't bring that up. And it also makes me sound ancient, which I'm not. Yet I had a Soupy Sales sweatshirt. And I loved it. It was yellow. And really soft.
You're right. It does make you sound like a loser.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 261 reviews
March 9, 2020
What a great read!
Teddy and Harper were so sweet. She finally finds someone who is real, who doesn't take advantage of her decent nature. Harper's world was in chaos, so spending the summer building a house for people who'd lost their homes after a tornado struck was a welcome relief for Harper.
I wasn't expecting this story to unfold as it did.
I don't know why this novel isn't rated higher than it is on Goodreads. The writing is excellent, setting and characterization is spot on, and I didn't want it to end!
I highly recommend this NA story!
Teddy and Harper were so sweet. She finally finds someone who is real, who doesn't take advantage of her decent nature. Harper's world was in chaos, so spending the summer building a house for people who'd lost their homes after a tornado struck was a welcome relief for Harper.
I wasn't expecting this story to unfold as it did.
I don't know why this novel isn't rated higher than it is on Goodreads. The writing is excellent, setting and characterization is spot on, and I didn't want it to end!
I highly recommend this NA story!
September 10, 2010
It may be my fault, but I did not really get this one. It could be because the beginning of school stress, but I felt like it failed to capture my attention - I only read a few pages at a time until I eventually finished it.
The plot was original: a girl named Harper volunteers to rebuild a house over the summer to escape her broken family. However, while the book touched on a lot of good themes, like making an effort to rebuild friendships or solve misunderstandings, I do not think it fully explored everything that occurred. An example would be Harper's relationship with her father - both are stubborn individuals who refuse to change their ways... which goes against the book's overall theme. It could have been trying to communicate that some things cannot be changed, but it felt pointless.
The characters were okay too. None of them really reached out and grabbed me. For such a character-driven novel, that disappoints me.
Overall, a good read. Something to read when you are looking for something different, but not excellent.
The plot was original: a girl named Harper volunteers to rebuild a house over the summer to escape her broken family. However, while the book touched on a lot of good themes, like making an effort to rebuild friendships or solve misunderstandings, I do not think it fully explored everything that occurred. An example would be Harper's relationship with her father - both are stubborn individuals who refuse to change their ways... which goes against the book's overall theme. It could have been trying to communicate that some things cannot be changed, but it felt pointless.
The characters were okay too. None of them really reached out and grabbed me. For such a character-driven novel, that disappoints me.
Overall, a good read. Something to read when you are looking for something different, but not excellent.
November 11, 2008
Reinhardt, Dana. 2008. How To Build A House.
The third time isn't the charm. (Her first two novels are: A Brief Chapter In My Impossible Life and Harmless.) It may just be time for me to dissent from public opinion and admit that Dana Reinhardt's books just aren't to my liking. It might be easier on both of us. Especially since her books are generally received well. Her first book especially seemed to be buzz-worthy.
I can almost guarantee you will enjoy this one much much more than I did. (I know I'm in the minority in disliking it.) You might even love it. The premise is relatively simple, a teen girl, Harper, goes away for the summer to join a team of other teens. Their project is to build a house for a family whose home was destroyed in a tornado. The themes are love and friendship. It's easily categorized as a coming-of-age story. A story of how this young woman heals herself and becomes older and wiser because she's learned some life-lessons and had some self-realizations. It's a story of a broken woman beginning the journey towards becoming whole. Why does she need healing? Her family is "broken." Her father and stepmother are divorcing. Her stepsister, Tess, is barely speaking to her any more. Her friends-with-benefits, Gabriel, is treating her horribly.
What didn't I like about the novel? The narrator Harper. She's smug. She's condescending. She's a bit stupid. Maybe stupid isn't the best word. She's a bit unwise at times when it comes to acting, thinking, and speaking. She is polar opposite to everything I like. She doesn't believe in wearing jeans--she "can't" wear them. She hates country music*. She's an atheist. Well. Mostly. She's a nonbeliever that is obsessed with listening to Christian rock music** so she can make fun of it. She loves to mock their enthusiasm and passion. She doesn't appreciate it on a musical or spiritual level. And that's not the only thing she mocks. I am not sure if it is the narrator or the author--but something felt very condescending and smug about how the South was treated. But perhaps more annoying than even the mocking of Christianity is her obsession with lecturing every single person she meets with her environmental save-the-world-humans-are-evil spiel.
Did I like nothing about the novel? I did like a few of the characters. In particular, I liked Teddy. I don't know what he saw in Harper. But Teddy himself I liked.
*Now it's not like I *only* love country music. I love many many different types of music. But there are country music phases in my life. In high school particularly I lived for country music--Tim McGraw, George Strait, Garth Brooks, Clay Walker, John Michael Montgomery, Brooks & Dunn, etc.
**I will be the first to admit that a few groups are dinky. And sometimes it feels like the dinky ones are the ones that get the air time. But I seriously doubt if this author listened to actual Christian rock music. If she had, she wouldn't have found much to mock. I have rarely listened to Christian radio. But I'm well-schooled in Christian music because I buy CDs. Have been listening Christian music at least twenty-five years. If she'd called it "gospel" or "Southern gospel" or "praise & worship" or "contemporary" I could understand where she's coming from a bit better. But Christian rock? Methinks she's clueless.
© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews
The third time isn't the charm. (Her first two novels are: A Brief Chapter In My Impossible Life and Harmless.) It may just be time for me to dissent from public opinion and admit that Dana Reinhardt's books just aren't to my liking. It might be easier on both of us. Especially since her books are generally received well. Her first book especially seemed to be buzz-worthy.
I can almost guarantee you will enjoy this one much much more than I did. (I know I'm in the minority in disliking it.) You might even love it. The premise is relatively simple, a teen girl, Harper, goes away for the summer to join a team of other teens. Their project is to build a house for a family whose home was destroyed in a tornado. The themes are love and friendship. It's easily categorized as a coming-of-age story. A story of how this young woman heals herself and becomes older and wiser because she's learned some life-lessons and had some self-realizations. It's a story of a broken woman beginning the journey towards becoming whole. Why does she need healing? Her family is "broken." Her father and stepmother are divorcing. Her stepsister, Tess, is barely speaking to her any more. Her friends-with-benefits, Gabriel, is treating her horribly.
What didn't I like about the novel? The narrator Harper. She's smug. She's condescending. She's a bit stupid. Maybe stupid isn't the best word. She's a bit unwise at times when it comes to acting, thinking, and speaking. She is polar opposite to everything I like. She doesn't believe in wearing jeans--she "can't" wear them. She hates country music*. She's an atheist. Well. Mostly. She's a nonbeliever that is obsessed with listening to Christian rock music** so she can make fun of it. She loves to mock their enthusiasm and passion. She doesn't appreciate it on a musical or spiritual level. And that's not the only thing she mocks. I am not sure if it is the narrator or the author--but something felt very condescending and smug about how the South was treated. But perhaps more annoying than even the mocking of Christianity is her obsession with lecturing every single person she meets with her environmental save-the-world-humans-are-evil spiel.
Did I like nothing about the novel? I did like a few of the characters. In particular, I liked Teddy. I don't know what he saw in Harper. But Teddy himself I liked.
*Now it's not like I *only* love country music. I love many many different types of music. But there are country music phases in my life. In high school particularly I lived for country music--Tim McGraw, George Strait, Garth Brooks, Clay Walker, John Michael Montgomery, Brooks & Dunn, etc.
