If Not Us by Mark Smith

 If Not Us by Mark Smith

Published September 2021 Text Publishing

Blurb:

Hesse lives a small coastal town, where a coalmine and power station are a part of the scenery, and a part of the ever-growing problem of climate change. His mum is a member of a local environmental group campaigning to close the mine and shut down the power station. It’s a no-brainer, of course, but Hesse is more interested in surfing—and in Fenna, the new exchange student from the Netherlands.

But when someone seems to be trying to derail the campaign, and his friends’ families face losing their jobs, Hesse begins to realise that things are complex.

Even though he’s reluctant to step into the spotlight, with Fenna’s encouragement he decides it’s time to make a stand. Because some things are too important to leave to everyone else. And even one small, nervous voice can make a difference.

When Hesse agrees to speak at a protest meeting he has no idea of the storm he is about to unleash.

I am always on the lookout for YA titles with strong male characters, and I am happy to say that I found one with this book.

Hesse is a teenager who lives in a small town, where in the background, a mine and Power Station have always been there in the background...employing a large number of people from the town.  When he starts to question the environmental impact of these industries, he feels he needs to use his voice and speak up for what he believes is the right thing.

This would be a great book to look at in schools, as it encourages discussion about climate change, environmental issues and values.  Is it right to close down an industry that is causing damage to the environment, knowing that people will lose their jobs and  the whole town may suffer the consequences?  What is more important?  The planet and our health? Or industry, jobs and the livelihoods of those who work in the town?

It's not all environmental issues and protests, there's friendship, family and romance as well, so it makes for a very well rounded read.

When the World Was Ours by Liz Kessler

When the World Was Ours by Liz Kessler

February 2021  Simon and Schuster

Blurb:

A powerful and heart-breaking novel about three childhood friends living during the Second World War whose fates are closely intertwined, even when their lives take very different courses. For readers of Private Peaceful, The Book Thief and Anne Frank's The Diary of a Young Girl. 

Three friends. Two sides. One memory. Vienna. 1936. Three young friends - Leo, Elsa and Max - spend a perfect day together, unaware that around them Europe is descending into a growing darkness, and that events soon mean that they will be cruelly ripped apart from each other. With their lives taking them across Europe - to Germany, England, Prague and Poland - will they ever find their way back to each other? Will they want to? 

Inspired by a true story, WHEN THE WORLD WAS OURS is an extraordinary novel that is as powerful as it is heartbreaking, and shows how the bonds of love, family and friendship allow glimmers of hope to flourish, even in the most hopeless of times.

Wow, what a book.  I had been in a bit of a reading rut, struggling to really get into a book, but I read this one in two sittings…it would have been one sitting had I not started it at night.

Leo, Elsa and Max, three best friends living in Vienna.  They experience one of those rare ‘perfect days’ celebrating Leo’s 9^th birthday…and then the world as they know it changes, and friends become enemies. Leo and Elsa are Jews and Max is not.

The book follows these three characters on their separate, very different journeys through the years from 1936 to 1945.

I won’t give too much away, but the idea for this story came from the authors own grandfather.  He is the Leo in this story, and the chance encounter he had with a visiting English couple in Vienna turned out to change the course of his life.

This book is heartbreaking, so be prepared.  It is a story of the holocaust, and all of the horrors that surround that time in our history.  Not everything is explicitly explained, such as what happens to the Jews told to go to the left at Auschwitz, or what exactly Elsa’s friend Greta has to do, to get the extra food from the Nazi officers, but it’s all there.  

We get to see both sides in this book.  What is was to be Jewish, but also what it was to be a young German boy who grew up with one wish; to be part of the Hitler Youth.  Impossible to understand in hindsight, but how much did these young men really know about what being a Nazi soldier meant, in practice?

All of the darkness and sadness aside, this is also a story about family, hope and the memories of perfect days that keep us going, when the world is falling apart.

A must read. 

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the opportunity to read a review copy of this.

Scars Like Wings by Erin Stewart

Scars Like Wings by Erin Stewart
October 2019 Simon & Schuster

Blurb:

Everyone has scars. Some are just easier to see ... 16-year-old Ava Gardener is heading back to school one year after a house fire left her severely disfigured. She's used to the names, the stares, the discomfort, but there's one name she hates most of all: Survivor. 

