My Box-Shaped Heart

Book excerpt: Rachel Lucas's My Box-Shaped Heart is a powerful YA novel about an unlikely friendship between two struggling teens—and how they come together to help one another. Holly's mom is a hoarder, and Holly is fed up with being picked on at school for being weird . . . and having the wrong clothes . . . and sticking out. All she wants is to fit in. She loves swimming, because in the water everyone is the same. Ed goes to the swimming pool because everything else in his life has changed. In his old life, he had money, was on the swim team, knew who he was and what he wanted. In his old life, his dad hit his mom. Holly is swimming in one direction and Ed's swimming in the other. As their worlds collide they find a window into each other's lives—and learn how to meet in the middle.