**I will be the first to admit that a few groups are dinky. And sometimes it feels like the dinky ones are the ones that get the air time. But I seriously doubt if this author listened to actual Christian rock music. If she had, she wouldn't have found much to mock. I have rarely listened to Christian radio. But I'm well-schooled in Christian music because I buy CDs. Have been listening Christian music at least twenty-five years. If she'd called it "gospel" or "Southern gospel" or "praise & worship" or "contemporary" I could understand where she's coming from a bit better. But Christian rock? Methinks she's clueless.
© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews
May 7, 2008
Reviewed by Tasha for TeensReadToo.com
Harper's life is falling apart. Her father and step-mother, whom she considers a mother, are getting a divorce, and her step-sister/best friend, Tess, won't talk to her. Then there's Gabriel. He's been Harper's best friend since they were twelve, but now he just uses her as his girl when he can't get anyone else.
Harper finally realizes that she needs to escape. When she finds out about Homes for the Heart Summer Program for Teens, she knows she's found her escape route. At the beginning of the summer she heads off to Bailey, Tennessee, where there was a major tornado that devastated almost the entire city. Here she will join a group of teens and help build a family a house.
Little does she know that she will not only rebuild one family's life, but may actually start rebuilding her own. She immediately starts making friends with the other volunteers and loves the aspect of helping other people. Then there's Teddy, the son of the family for whom the house is being built. Teddy chooses Harper. He shows her how to trust and love and turns her summer into an unforgettable moment.
First, I have to say this surpassed and exceeded every expectation I had of this book. Not only was it an amazing and heartfelt love story, but also an extremely real story of finding oneself. At the beginning of the story Harper is lost, struggling like many of today's teens with the divorce of her parents. She grows so much as a person that it inspires the reader to really look at their life and see if they can make themselves a better person, too. Harper's character is beautifully created and hard to forget. She is very honest and so real that she's hard not to love.
And then there is Teddy. Whew! He sounds like the ultimate boyfriend. There's everything to love about him and it drives me crazy that he's not real. I mean, who wouldn't want a guy who wants to make your life better and really wants to know everything about you?
Besides the characters, Dana Reinhardt's writing style was one-of-a-kind. I really enjoyed how the story kept flipping from Harper's current life in Tennessee and then back to what her home life was like. Overall, this was a stunning novel that I highly recommend. I completely loved it and will definitely read it over and over again!
Harper's life is falling apart. Her father and step-mother, whom she considers a mother, are getting a divorce, and her step-sister/best friend, Tess, won't talk to her. Then there's Gabriel. He's been Harper's best friend since they were twelve, but now he just uses her as his girl when he can't get anyone else.
Harper finally realizes that she needs to escape. When she finds out about Homes for the Heart Summer Program for Teens, she knows she's found her escape route. At the beginning of the summer she heads off to Bailey, Tennessee, where there was a major tornado that devastated almost the entire city. Here she will join a group of teens and help build a family a house.
Little does she know that she will not only rebuild one family's life, but may actually start rebuilding her own. She immediately starts making friends with the other volunteers and loves the aspect of helping other people. Then there's Teddy, the son of the family for whom the house is being built. Teddy chooses Harper. He shows her how to trust and love and turns her summer into an unforgettable moment.
First, I have to say this surpassed and exceeded every expectation I had of this book. Not only was it an amazing and heartfelt love story, but also an extremely real story of finding oneself. At the beginning of the story Harper is lost, struggling like many of today's teens with the divorce of her parents. She grows so much as a person that it inspires the reader to really look at their life and see if they can make themselves a better person, too. Harper's character is beautifully created and hard to forget. She is very honest and so real that she's hard not to love.
And then there is Teddy. Whew! He sounds like the ultimate boyfriend. There's everything to love about him and it drives me crazy that he's not real. I mean, who wouldn't want a guy who wants to make your life better and really wants to know everything about you?
Besides the characters, Dana Reinhardt's writing style was one-of-a-kind. I really enjoyed how the story kept flipping from Harper's current life in Tennessee and then back to what her home life was like. Overall, this was a stunning novel that I highly recommend. I completely loved it and will definitely read it over and over again!
September 3, 2010
Nicely crafted novel about overcoming loss, with Reinhardt mirroring loss from a natural disaster and loss from a relationship disaster. She breaks the recovery process down to elemental construction steps, and ends on a note of hope with the understanding that time assists in healing, albeit slowly. Time and talk.
This is a Sarah Dessen-John Green type novel, with intelligent teens/college age kids, but not as quirky as some of Green's characters. They're all on a quest of some sort, they've all amassed bits and pieces of wisdom along their short life path, and then share it with each other, which creates the whole.
I liked the glorification of Teddy's family juxtaposed with Teddy's take on them - and that's a good lesson about the grass always being greener... No one's perfect in this book, everyone's got at least one flaw, and that's good.
Kids whose blended families are subsequently torn apart by divorce might appreciate this, and I know there are many of them out there.
This is a Sarah Dessen-John Green type novel, with intelligent teens/college age kids, but not as quirky as some of Green's characters. They're all on a quest of some sort, they've all amassed bits and pieces of wisdom along their short life path, and then share it with each other, which creates the whole.
I liked the glorification of Teddy's family juxtaposed with Teddy's take on them - and that's a good lesson about the grass always being greener... No one's perfect in this book, everyone's got at least one flaw, and that's good.
Kids whose blended families are subsequently torn apart by divorce might appreciate this, and I know there are many of them out there.
June 26, 2020
Harper's family was falling apart, and she was running from the wreckage. As she built this house, she reflected on what happened with her father, step-mother, step-sister, and Gabe. She made real friends and fell in love with someone who loved her back. Personally, I found it easy to empathize with Harper, and I shed tears for this young women, who believed Gabe was the best she could get. The Gabe subplot definitely hit close to home, and I shed real tears for Harper. But, there was Teddy, and he was special and wonderful. I was very pleased, that Harper was able to wade through her feelings regarding the demise of the family she loved so much, as well as the betrayals. I was glad she was able to mend some of those relationships, and I was hopeful for her future.
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February 8, 2010
Harper’s comfortable existence in California has been turned upside down ever since her father and stepmom announced their divorce, alienating Harper from her stepsister and best friend, Tess. Meanwhile, her friendship turned romance with Gabriel is also on the rocks. In order to escape her crazy situation, and to put her environmentalist philosophy into practice, Harper signs up to spend the summer volunteering for a charitable organization. She ends up in Bailey, Tennessee, constructing a home for the Wright family, whose lives have also been upended, in their case by a tornado. In the progress of rebuilding a home, Harper is also rebuilding a life: her own. The narrative alternates between present time in Tennesee, and the past year in California, exploring the figurative tornado that flattened Harper’s life, and the process of physical and emotional reconstruction taking place during that healing summer.
Harper’s voice is authentic, and the portrayals of her friendships in Tennessee especially well-drawn. Her oh-so-perfect Tennessee boyfriend Teddy may extend past the realm of realism, but he’s such a likable character that I’ll allow it. Overall this book was an engaging and thoroughly enjoyable read.