What do you call someone who didn't mean to survive? Who sometimes wishes she hadn't? When she meets a fellow survivor named Piper at therapy, Ava begins to feel like she's not facing the nightmare alone. Piper helps Ava reclaim the pieces of Ava Before the Fire, a normal girl who kissed boys and sang on stage. But Piper is fighting her own battle for survival, and when Ava almost loses her best friend, she must decide if the new normal she's chasing has more to do with the girl in the glass-or the people by her side. 

The beautiful, life-affirming debut from Erin Stewart that's being called the YA answer to Wonder. Perfect for fans of Jandy Nelson, Nicola Yoon and John Green.

When a book is described as the 'YA answer to Wonder'...you just have to read it and see for yourself. 

Life is hard enough for any 16 year old in high school, so imagine if you had to deal with all of the normal high school drama,  while being severely disfigured due to burns sustained from a house fire.  That's only the start of it.  The house fire that was the cause of the burns also took the lives of Ava's parents and her cousin.  So now Ava lives with her Aunt and Uncle...in the room of her now dead cousin.

Like Wonder, this book makes you think about the kind of person you are.  We all like to think that we are good and kind people, but what would it be like when a new girl comes to school, with a melted face, no ear and a toe where her thumb should be?  Would you find it easy to look her in the eye and have a conversation? How would you feel about holding her hand?  Those of who have not been in that circumstance can't answer that, not really...but we all hope we would be able to see past the outside to the person underneath the scars.

Unlike Wonder I found myself putting myself in Ava's shoes.  I don't remember wondering what it would be like for Auggie?  Maybe because he was younger?  Maybe because he, for the most part, had such a positive outlook on life.   But I did wonder how I would feel if I was Ava, maybe because I have been a 16 year old girl.  Would I be brave enough to face the world looking so different?  Would I be able to look people in the eye when they spoke to me, knowing what they see when they look at my face?  Again, we can never know, but I would like to think that I could be even half as brave as Ava. 

I know it's only a story, and Ava is not a real person, but reading a book like this makes me want to be a braver person, just in everyday life. Take more risks, do the things you love without worrying what other people will think of you, and find the people that bring out the best in you.

Full Disclosure by Camryn Garrett

Full Disclosure by Camryn Garrett
November 2019 Penguin

Blurb:

Simone is HIV-positive - and positive HIV won't define her. She also knows that celibacy is the best way to stay safe. 

Enter Miles Austin- intelligent, funny and way too sexy for Simone to resist. 

But her classmates don't know that she's HIV-positive - and what is the truth worth in the hands of the wrong person?

The peak of the AIDS epidemic was in 1987, I was 15.  I remember that HIV and AIDS held the biggest fear as far as STDs went.  There was the terrifying Grim Reaper advertisement that aired on televisions all across the country, putting the fear of god into everyone

Now in 2019, it's not something I really think about.  I know now that HIV is not a death sentence, and that HIV rates across Australia are declining....but not in all parts of Australia.. I have just learned  that Australia's worst HIV epidemic since the AIDS crisis is happening right now, in 2019 in the Northern Territory, so maybe this is the perfect time for a YA novel about HIV to be released.

Simone is HIV positive, she has had the virus from birth, contracted from her mother.  Simone was adopted by her two Dads and she has always known what it means to be HIV Positive, and knows how to look after herself.  She also know that she's not supposed to tell people about it, because most people just won't understand.  In fact Simone has recently started new school due the fallout that occurred at her previous school when she told people she thought she trusted.

HIV has never been an issue...but then Simone has never been a 17 year old girl before and with being a 17 year old girl comes hormones, cute boys and the desire to go further than just holding hands.

I seem to be reading a lot of YA at the moment where a character is different in some way, burn victims, amputees, ....  
Each of these characters have overcome their obstacle in different ways, but there are some seemingly universal factors that helped them along the way.  
One, having good friends. Having the right people around you can make all of the difference.  
Two, accepting what your (new) life is like and making the most of it.

With or without a disability/medical condition/disfigurement High School can be hard, and one of he most important things you can do is 'Find Your Tribe'.  Find the people who make you feel good about yourself, make you laugh, and make you want to be the best version of yourself.  That sounds like whole lot of 'inspirational quote' mumbo jumbo when I write it down, but honestly, I don't think I did that in High School.  I spent way too much time trying to be like other people and worrying what other people thought of me...maybe there's no way of getting away with that, but don't make it a full time thing.

Zenobia by Morten Durr and illustrated by Lars Horneman

Zenobia by Morten Durr and illustrated by Lars Horneman
October 2018 UQP

Blurb:
Zenobia was once a great warrior queen of Syria whose reign reached from Egypt to Turkey. She was courageous. No-one gave her orders. Once she even went to war against the emperor of Rome.

