Some Kind of Happiness - Hardcover

Legrand, Claire

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1442466014 ISBN 13: 9781442466012

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2016

Synopsis

Reality and fantasy collide in this heartfelt and mysterious novel for fans of Counting by 7s and Bridge to Terabithia, about a girl who must save a magical make-believe world in order to save herself.

Things Finley Hart doesn’t want to talk about:
-Her parents, who are having problems. (But they pretend like they’re not.)
-Being sent to her grandparents’ house for the summer.
-Never having met said grandparents.
-Her blue days—when life feels overwhelming, and it’s hard to keep her head up. (This happens a lot.)

Finley’s only retreat is the Everwood, a forest kingdom that exists in the pages of her notebook. Until she discovers the endless woods behind her grandparents’ house and realizes the Everwood is real—and holds more mysteries than she’d ever imagined, including a family of pirates that she isn’t allowed to talk to, trees covered in ash, and a strange old wizard living in a house made of bones.

With the help of her cousins, Finley sets out on a mission to save the dying Everwood and uncover its secrets. But as the mysteries pile up and the frightening sadness inside her grows, Finley realizes that if she wants to save the Everwood, she’ll first have to save herself.

About this title

About the Author

Claire Legrand used to be a musician until she realized she couldn’t stop thinking about the stories in her head. Now Ms. Legrand is a full-time writer living in New Jersey. She has written two middle grade novels—The Cavendish Home for Boys and Girls, one of the New York Public Library’s 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing in 2012, and The Year of Shadows—as well as the young adult novel Winterspell. Visit her at Claire-Legrand.com and on Twitter @ClaireLegrand.

Reviews

Gr 4-7-A multilayered plot, engaging characters, and more than one mystery highlight this ambitious novel. Eleven-year-old Finley spends a summer with her grandparents and a swarm of other relatives from her father's side of the family. Suffering from depression which is amplified by her parents' likely divorce, Finley escapes through writing. She creates elaborate tales about the magical Everwood forest, featuring herself as "the orphan girl." Everwood tales, neatly inserted into the narrative, parallel her own worries and triumphs. Exploring the real forest near her grandparents' home brings her hope; so do new friendships with her cousins and a trio of wild neighbor boys. As she defies her grandparents and tries to keep her debilitating "blue days" a secret, Finley also discovers family secrets from the past. She narrates most of the story in first person, present tense, with short paragraphs, formal language, and careful observation that establish her as an astute, intelligent, and very interesting protagonist. Finley inserts lists that help her make sense of things, along with frequent parenthetical asides that reveal her continual self-doubts. Multiple supporting characters are well drawn, becoming further developed as Finley learns more about each one. The central mystery, involving a fire, takes a while to resolve, but it's really Finley and her developing relationships with her extended family members that resonate most strongly. VERDICT Though the measured pace and mix of narrative styles will challenge some readers, Legrand successfully weaves it all into a rich, nuanced tale that culminates in a convincing and satisfying conclusion.-Steven Engelfried, Wilsonville Public Library, ORα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Some Kind of Happiness
HE IS COMING.

She is coming.

It was the beginning of summer. There were soft breezes in the air, and the Everwood was using them to speak.

The ancient guardians used spells and charms to weave a golden cage around the secret at the heart of the Everwood.

But still the secret grew and darkened, deep underground. It reached for the roots of the great Everwood trees like poison. Someday it would rise. Someday, soon, it would escape.

But those who lived in the Everwood—the witches and the goblins, the barrows and the fairies and the wood spirits—knew nothing of this. They turned their faces to the trees and listened, as they did every day.

Today the message was different.

She is coming, whistled the Everwood winds.

She is coming, rustled the Everwood leaves.

“Who?” the creatures of the forest asked. “Who is coming?”

The little orphan girl, groaned the trees. She carries a great sadness inside her. We must put our hope in her nevertheless.

And the guardians stood at the edge of the wood and gazed into the sun, waiting.

Edition details

• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
• Publication date: 2016
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1442466014
• ISBN 13: 9781442466012
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 384