Harper’s voice is authentic, and the portrayals of her friendships in Tennessee especially well-drawn. Her oh-so-perfect Tennessee boyfriend Teddy may extend past the realm of realism, but he’s such a likable character that I’ll allow it. Overall this book was an engaging and thoroughly enjoyable read.
April 19, 2009
Why on earth didn't I get to this sooner? And why wasn't it brought up in Printz discussions (as far as I remember, I mean)? I don't know that it would have knocked off any of the winners, because they were so good, but this book is... great. I honestly wish it had been longer (and I don't say that often). Reinhardt captures both the messy home life and the atmosphere of a teen summer program perfectly. And--I mean, I like Sarah Dessen, but if you read Sarah Dessen books and enjoy them but feel a little empty afterward? You're going to love this.
May 13, 2022
Super super good!!! Really quick and an inspiring book!!! I wish there was more to read of it!!!
June 30, 2015
A sweet, simple story about making a difference in the most tangible of ways.
"It's complicated, relationships are complicated. Life is long, and sometimes marriages feel even longer, and people get lazy, and worse, they get indifferent, and sometimes you start to think maybe you've lost some part of yourself, that you don't even remember who you are and what it felt like to be somebody not married to this person, and then some days you love this very same person more than you are able to explain. You'll be driving in your car at dusk and a wave of warmth will envelop you just because this person exists in the world, but the next day that warmth will vanish again, and the last thing I want to do is say too much, which I'm afraid, at this point, I've already done."
"Have fun tonight. Remember every detail so we can overanalyze everything later when you come home."
"Do you think we caused the tornado?" I ask him.
"You and me?"
"No, I mean humanity. Are we to blame, or do you think it was just a run-of-the-mill natural disaster?"
Linus scratches his beard. "Actually, the definition of a natural disaster is when a hazard meets human vulnerability, which pretty much accounts for all tragedies."
"It's complicated, relationships are complicated. Life is long, and sometimes marriages feel even longer, and people get lazy, and worse, they get indifferent, and sometimes you start to think maybe you've lost some part of yourself, that you don't even remember who you are and what it felt like to be somebody not married to this person, and then some days you love this very same person more than you are able to explain. You'll be driving in your car at dusk and a wave of warmth will envelop you just because this person exists in the world, but the next day that warmth will vanish again, and the last thing I want to do is say too much, which I'm afraid, at this point, I've already done."
"Have fun tonight. Remember every detail so we can overanalyze everything later when you come home."
"Do you think we caused the tornado?" I ask him.
"You and me?"
"No, I mean humanity. Are we to blame, or do you think it was just a run-of-the-mill natural disaster?"
Linus scratches his beard. "Actually, the definition of a natural disaster is when a hazard meets human vulnerability, which pretty much accounts for all tragedies."
July 30, 2010
I love Dana Reinhardt books---Harmless and A Brief Chapter in My Impossible Life! And How to Build a House does not disappoint! Harper lost her mother at age 2 but then her father married Jane and Harper had Tess as a sister for many years. In chapters called HERE and HOME Harper tells us why she is "running away" from the divorce that has shattered her life to build a house for a family in Tennessee. You just love Harper, you ache for her loss of family, especially Tess---they lived in the same room for years and now they just pass each other in the halls at school. The friends she meets as they build this house in hot, hot Tennessee are real, funny, and THEY ALL REALLY want to help a family that has suffered from a tornado, lost some friends in the tornado, and help them rebuild and remain in Tennessee. Harper has love interests but boy does she have some issues. Gabriel is home and Teddy is in Tennessee. You see real growth during the time Harper spends building the home. Harper's confusion about love and loss is developed wonderfully and she is able to verbalize (which she didn't do before) and forgive and move forward. Loved, Loved, this book!
August 2, 2008
Dana Reinhardt is pure gold. I can't explain what makes her books so good, but somehow her teens are universal, even when they're dealing with unfamiliar situations.
Also, I'm a sucker for women named Harper. I like them automatically. Blame To Kill a Mockingbird.
Also, I'm a sucker for women named Harper. I like them automatically. Blame To Kill a Mockingbird.
August 22, 2008
An entertaining ya novel which should appeal to girls. The story alternates between Harper's sad home life and her summer volunteer work to rebuild in a town struck by a tornado. There are interesting characters and romantic problems and sex, too.
June 20, 2011
I really enjoyed this, perhaps because it rang true for me as a divorced person with a single child.
I liked the emphasis on real relationships (knowing "the difficult things about the person" and "asking questions nobody wants to ask about relationships") and forgiveness.
I liked the emphasis on real relationships (knowing "the difficult things about the person" and "asking questions nobody wants to ask about relationships") and forgiveness.
June 20, 2008
Good YA read that kept me interested all the way through about a girl trying to reconcile her past, live in the now, and move toward a manageable future.
December 11, 2009
"Sure the tornado in Bailey wreaked havoc on the lives of an insignificant number of people when you compare it to Hurricane Katrina, but when it's your life...I doubt it feels insignificant to you."
Harper knows that building a house take time, effort, and discipline, but a home can be demolished in on quick, unthinking moment. Her mother died when Harper was an infant, so the woman her dad later married was the only mother she ever knew, and her stepsister her best friend. Determined, Harper signed up for a summer camp in Tennessee where she and a handful of other teenagers would be rebuilding a family’s home that had been reduced to rubble by a tornado. When Harper’s partner decided to work with someone else she got paired with Teddy, the knobby-kneed son of the family whose house they were building. Harper had dated several boys in her life, but Teddy was the first she ever really fell in love with. Their summer love is full of Jesus radio, boysenberry jam, and nosy sisters, and when it’s all over it was enough to make Harper realize her home could and had been rebuilt by the very steps she had been following all summer.
How to Build a House by Dana Reinhardt is a very good book that I would recommend to almost anyone. Harper’s story is one of the confusion she faced as a child who did not understand the word divorce, and as a teenager whose life suffered the effects of that very word. Dana Reinhardt did a wonderful job developing Harper, and the background behind her personality. Showing how she didn’t accept Avi, Tess’ biological father, and how she was not remotely sure of herself after Tess was gone gave the reader a way to relate and understand why Harper had such convoluted thoughts on relationships. The plot of this story was often very predictable and typical of a teenage fiction novel, but the author provided just enough disruption that the story was good and never got boring. Dana Reinhardt did an excellent job portraying Coach Wes, as well as the rest of Teddy’s family, as the typical, hard working, small southern town family who were more than grateful for the work being done on their house. Throughout the novel I always found myself anxious to see what the twins, Alice and Grace, mouths. I especially liked how Dana Reinhardt used the steps of how to build a house to describe how Harper’s life fell apart in the first place, and eventually came back together. Relating each step to the one moment when this step came unraveled in her own home gave this story depth, and it really came to life. The author really understood how to relate the steps to Harper’s life, and each step had a message to go along with it to show how families and homes can fall apart in a split second, even if you have worked your whole life to build it up.
“But no matter what happens, the earth keeps turning. Monday always comes and eventually, sometimes excruciatingly slowly, that Monday is followed by a Friday.”