When things feel overwhelming for Amina, her mother reminds her to think of Zenobia and be strong. Amina is a Syrian girl caught up in a war that reaches her village. To escape the war she boards a small boat crammed with other refugees. The boat is rickety and the turbulent seas send Amina overboard. In the dark water Amina remembers playing hide and seek with her mother and making dolmas and the journey she had to undertake with her uncle to escape. And she thinks of the brave warrior Zenobia.

Zenobia is a heartbreaking and all-too-real story of one child's experience of war. Told with great sensitivity in few words and almost exclusively with pictures, Zenobia is a story for everyone.

This is not a new one, just over a year old...but as I wasn't doing much in the way of Instagram or blogging back then, I thought I would say a few words about it now.

Zenobia is a perfect example of visual literacy, and the impact it can have on a reader. 

At first glance it would be easy to think that this is book for younger readers.  It's a larger format  (about A5 size) graphic novel, very little text...but it would have to be one of the most powerful refugee stories I have read.  

The colour changes in the illustrations show what part of the story is told in present day, and the parts that are memories of what has led the Amina to this point.  The present day illustrations are full colour, while the memories are depicted in a sepia like tone.  Like so many regugee stories, we see Amina living her life, happily in her village until the day her parents leave and don't come back.  Leaving her home, that is now nothing but rubble, with her uncle, who pays her way onto a boat, her only hope at survival...

I talk about this book a lot in schools, and I warn the students not to flick though this one and dismiss as a book for younger readers.  I tell them to be prepared to be prepared for confronting images and a a heart wrenching story.  It's the kind of book that you read, and when you get to the end you think...hang on did that just happen, and when you realise that it did, it will break your heart.

Excellent Teachers Notes available here.

The Changeover by Margaret Mahy

The Changeover by Margaret Mahy
This edition published 1985 by Methuen Children's Books Ltd

Blurb

'A clammy hand pressed Laura down to her knees beside Jacko's bed. It was the hand of terror, nothing less.'

It was a warning. Laura felt it when she looked in the mirror that morning. There had been others: the day her father left home, the day she met Sorensen - the boy with the strange silver eyes.

But nothing had prepared Laura for the horror of today. And now her little brother, Jacko, was fighting for his life after being sucked dry of his youth by the sinister Carmody Braque.

Laura knows there is only one way to save Jacko; she must join Sorensen and use his supernatural powers to change over if there is to be any hope for her little brother.

This would be one of the oldest books on my shelf.
This is a 1985 edition of one of my all time favourites., The Changeover by the legendary Margaret Mahy.

Way back when...
when I used to re-read books this one was near to the top of that list, it has been read a lot! 

What did I love about it so much? I am sure the ‘supernatural romance’ was a big part of it, I must have been 14 when I first read it. 

Nice new cover, 2017 edition.

I also like a good younger brother, older sister dynamic.  Being an older sister of a younger brother, there's something about this particular relationship that strikes a chord with me.  The other book that stands out like that for me is Saving Francesca by Melina Marchetta.

And then there's the writing.  I am not saying that at 14 I was wise enough to recognise the literary greatness here, but I recognised a good story.  Looking back I feel lucky that a book like this made it into my hands and made me appreciate good writing and a good story...without even realising that's what was happening.

Might be time to give the yellowed pages of this one a spin again.

Does anyone else regularly re-read old favourites?

Mind Blown by Dan Marshall

Mind Blown by Dan Marshall
Published November 2019 Bloomsbury

Blurb:

Delightful illustrations and beautiful design bring to life some of the hardest to believe and awesomely real facts you'll ever see. Prepare to have your mind blown -

Did you know space is only an hour's drive away? Did you know there is a jellyfish that is biologically immortal? Or that of all life that has ever existed on Earth, 99.9% of it is extinct? Dan Marshall's slick new book is packed to the brim with facts that will BLOW YOUR MIND.

This book did exactly what it says on the cover.  It blew my mind.  I love facts.  I can't say that I retain everything I read, but I love them.

This book is not a children's book (and I will get to why in a sec), but it almost could be, and for fact loving teens and adults it's a winner.

Simply designed, all in black and white, with text on one page and an accompanying illustration (in black and white) on the opposite page.  You can see some examples below.  The tone is light, the topics are broad, and there is humour in the writing.

