Some Kind of Happiness
Happy Bibliotherapy Thursday! This week’s pick is Some Kind of Happiness by Claire Legrand. This middle grade fiction tackles heavy topics like depression, anxiety, and parental separation using relatable characters and a captivating plot.
Finley Hart has been dropped off at her grandparents’ home for the summer so her parents can have some time to talk through some problems they’ve been having in their relationship. Finley experiences “blue” days and panic attacks that she doesn’t fully understand and make her feel isolated from her grandparents and cousins. She finds refuge in her imagination, first by building a fictional world called Everwood that she writes about in her notebook, then by courageously sharing this world with friends and family as they play out the stories of Everwood in the forest behind her grandparents’ home. A beautiful and compelling book, Some Kind of Happiness offers the reader gentle reassurance that it’s okay to not be okay, and there is strength in human connection and self-acceptance.
Though this is officially classified as a middle grade book (geared toward children around ages 8-12), I highly recommend this to parents and caregivers who may be seeing their child withdraw into themselves or struggle with periods of heightened emotion and outbursts. And if you have a quiet and creative child who is a voracious reader, you might give this to them and find it becomes one of their favorites. Even if your child doesn’t relate to Finley’s exact situation, the emotions described in the book are universal and it can be a wonderful stepping stone toward building understanding and empathy for friends whose experiences may parallel those in this book.
You can find Some Kind of Happiness in print and e-book at these retailers:
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