Harper knows that building a house take time, effort, and discipline, but a home can be demolished in on quick, unthinking moment. Her mother died when Harper was an infant, so the woman her dad later married was the only mother she ever knew, and her stepsister her best friend. Determined, Harper signed up for a summer camp in Tennessee where she and a handful of other teenagers would be rebuilding a family’s home that had been reduced to rubble by a tornado. When Harper’s partner decided to work with someone else she got paired with Teddy, the knobby-kneed son of the family whose house they were building. Harper had dated several boys in her life, but Teddy was the first she ever really fell in love with. Their summer love is full of Jesus radio, boysenberry jam, and nosy sisters, and when it’s all over it was enough to make Harper realize her home could and had been rebuilt by the very steps she had been following all summer.
How to Build a House by Dana Reinhardt is a very good book that I would recommend to almost anyone. Harper’s story is one of the confusion she faced as a child who did not understand the word divorce, and as a teenager whose life suffered the effects of that very word. Dana Reinhardt did a wonderful job developing Harper, and the background behind her personality. Showing how she didn’t accept Avi, Tess’ biological father, and how she was not remotely sure of herself after Tess was gone gave the reader a way to relate and understand why Harper had such convoluted thoughts on relationships. The plot of this story was often very predictable and typical of a teenage fiction novel, but the author provided just enough disruption that the story was good and never got boring. Dana Reinhardt did an excellent job portraying Coach Wes, as well as the rest of Teddy’s family, as the typical, hard working, small southern town family who were more than grateful for the work being done on their house. Throughout the novel I always found myself anxious to see what the twins, Alice and Grace, mouths. I especially liked how Dana Reinhardt used the steps of how to build a house to describe how Harper’s life fell apart in the first place, and eventually came back together. Relating each step to the one moment when this step came unraveled in her own home gave this story depth, and it really came to life. The author really understood how to relate the steps to Harper’s life, and each step had a message to go along with it to show how families and homes can fall apart in a split second, even if you have worked your whole life to build it up.
“But no matter what happens, the earth keeps turning. Monday always comes and eventually, sometimes excruciatingly slowly, that Monday is followed by a Friday.”
November 20, 2011
I have very mixed feelings about this book. While I enjoyed the concept and the message about awareness of emotionally abusive relationships and messy divorces, I think that Dana Reinhardt killed her message in the end.
The book begins with a very environmentally conscious Harper flying on a plane over to Tennessee to help build a house. She was very struck by the tornado disaster that happened there, and wants to help the people affected. As the story goes on, she meets new friends and also relives moments from her past. We slowly learn that she was in a sort-of relationship with this boy Gabriel. She liked him, he occasionally used her for sex and then their relationship wouldn’t exist until the next time he wanted her. Also thrown into this mess of emotional problems, Harper was dealing with the divorce of her father and stepmother (her biological mom died when she was really young and her dad remarried soon after). This divorce creates tension with her stepsister Tess who was her best friend.
So coming from this giant mess at home, Harper now has to work with a bunch of other teenagers who she feels insecure around. However she quickly gets over it and starts making a friend in Teddy, who is going to live in the house they are building. Eventually Teddy and Harper get into a romantic relationship and, although you would THINK that Harper would be very hesitant to do so due to her past experiences, they have sex. A few times.
So here we wonder: what is Dana Reinhardt trying to convey to the readers? That it’s okay for teens to have sex with the boy they meet just that summer, and who they might never see again? That teenage sex is just fine as long as you’re in a “committed” relationship with the other person (who you might have just meet a few weeks ago)? She got her point across that guys who use girls for sex are despicable human beings and deserve to be alone. But from there she basically started saying it was fine to have sex with a boy like Teddy (who I found pushy at times), because he “loves” you.
I just didn’t really like the messages of this book. It was right in its portrayal of the effects of divorce. It was also very potent in the showing of abusive almost-relationships. But I feel like she defeated her positive messages by putting some negative messages in the story.
However, the writing was pretty nice, if concise and slightly choppy (it was first person, so that kind of writing can be slightly excused).
Content Warnings: Sex (not too descriptive), language
The book begins with a very environmentally conscious Harper flying on a plane over to Tennessee to help build a house. She was very struck by the tornado disaster that happened there, and wants to help the people affected. As the story goes on, she meets new friends and also relives moments from her past. We slowly learn that she was in a sort-of relationship with this boy Gabriel. She liked him, he occasionally used her for sex and then their relationship wouldn’t exist until the next time he wanted her. Also thrown into this mess of emotional problems, Harper was dealing with the divorce of her father and stepmother (her biological mom died when she was really young and her dad remarried soon after). This divorce creates tension with her stepsister Tess who was her best friend.
So coming from this giant mess at home, Harper now has to work with a bunch of other teenagers who she feels insecure around. However she quickly gets over it and starts making a friend in Teddy, who is going to live in the house they are building. Eventually Teddy and Harper get into a romantic relationship and, although you would THINK that Harper would be very hesitant to do so due to her past experiences, they have sex. A few times.
So here we wonder: what is Dana Reinhardt trying to convey to the readers? That it’s okay for teens to have sex with the boy they meet just that summer, and who they might never see again? That teenage sex is just fine as long as you’re in a “committed” relationship with the other person (who you might have just meet a few weeks ago)? She got her point across that guys who use girls for sex are despicable human beings and deserve to be alone. But from there she basically started saying it was fine to have sex with a boy like Teddy (who I found pushy at times), because he “loves” you.
I just didn’t really like the messages of this book. It was right in its portrayal of the effects of divorce. It was also very potent in the showing of abusive almost-relationships. But I feel like she defeated her positive messages by putting some negative messages in the story.
However, the writing was pretty nice, if concise and slightly choppy (it was first person, so that kind of writing can be slightly excused).
Content Warnings: Sex (not too descriptive), language
September 18, 2008
When Harper’s father and stepmother get a divorce, her life feels like it’s falling apart. Not only is she losing the only family she has ever known, but she is also losing the friendship of her stepsister Tess, as the divorce creates an impassable divide between them. So she signs up for Homes from the Heart, a summer volunteer program that is building a house for a Tennessee family that lost theirs in a tornado.
Harper doesn’t know the first thing about construction, but she’s about to learn. Working with a group of teens from across the country feels like a great way to leave her problems behind. But as she starts working side by side with Teddy, the son of the family they’re building the house for, Harper starts to learn that sometimes, building a house is about more than just four walls and a roof. Sometimes, it’s about trusting, and about letting people in.
Dana Reinhardt knows families. She understands the language that people speak when they love each other, even when they’re angry at each other. The best part of this book, for me, was seeing the families interact. Harper’s family, and Teddy’s family. They are just joyful. Even when they’re not perfect. Reinhardt doesn’t for a second try to create the illusion of a perfect family. Every family has its weak points, the unpleasantnesses and sore points. The families that survive and grow can work past them—the families that can’t—won’t.
Reinhardt is also a master at my favorite kind of story—the one with a group of diverse/quirky teenagers/people thrown together and forced to work together. I love her secondary characters almost as much as I love Harper and Teddy.
That said, Harper’s obsession with the environment is presented from the start as an integral part of her personality—and while it resurfaces again at the end, and at various points, for the most part it seems to fall by the wayside, to be resurrected whenever it’s convenient. Harper in general is a VERY understated character, and while for the most part it works, there were times when I wanted just a little bit more from her. A little more depth, a little more interestingness. Just—more.
A good read, without question. Reminded me a lot of Justina Chen Headley’s North of Beautiful.
Harper doesn’t know the first thing about construction, but she’s about to learn. Working with a group of teens from across the country feels like a great way to leave her problems behind. But as she starts working side by side with Teddy, the son of the family they’re building the house for, Harper starts to learn that sometimes, building a house is about more than just four walls and a roof. Sometimes, it’s about trusting, and about letting people in.