But it's the facts...wow.

A few of my favourites:

• When you shuffle a deck of cards, that exact order has never been seen before in the history of the universe.
• There are more tigers living in Texas than anywhere else in the world.
• If there was hole right through the Earth, it would take 42 minutes to go from one side to the other.
• The world's nine richest men have more wealth than half the people on Earth.
• Oxford University is older than Aztec civilisation.

I won't go into the science and reasons behind these facts, that's what the books for, but trust me it's all there.

Now you're asking, why isn't this book OK for kids?  Well it will be for plenty of you, it's just the one little fact on page 173:

• Pigs' orgasms can last for up to 30 minutes.

Depending on the age of the child, that may bring up more questions than you were ready to answer.

The Darkdeep by Brendan Reichs and Ally Condie

The Darkdeep by Brendan Reichs and Ally Condie
Published September 2018 Pan Macmillan

Blurb:

When a bullying incident sends twelve year-old Nico Holland over the edge of a cliff into the icy waters of Still Cove, where no one ever goes, friends Tyler and Ella – and even 'cool kid' Opal – rush to his rescue . . . only to discover an island hidden in the swirling mists below. Shrouded by dense trees and murky tides, the island appears uninhabited, although the kids can't quite shake the feeling that something about it is off. 

Their suspicions grow when they stumble upon an abandoned houseboat with an array of curiosities inside: odd-looking weapons, unnerving portraits, maps to places they've never heard of, and a glass jar containing something completely unidentifiable. 

As the group delves deeper into the unknown, their discoveries – and their lives – begin to intertwine in weird and spooky ways. Something ancient has awakened . . . and it knows their wishes and dreams - and their deepest secrets. Do they have what it takes to face the shadowy things that lurk within their own hearts? 

Told from Nico's and Opal's alternating points of view, The Darkdeep, from bestselling duo Ally Condie and Brendan Reichs, kicks off a suspenseful and spooky new series, perfect for fans of Stranger Things.

This would have to be, hands down, the most popular book I have talked about in schools this year.

When I do book talks at schools, as a way of the library doing their buying, I general take a 100+ books.  I pick out my favorites and talk about those ones, then the students have free reign (or whatever limits the library have put in place!), to browse all of the books and vote for what they want to read, and have in their library. At one school, I literally had a constant line up of students wanting to vote for The Darkdeep, and I have never in my 20+ year doing this have I seen that.  I do quite the spiel on it when I talk about it, complete with sound effects…so I am sure that helps.

The Darkdeep was on our shelves for 6 months before I even spotted it…which shocked me no end, as I think I know every book on the shelves!  As soon as I saw it I though 1) Why haven’t I read this? And 2) Kids will love this.  I think one of the tag lines is Stranger Things meets The Goonies.  It’s a perfect comparison and pretty funny in schools, because all of this kids at school 'oooh’ at the Stranger Things reference, and all of the adults react the same way to The Goonies.

I think there’s a big gap in children’s fiction, and YA to be honest, as far as Horror goes.  Now that so many libraries are genrefying their collections, this is one area where the gaps are showing.  This book is such a good choice for middle, and upper primary, as it’s creepy, and a bit scary, but not too scary.  

The setting is creepy, a fog covered island, and there’s mystery as to why there is a house in the middle of a lake (and that’s not solved in the first book), the fact that whatever the children fear most, manifests itself as a hologram, and then these holograms get more real and scarier.  It’s got a lot going for it as far as creepy goes.

It also has a lot of non scary things going for it too.  Themes of bullying, friendship and loyalty are strong, and the story is told from alternating characters’ points of view, which works well, as we get two perspectives on what’s happening.

The best news for anyone starting this series now, is that Book 2 has just been released, so no waiting to find out what happens next.

 

Being Black 'N Chicken, & Chips by Matt Okine

Being Black 'N Chicken, & Chips by Matt Okine

Published September 24th 2019 Hachette

Blurb:

A heartbreaking and often hilarious story about trying to grow up when everything is falling apart from one of Australia's leading comic talents.
Mike Amon is a regular teenager. All he wants is to fit in. He wants to sit at the cool bench. He wants to be a star athlete. He wants his first kiss.
He also wants his mum to survive.
When his mum is suddenly diagnosed with advanced breast and brain cancer, Mike knows it's a long shot, but if he manages to achieve his dreams, maybe it'll give his mum enough strength to beat an incurable disease.
In the meantime, he has to live with his African dad whom he doesn't really know, a man who has strange foreign ways - and who Mike doesn't really feel comfortable sharing his teenage desires and deepest fears with. He doesn't even want to think about what it might mean if his mum never comes home from the hospital.
Based on his award-winning stand-up show, and the loss of his own mother when he was 12, Matt Okine's coming-of-age novel, Being Black n Chicken and Chips, is a funny, heart-warming, and sometimes surreal look at how young people deal with grief, the loss of loved ones, and becoming an adult - all whilst desperately trying to fit in with the other kids

I found this one really interesting. I am coming from a children's and YA background, and I wanted to see where this book might fit in a High School library, as the protagonist is a 12 year old boy. 