Dana Reinhardt knows families. She understands the language that people speak when they love each other, even when they’re angry at each other. The best part of this book, for me, was seeing the families interact. Harper’s family, and Teddy’s family. They are just joyful. Even when they’re not perfect. Reinhardt doesn’t for a second try to create the illusion of a perfect family. Every family has its weak points, the unpleasantnesses and sore points. The families that survive and grow can work past them—the families that can’t—won’t.
Reinhardt is also a master at my favorite kind of story—the one with a group of diverse/quirky teenagers/people thrown together and forced to work together. I love her secondary characters almost as much as I love Harper and Teddy.
That said, Harper’s obsession with the environment is presented from the start as an integral part of her personality—and while it resurfaces again at the end, and at various points, for the most part it seems to fall by the wayside, to be resurrected whenever it’s convenient. Harper in general is a VERY understated character, and while for the most part it works, there were times when I wanted just a little bit more from her. A little more depth, a little more interestingness. Just—more.
A good read, without question. Reminded me a lot of Justina Chen Headley’s North of Beautiful.
August 1, 2009
Harper’s life is falling apart. Her father and step-mother, whom she considers a mother, are getting a divorce and her step-sister/best friend Tess won’t talk to her. Then there’s Gabriel. He’s been Harper’s best friend since they were twelve, but now he just uses her as his girl when he can’t get anyone else. Harper finally realizes that she needs to escape. When she finds out about Homes for the Heart Summer Program for Teens, she knows she’s found her escape route. At the beginning of the summer she heads off to Bailey, Tennessee where there was a major tornado that devastated almost the entire city. Here she will join a group of teens and help build a family a house. Little does she know that she will not only rebuild one family’s life, but may actually start rebuilding her own. She immediately starts making friends with the other volunteers and loves the aspect of helping other people. Then there’s Teddy, the son of the family for whom the house is being built. Teddy chooses Harper. He shows her how to trust and love and turns her summer into an unforgettable moment.
First, I have to say this surpassed and exceeded every expectation I had of this book. Not only was it an amazing and heart felt love story, but also an extremely real story of finding oneself. At the beginning of the story Harper is lost, struggling like many of today’s teens with the divorce of her parents. She grows so much as a person that it inspires the reader to really look at their life and see if they can make themselves a better person. Harper’s character is beautifully created and hard to forget. She is very honest and so real that she’s hard not to love. And then there is Teddy. Whew! He sounds like the ultimate boyfriend. There’s everything to love about him and it drives me crazy that he’s not real. I mean who wouldn’t want a guy who wants to make your life better and really wants to know everything about you. Besides the characters Dana Reinhart’s writing style was one of a kind. I really enjoyed how the story kept flipping from Harper’s current life in Tennessee and then what her home life was like. Overall this was a stunning novel that I highly recommend. I completely loved it and will definitely read it over and over again!
First, I have to say this surpassed and exceeded every expectation I had of this book. Not only was it an amazing and heart felt love story, but also an extremely real story of finding oneself. At the beginning of the story Harper is lost, struggling like many of today’s teens with the divorce of her parents. She grows so much as a person that it inspires the reader to really look at their life and see if they can make themselves a better person. Harper’s character is beautifully created and hard to forget. She is very honest and so real that she’s hard not to love. And then there is Teddy. Whew! He sounds like the ultimate boyfriend. There’s everything to love about him and it drives me crazy that he’s not real. I mean who wouldn’t want a guy who wants to make your life better and really wants to know everything about you. Besides the characters Dana Reinhart’s writing style was one of a kind. I really enjoyed how the story kept flipping from Harper’s current life in Tennessee and then what her home life was like. Overall this was a stunning novel that I highly recommend. I completely loved it and will definitely read it over and over again!
November 24, 2014
Harper needs to get away for the summer. Away from LA. Away from the guy that used her for sex. Away from her stepsister and best friend Tess, who she found kissing that guy. Away from her father, who is divorcing her stepmother, only mother Harper has even known. She volunteers with a charity to help build a house lost in a devastating tornado. Now she's in a small, broken down with strangers, building a new house for a family, including the cute son Teddy, displaced to a FEMA trailer since the tornado. The next 12 weeks will be filled with friends, new experiences and maybe even a boyfriend. While building the house. She'll also try to figure out how to rebuilt the house (family) she lost back home.
I think I'd read a supermarket list, in Dana Reinhardt wrote that list. After reading, HARMLESS. I wanted to read more from her, but none of the books sounded that interesting, to be honest. Amazon had GIRLS LIKE US on sale so I figured at $1.99, I could afford to dislike the novel. It far exceeded my expectations and not held my attention, but made me think in new ways. I could go on and on about how each book I thought would be boring was a four or five star read. HOW TO BUILD A HOUSE is her latest novel that was so much better than the blurb.
Harper is a great narrator and character. She's easy to empathize with and root for without feeling sorry for her. Her biological mother died when she was two, now at seventeen her stepmother moved to a new place with her two stepsisters and half brother. Reinhardt has somehow written Harper in a way that's not pitiful. Her father and Tess are multidimensional, flawed, yet solid. Teddy seemed a little too perfect, although someone did mention that a summer love often only shows the best of people.
Although HOW TO BUILD A HOUSE is somewhat a character story without tension, it was still a page turner. Reinhardt writes realistic, often subtle dialogue with unique voices. My only criticism is the ending, it wasn't awful, but I would have liked more in an epilogue. A sequel would also be wonderful. I recommend HOW TO BUILD A HOUSE for those interested in books about family, divorce, friendship, charity, accept imperfections in others, romance or those who simply enjoy well written books with great characters.
I think I'd read a supermarket list, in Dana Reinhardt wrote that list. After reading, HARMLESS. I wanted to read more from her, but none of the books sounded that interesting, to be honest. Amazon had GIRLS LIKE US on sale so I figured at $1.99, I could afford to dislike the novel. It far exceeded my expectations and not held my attention, but made me think in new ways. I could go on and on about how each book I thought would be boring was a four or five star read. HOW TO BUILD A HOUSE is her latest novel that was so much better than the blurb.
Harper is a great narrator and character. She's easy to empathize with and root for without feeling sorry for her. Her biological mother died when she was two, now at seventeen her stepmother moved to a new place with her two stepsisters and half brother. Reinhardt has somehow written Harper in a way that's not pitiful. Her father and Tess are multidimensional, flawed, yet solid. Teddy seemed a little too perfect, although someone did mention that a summer love often only shows the best of people.
Although HOW TO BUILD A HOUSE is somewhat a character story without tension, it was still a page turner. Reinhardt writes realistic, often subtle dialogue with unique voices. My only criticism is the ending, it wasn't awful, but I would have liked more in an epilogue. A sequel would also be wonderful. I recommend HOW TO BUILD A HOUSE for those interested in books about family, divorce, friendship, charity, accept imperfections in others, romance or those who simply enjoy well written books with great characters.
April 1, 2013
Harper’s life is completely falling apart day by day. She had been the only child since she was two when her mother died. Then three years later, her dad remarried, bringing a wonderful new stepmother with two daughters into her life. After sharing a room with Tess, the younger of the two girls for twelve years, their relationship had been torn. After countless fights with Tess and the divorce of her parents, Harper made the decision to spend the summer out in Tennessee to get away from her family life. She participated in a program called, “Homes from the Heart.” Where she built a home for a family that had lost theirs in a tornado. Little did she know that she was not only rebuilding the family’s life, but she was rebuilding her own. The members from all over the country quickly began forming friendships while they worked through the blazing Tennessee heat. After being paired with an eighteen year old named Teddy, a connection had been made that sparked a romance between the two, which resulted in Harper figuring out who her real friends were.
I liked the main character, Harper for the fact that when you feel like you know everything about her. A plot-twisting trait is revealed, making you reconfigure her thoughts on the situations. The setting, I feel is very interesting because Harper is set apart from her family and friends, which revels who she really is and not what people have known her as. Above all, I absolutely loved how the story switched back and forth between the life in Tennessee and the life at home. I liked how this truly allowed you to see how Harper feels in each scenario.
This story was very interesting and detailed, sometimes too detailed. Before reading this I felt that you could never have too much details, but this had changed my philosophy. The accesses amount of details at times made it hard to read and confusing. I didn’t like the whole concept of their romance tied into their house building, but that’s just my opinion.
Overall I feel that this is a stunning novel of a girl completely turning her life around and I would recommend this to anyone craving for a good book.
I liked the main character, Harper for the fact that when you feel like you know everything about her. A plot-twisting trait is revealed, making you reconfigure her thoughts on the situations. The setting, I feel is very interesting because Harper is set apart from her family and friends, which revels who she really is and not what people have known her as. Above all, I absolutely loved how the story switched back and forth between the life in Tennessee and the life at home. I liked how this truly allowed you to see how Harper feels in each scenario.
This story was very interesting and detailed, sometimes too detailed. Before reading this I felt that you could never have too much details, but this had changed my philosophy. The accesses amount of details at times made it hard to read and confusing. I didn’t like the whole concept of their romance tied into their house building, but that’s just my opinion.
Overall I feel that this is a stunning novel of a girl completely turning her life around and I would recommend this to anyone craving for a good book.
July 28, 2009
Harper Evans has a lot on her plate. Her mother died when she was two, and her father remarried a wonderful woman with two daughter, Tess and Rose. After they marry she and Tess are the best of friends, until the divorce. Now Harper’s life seems to be shattered and she will do anything to escape the mess her life has become. To get away, Harper signs up to volunteer for Homes from the Heart Summer Program for Teens where she will help build a house for survivors of a tornado in Bailey, Tennessee. Harper must learn to open her heart and begin to trust again before she can escape the devestation of her life.
This book is interesting and well written. It is a pretty quick read, and a good one two. However, a couple of things have bothered me about this book. First is the narrator’s use of sex in the book—I admit, I know I am not supposed to like the “Friends with benefits” relationship she has with Gabriel, but I feel like I was hit over the head with the fact that she had sex with Gabriel. It is like the author felt she had to drill this point into her story, and frankly, I did get a little tired of it. She does a lot of time showing us the unhealthy relationships that Harper has formed, and how Harper herself has a hand in destroying the healthy ones. Secondly, I wish I could have had more story about building the house and at the site, and more character development for Harper’s friends among the volunteers—they kind of seemed flat to me.
I did love the character of Teddy and his wonderful family. He and his family were just too good to be true. At one point in the novel, Teddy does mention that he is not perfect, and I think it would have rounded out his character more if she went into more detail with that. From everything we see in the book he is the perfect guy, so we need to see the other sides to make him more real.
Cautions for sensitive readers: There is some language in the book, although not a lot, and no violence. Sex does play a role in this book, although there are no graphic descriptions.
This book is interesting and well written. It is a pretty quick read, and a good one two. However, a couple of things have bothered me about this book. First is the narrator’s use of sex in the book—I admit, I know I am not supposed to like the “Friends with benefits” relationship she has with Gabriel, but I feel like I was hit over the head with the fact that she had sex with Gabriel. It is like the author felt she had to drill this point into her story, and frankly, I did get a little tired of it. She does a lot of time showing us the unhealthy relationships that Harper has formed, and how Harper herself has a hand in destroying the healthy ones. Secondly, I wish I could have had more story about building the house and at the site, and more character development for Harper’s friends among the volunteers—they kind of seemed flat to me.
I did love the character of Teddy and his wonderful family. He and his family were just too good to be true. At one point in the novel, Teddy does mention that he is not perfect, and I think it would have rounded out his character more if she went into more detail with that. From everything we see in the book he is the perfect guy, so we need to see the other sides to make him more real.
Cautions for sensitive readers: There is some language in the book, although not a lot, and no violence. Sex does play a role in this book, although there are no graphic descriptions.
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April 16, 2015The main message that Dana Reinhardt was explaining in the novel How To Build a House, is that in able to build others, you need to build ones self. The main character of the book, Harper, is the books point of vies (first person). Harper’s comfortable existence in California has been turned upside down ever since her father and stepmom announced their divorce, separating Harper from her stepsister and best friend, Tess. Meanwhile, her friendship turned romance with Gabriel is also on the rocks. In order to escape her crazy situation, and to put her environmentalist philosophy into practice, Harper signs up to spend the summer volunteering for a charitable organization. She ends up in Bailey, Tennessee, constructing a home for the Wright family, whose lives have also been upset, in their case by a tornado. In the progress of rebuilding a home, Harper is also rebuilding her life. The narrative alternates between present time in Tennessee, and the past year in California, exploring the abstract tornado that flattened Harper’s life, and the process of physical and emotional rebuilding taking place during that healing summer. She immediately starts making friends with the other volunteers and loves the aspect of helping other people. Then there's Teddy, the son of the family for whom the house is being built. Teddy chooses Harper. He shows her how to trust and love and turns her summer into an unforgettable moment.
When I first read the title of this book, I was very hesitant to read it. This book teaches many valuable lessons, even to those who cannot relate it in the slightest bit. This book revolves around true friendship, no matter what the circumstance. I did love the character of Teddy and his wonderful family. He and his family were just too good to be true. At one point in the novel, Teddy does mention that he is not perfect, and I think it would have rounded out his character more if she went into more detail with that. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and I would recommend it to my friends and classmates who enjoy realistic fiction.
When I first read the title of this book, I was very hesitant to read it. This book teaches many valuable lessons, even to those who cannot relate it in the slightest bit. This book revolves around true friendship, no matter what the circumstance. I did love the character of Teddy and his wonderful family. He and his family were just too good to be true. At one point in the novel, Teddy does mention that he is not perfect, and I think it would have rounded out his character more if she went into more detail with that. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and I would recommend it to my friends and classmates who enjoy realistic fiction.
November 29, 2011
What makes a family? How do you reconcile with someone when you aren't even speaking to them? Is it possible to run away from your problems? 18-year-old Harper is spending a few weeks in Bailey, Tennessee, volunteering with a group like Habitat for Humanity. The town was almost destroyed by a tornado, and FEMA basically told them that Hurricane Katrina used up all the funds. Harper and the other volunteers, mostly teens from all over the country, are housed in an old motel. The growing relationships between the teens, some of them including "summer flings," provides the light-and-easy social aspect of this otherwise serious story. The family for whom the group is building a house includes a dad (math teacher and football coach at the H.S.), a mom (nurse), twin 9-year-old girls, and an 18-year-old boy Teddy. Teddy provides his family's sweat equity, required from every family who gets a house built by this organization, and so he and Harper spend hours together -- and soon they are "an item."