This book is published as, and marketed, as an adult title, but to me it read like a YA.  The only thing that will jump it up the age bracket for me, is the language (swearing), and maybe Mike's preoccupation with his penis :)

It's a coming of age story, a story of first love, schoolyard bullies and a story of the most heartbreaking loss you can imagine at 12.  It has a good blend of humour throughout the story though, and that helps to take the edge of the tragedy that is unfolding for Mike.

The loss of his mother, and the confusion and questions surrounding growing up were honest and believable, if sometimes uncomfortable to read...but that's life, sometimes uncomfortable, especially if you are a 12 year old boy I would imagine.

The 90s setting was fun to revisit, for someone who lived through it, and I don't think it will jar with any readers who may not even remember a corded telephone!  

As someone who sells books to schools, I would have loved this to to be toned down slightly on the language front, and maybe a few less penis scenes....but that's just me being greedy, because I liked this book, and I would love for it to be a story for ages 11+, as well as adults and older teens.

Thanks to Hachette and Net Galley for the opportunity to review.

A Song Only I Can Hear by Barry Jonsberg

A Song Only I Can Hear by Barry Jonsberg
Published June 2018 Allen & Unwin

Blurb:

Good evening, Rob. Your first challenge follows. These challenges have nothing to do with impressing Destry Camberwick. They are all to do with Rob Fitzgerald impressing Rob Fitzgerald. Bear that in mind at all times. Challenge 1. You will enter the Milltown's Got Talent competition. This gives you over a fortnight to polish your act and work out strategies to overcome panic attacks. I would wish you luck but the point of this challenge is that you don't need it. 
Introducing Rob Fitzgerald: thirteen years old and determined to impress the new girl at school, but it's a difficult task for a super-shy kid who is prone to panic attacks that include vomiting, difficulty breathing and genuine terror that can last all day. An anonymous texter is sending Rob challenges and they might just help. Or not. Beautifully moving and full of heart and humour, A Song Only I Can Hear is a delightful novel about dreaming big, being brave and marching to the beat of your own drum.

This is, hands down one of my favourites from 2018...and it's another book that I can't actually tell you to much about.  I read a lot, so it's not often that I don't 'see something coming' in books, especially where I know something is coming...but this one got me.

Great characters:

Rob... brave, willing to try anything.  Maybe that's what we all need at times...anonymous messages, challenging us to get out of our comfort zone.

Grandad...who loves a bit of swearing, but it's OK because Rob has edited Grandad's words in the book, so there's a lot of Blankety this and Blankety that.

Andrew... best friend. I love the goalkeeper coaching session. Andrew's advice is this...imagine Destry is standing behind you and they are trying to kick the ball into her face...Rob's job is to protect her face...shouting I WILL NOT LET HER FACE SUFFER.


So while I can't tell you much, all you have to know is this...Rob is a character that you will love, and this book will make you laugh and cry...and both are good things...

I have labelled this as YA, but read it as an adult, and then decide which young people in your life need this book in their lives...I think it's great for age 11/12+...

Brontide by Sue McPherson

Brontide by Sue McPherson
Published June 2018 Magabala Books

Blurb:

Rob; (and his brother Pen) white Aussies. Rob is completing Year 12, going to schoolies, working as an apprentice in his dad’s company and loves his dog, Nig. Rob believes real men take risks. Pen; fifteen-years-old, storyteller, graffiti artiste extraordinaire with a penchant for male anatomy. Pen is liked by everyone. Pen and Benny Boy are mates. Benny Boy; fifteen-years-old, Aboriginal, loves drawing, fishing and living with his awesome (white) foster Nan. Benny Boy doesn’t trust Rob. Jack; white, male, finishing Year 12, new to the area, from the bush and adopted into an Aboriginal family. Jack has met Pen and reckons he’s a funny bugger. He has also just signed up as an apprentice working alongside Rob-the-knob. Brontide is a coming of age story about four boys and their lot in life. Recounted through storytelling sessions at their school over a period of five days, these boys chronicle their lives. They are at times demanding, occasionally rude, always funny and unexpectedly profound. The boys like to challenge themselves and the rules, and soon realise that not everything goes to plan…

This has been one of my quickest reads from last year, (I read the whole thing at the hairdressers), but the most powerful.