There is a significant back-story: Harper's mom had died when she was 2. But her dad remarried when she was 6, to a woman with two daughters, one of them Harper's age. That girl, Tess, has been Harper's best friend and confidante ever since. And Jane, the stepmother, is a loving mother to Harper. But out of the blue (to Harper) last year, Jane and her dad divorced. Tess and Harper no longer share a room. And when they see each other, they barely speak. Tess blames Harper's dad, and Harper's loyalty forces her to take sides, too. But she misses Tess, Jane, and the family they had all built together.
There are some subtle "discussions" about what makes a house a home, how we are tied into our families and still separate entities, how families (in all sorts of configurations) support each other. This is like an Elizabeth Berg novel for teens. And it is also on the list of nominations for the 2012 Abraham Lincoln High School Book award.
There is a significant back-story: Harper's mom had died when she was 2. But her dad remarried when she was 6, to a woman with two daughters, one of them Harper's age. That girl, Tess, has been Harper's best friend and confidante ever since. And Jane, the stepmother, is a loving mother to Harper. But out of the blue (to Harper) last year, Jane and her dad divorced. Tess and Harper no longer share a room. And when they see each other, they barely speak. Tess blames Harper's dad, and Harper's loyalty forces her to take sides, too. But she misses Tess, Jane, and the family they had all built together.
There are some subtle "discussions" about what makes a house a home, how we are tied into our families and still separate entities, how families (in all sorts of configurations) support each other. This is like an Elizabeth Berg novel for teens. And it is also on the list of nominations for the 2012 Abraham Lincoln High School Book award.
October 28, 2011
How to Build a House by Dana Reinhardt is the story of seventeen year old Harper Evans and how one summer helped to change her outlook on life. Told through the numerous steps of building a house, the reader is transported between the present summer and Harpers past. As she helps build the house, she finds herself and learns how to love and be loved, even when it is not an easy thing to do.
Harper decides to leave her father in California to help Homes From The Heart, a teen volunteer organization, in a small, tornado ravaged town in Tennessee. She chooses to leave after the destruction of her own home and family. Her father and stepmother are getting divorced and she is no longer speaking to her former best friend and sister, Tess. As the summer progresses, Harper begins to really heal and builds relationships with the other volunteers as well as the teenage son, whose house she is helping to rebuild.
Harper is a painfully relatable girl. As a reader you feel for her as she tells her story with a unique mix of genuine honesty and humor about the life she is living. The story is unique in the way it is told through her building of the house. As each new piece of the house is built, Harper builds herself up a little bit more as well and she begins to put her own life and home back together again. Although there are many YA books out there that deal with divorce, teenagers, and family problems, this is the first one I read that deals with the aftermath of what happens when someone goes through the divorce of a step-family. You hear a lot about children not liking their step-parents or siblings, but Harper loved her stepmother and stepsisters more than anything. It was a unique perspective to see the anguish that happens when the people you consider your family, no longer are.
Harper decides to leave her father in California to help Homes From The Heart, a teen volunteer organization, in a small, tornado ravaged town in Tennessee. She chooses to leave after the destruction of her own home and family. Her father and stepmother are getting divorced and she is no longer speaking to her former best friend and sister, Tess. As the summer progresses, Harper begins to really heal and builds relationships with the other volunteers as well as the teenage son, whose house she is helping to rebuild.
Harper is a painfully relatable girl. As a reader you feel for her as she tells her story with a unique mix of genuine honesty and humor about the life she is living. The story is unique in the way it is told through her building of the house. As each new piece of the house is built, Harper builds herself up a little bit more as well and she begins to put her own life and home back together again. Although there are many YA books out there that deal with divorce, teenagers, and family problems, this is the first one I read that deals with the aftermath of what happens when someone goes through the divorce of a step-family. You hear a lot about children not liking their step-parents or siblings, but Harper loved her stepmother and stepsisters more than anything. It was a unique perspective to see the anguish that happens when the people you consider your family, no longer are.
August 6, 2009
Harper needs to get away from home for a while, to escape her heartbreak over her father's divorce from her stepmother and her confusion about her relationship with Gabriel, who is not her boyfriend but is definitely more than her friend. She signs up for the Homes from the Heart Summer Program for Teens and leaves her native California behind to help build a home for a Tennessee family who lost theirs in a tornado.
Dana Reinhardt does so many things right in this book that it would take a very long time to list them all, so I'll just hit the highlights. As always, her teen voice is spot-on: Harper sounds like a real teen, not a grown-up's idea of how a teen sounds. Her characterizations, as always, are excellent, too; the family for whom Harper is building a house, all of the other kids who work with her to build the house, and Harper's own family are fully realized. This is a remarkable feat, especially considering that the book comes in at only 227 pages. The most unique thing about How to Build a House, however, is its structure.
Reinhardt has named each chapter after one of the steps in building a house, and within each chapter we get glimpses of how Harper's life was at "Home" and how things are different "Here." Throughout the story, the step in home-building correlates with Harper's experiences and memories. It could come across as contrived, but it doesn't. It is, instead, just right.
I would recommend this book to just about anyone. Dana Reinhardt is one of my favorite authors for young adults today, and How to Build a House follows in the tradition of excellence she began with A Brief Chapter in My Impossible Life and continued with Harmless.
Dana Reinhardt does so many things right in this book that it would take a very long time to list them all, so I'll just hit the highlights. As always, her teen voice is spot-on: Harper sounds like a real teen, not a grown-up's idea of how a teen sounds. Her characterizations, as always, are excellent, too; the family for whom Harper is building a house, all of the other kids who work with her to build the house, and Harper's own family are fully realized. This is a remarkable feat, especially considering that the book comes in at only 227 pages. The most unique thing about How to Build a House, however, is its structure.
Reinhardt has named each chapter after one of the steps in building a house, and within each chapter we get glimpses of how Harper's life was at "Home" and how things are different "Here." Throughout the story, the step in home-building correlates with Harper's experiences and memories. It could come across as contrived, but it doesn't. It is, instead, just right.
I would recommend this book to just about anyone. Dana Reinhardt is one of my favorite authors for young adults today, and How to Build a House follows in the tradition of excellence she began with A Brief Chapter in My Impossible Life and continued with Harmless.
August 5, 2009
How to Build a House was a wonderful read, full of symbolism, life lessons, and happy endings. It honestly, despite some heavy issues, was a feel good book. The main character, Harper, is going through some pretty serious things at home (a divorce, loss of her stepsister/best friend, boy confusion), but after a summer of volunteer work far from home - she learns what a home - and what a house - really mean.
One of my favorite parts of this novel was that the story alternated between "home" and "here". I loved reading the "home" parts when the reader got to see what made Harper into the person she currently is and why she is halfway across the country volunteering. I felt like I really got to know Harper in a relatively short time (as the book was only a little over 200 pages long).
I really liked the characters in How to Build a House. They were very realistic in their dialogue and interactions - Reinhardt didn't gloss over the unpleasant side of life.
Sometimes I got a bit annoyed with Harper. She has some quirks that would have driven me completely insane if she were a real person, like her obsession with correct grammar and rules. In ways though, this was acceptable because it made Harper more realistic, even though she was annoying.
The romance between Harper and Teddy was well written. I really liked how Teddy allowed Harper to grow and heal - and in ways Harper did the same for him.
Ratings (Out of 10):
Plot: 10
Characters: 10
Writing style: 10
Romance: 10
Originality: 10
Total: 50/50 (A)
I definitely recommend this book! It is a great story with great characters. Not necessarily the best book I've ever read, but definitely worth recommending to a friend!
One of my favorite parts of this novel was that the story alternated between "home" and "here". I loved reading the "home" parts when the reader got to see what made Harper into the person she currently is and why she is halfway across the country volunteering. I felt like I really got to know Harper in a relatively short time (as the book was only a little over 200 pages long).
I really liked the characters in How to Build a House. They were very realistic in their dialogue and interactions - Reinhardt didn't gloss over the unpleasant side of life.
Sometimes I got a bit annoyed with Harper. She has some quirks that would have driven me completely insane if she were a real person, like her obsession with correct grammar and rules. In ways though, this was acceptable because it made Harper more realistic, even though she was annoying.
The romance between Harper and Teddy was well written. I really liked how Teddy allowed Harper to grow and heal - and in ways Harper did the same for him.
Ratings (Out of 10):
Plot: 10
Characters: 10
Writing style: 10
Romance: 10
Originality: 10
Total: 50/50 (A)
I definitely recommend this book! It is a great story with great characters. Not necessarily the best book I've ever read, but definitely worth recommending to a friend!
July 31, 2011
Harper decides to spend her summer as a volunteer for Homes for the Heart – a teen program similar to Habitat for Humanity, where volunteers build homes for needy families. The program takes her from LA to the small town of Bailey, Tennessee, where citizens were hit hard by a tornado. Harper wants to help, but she also wants to escape from her life, which has become way too complicated. Her stepmom and dad are getting a divorce (dad cheated), and her stepsister, Tess, with whom she’s always been close, has become distant. Harper also catches Tess lip-locked with her one-time best-friend, now something confusing and hurtful, Gabriel. It’s too much. Although she intends to be distracted by her community service work, Harper finds herself falling for Teddy, the son of the family whose house the volunteers are rebuilding. She’s both scared and thrilled to find someone who really cares about her and isn’t afraid to define their relationship. Although Harper and Teddy are geographically incompatible, they are taking their relationship one day at a time. Each realizes that they may not be together forever, but that that doesn’t mean they have to make themselves miserable thinking about the future.
Relationships are complicated and Dana Reinhardt doesn’t shy away from that fact. Adults and teenagers do stupid, hurtful, irresponsible things and these have effects on the people around them. What’s refreshing in this particular story is how hard Harper’s family works to repair the relationships in their lives. Harper comes a long way from being the girl who just wants to run away from her problems. It’s nice to find a book that realistically portrays relationships, and doesn’t set teens up for a first love that’s forever or happily ever after.
Relationships are complicated and Dana Reinhardt doesn’t shy away from that fact. Adults and teenagers do stupid, hurtful, irresponsible things and these have effects on the people around them. What’s refreshing in this particular story is how hard Harper’s family works to repair the relationships in their lives. Harper comes a long way from being the girl who just wants to run away from her problems. It’s nice to find a book that realistically portrays relationships, and doesn’t set teens up for a first love that’s forever or happily ever after.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 23, 2009
Reinhardt, Dana; How to Build a House, 240 pgs. Wendy Lamb Books; Language~PG, Sexual Content~R; Violence~G
Harper’s family is falling apart. Her father and step-mom are getting a divorce. Not only is Harper losing her ‘mom’ but the divorce has torn apart her friendship with Tess, her step-sister. To get away from the hurt at home, Harper joins Habitat for Humanity and volunteers to help build a home in a Tennessee town which was destroyed by a tornado. There she meets other teens with varied backgrounds, but they all have one thing in common . . .they are here to work. Harper does work, but she also makes friends. To her surprise she finds herself drawn to a young man named Teddy. It’s Teddy’s house they are re-building and their friendship quickly blossoms into more. This is a story about re-building a house after a destructive storm, but it is also a story about re-building trust and relationships destroyed by divorce. While this title is highly recommended, there are scenes with heavy kissing and described sexual activity. These are tastefully done and not overly graphic, but I recommend you read it first before deciding if it belongs in your school’s library. This is a must for public libraries!
MS/HS. ADVISABLE Allison Madsen~Youth Services Librarian-SJO Public Librarian
Harper’s family is falling apart. Her father and step-mom are getting a divorce. Not only is Harper losing her ‘mom’ but the divorce has torn apart her friendship with Tess, her step-sister. To get away from the hurt at home, Harper joins Habitat for Humanity and volunteers to help build a home in a Tennessee town which was destroyed by a tornado. There she meets other teens with varied backgrounds, but they all have one thing in common . . .they are here to work. Harper does work, but she also makes friends. To her surprise she finds herself drawn to a young man named Teddy. It’s Teddy’s house they are re-building and their friendship quickly blossoms into more. This is a story about re-building a house after a destructive storm, but it is also a story about re-building trust and relationships destroyed by divorce. While this title is highly recommended, there are scenes with heavy kissing and described sexual activity. These are tastefully done and not overly graphic, but I recommend you read it first before deciding if it belongs in your school’s library. This is a must for public libraries!
MS/HS. ADVISABLE Allison Madsen~Youth Services Librarian-SJO Public Librarian
December 4, 2014
Format: Audiobook
Comments on Narrator:
Pretty good. I adapted quickly to her voice and she has a good sense of rhythm and phrasing.
Comments on the writing and plot: Pass+. Reinhardt does not commit common sins of poor writers. I thought Harper was an odd name for the main character. It was a tad distracting for me. The author does not tax my mind with unimportant characters and she introduces new ones at a good pace so you are able to remember them and understand why they exist in the story.
Comments on the story:
The story is about Harper who spends a summer with a work crew of teens building a house for a family that lost theirs in a tornado. As she works to build the house she deals with the emotions of her home life (divorce and estrangement from step-family) which is her own family and home that she must work through to rebuild.
I liked the characters especially Teddy although he was almost too perfect. Harper is average and normal and I liked that.
Her dad seemed a little too nice for a guy who cheated on what seemed like a really nice wife and step-mom to Harper. That was a tad odd but not unbelievable. Perhaps that is fodder for a different book.
I'd listen to another of her audiobooks.
Comments on Narrator:
Pretty good. I adapted quickly to her voice and she has a good sense of rhythm and phrasing.
Comments on the writing and plot: Pass+. Reinhardt does not commit common sins of poor writers. I thought Harper was an odd name for the main character. It was a tad distracting for me. The author does not tax my mind with unimportant characters and she introduces new ones at a good pace so you are able to remember them and understand why they exist in the story.
Comments on the story:
The story is about Harper who spends a summer with a work crew of teens building a house for a family that lost theirs in a tornado. As she works to build the house she deals with the emotions of her home life (divorce and estrangement from step-family) which is her own family and home that she must work through to rebuild.
I liked the characters especially Teddy although he was almost too perfect. Harper is average and normal and I liked that.
Her dad seemed a little too nice for a guy who cheated on what seemed like a really nice wife and step-mom to Harper. That was a tad odd but not unbelievable. Perhaps that is fodder for a different book.
I'd listen to another of her audiobooks.
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