It's a book that I had looked at, but honestly, I hadn't thought about reading it...I read it for a talk I was doing on Indigenous fiction...and it turned out to be one of the best books, if not the best book I  read in 2018. As I type that I think that I may have said that about nearly every book I have written about on the blog...

In the spirit of full disclosure…I did actually think this was a true story when I read it.  When I picked it up originally I assumed it was fiction, and then I read the Authors note, and thought…’oh, these are actual interviews’  See what I mean, ‘…

I told a lot of people it was a true story, and then I had a comment on Instagram saying ‘I can’t work out if it’s real or maybe based on something that really happened??’, and I started to doubt myself.  So I read a bit more about it, and listened to an interview with the author…and realised I am a twit…it is fiction…just so you know.

The format is interesting too...all written as interviews, so there's not too much text on the pages.  This makes it a particularly good choice for teenage boys who, 'don't want a thick book' or 'can't find anything good to read'.  The fact that the characters are so realistic, means that these teenage boys are no angels but each one of them has heart and personality in abundance. I think most boys will either see some of themselves in the characters or at least recognize their friends and classmates in them.

I loved this book.  I am telling everyone to read it. While these characters are not real, they are based on real interviews, and I think that the author has created some of the most memorable characters that have come into my life.

Paris Syndrome by Lisa Walker

Paris Syndrome by Lisa Walker
Published March 2018 by Harper Collins

For fans of John Green, this funny and poignant coming-of-age story is about that crazy thing called love. And how it can be found anywhere.

Happiness (Happy) Glass has been a loner since moving to Brisbane and yet still dreams about living in Paris with her best friend Rosie after they finish Year Twelve. But Rosie hasn't been terribly reliable lately.

When Happy wins a French essay competition, her social life starts looking up. She meets the eccentric Professor Tanaka and her girl-gardener Alex who recruit Happy in their fight against Paris Syndrome - an ailment that afflicts some visitors to Paris. Their quest for a cure gives Happy an excellent excuse to pursue a good-looking French tourism intern, also called Alex. To save confusion she names the boy Alex One and the girl Alex Two.

As Happy pursues her love of all things French, Alex Two introduces Happy to her xylophone-playing chickens whose languishing Facebook page Happy sponsors.

Who knew that Paris Syndrome was an actual 'thing'?  For someone who thinks they know everything (me), I am always surprised when I learn something new...which to be fair, is pretty much every day.  Here's what Wikipedia had to say:

Paris syndrome (French: Syndrome de Paris, Japanese: パリ症候群, Pari shōkōgun) is a transient mental disorder exhibited by some individuals when visiting or going on vacation to Paris, as a result of extreme shock derived from their discovery that Paris is not what they had expected it to be. The syndrome is characterized by a number of psychiatric symptoms such as acute delusional states, hallucinations, feelings of persecution (perceptions of being a victim of prejudice, aggression, or hostility from others), derealization, depersonalization, anxiety, and also psychosomatic manifestations such as dizziness, tachycardia, sweating, and others, such as vomiting.^[1] Similar syndromes include Jerusalem syndrome and Stendhal syndrome. The condition is commonly viewed as a severe form of culture shock. It is particularly noted among Japanese travellers

I found this book equal parts funny and touching.  It had a light-hearted touch, while still dealing with more serious themes.  Happy is dealing with moving to a new city, being away from her friends, and the place where all of her fondest memories were made.  Her relationship with her father is tenuous, as he now has a new life with his new girlfriend, so she's working on that as well as trying to get her Mum out into the world of dating.

Then there's the question of Happy's sexuality.  She meets two Alex's, a boy and a girl.  She embarks on a relationship with Alex the boy, and a friendship with Alex the girl, only to realise that it's Alex the girl she's interested in romantically.   I thought that this aspect of the story was done so well, as it showed that we fall for a person, not a gender.  It actually comes as a real surprise to Happy that she has these feelings for Alex the girl. 

There's also a bombshell towards the end of the novel, where we learn exactly how much Happy is really coping with.