Some Kind of Happiness by Claire Legrand

Some Kind of Happiness is a junior fiction novel by Claire Legrand. It was on Publishers Weekly's list of top middle grade fiction books for 2016. This beautiful story is about an eleven year old girl with "blue" days. It's the first time I've read a junior fiction novel that deals with childhood anxiety and depression.

Sex: None. Finley has a crush on one of the neighbor boys and they sometimes hold hands.

Language: None.

Drug/Alcohol Use: Jack's father is drunk from time to time.

Violence/Gore/Frightening Scenes/Death: The kids find gravestones for a family beside an abandoned house. They died in a fire. The Bailey boys next door mention that their father can be scary when he's drinking. Finley's parents are going through a separation and divorce. Finley suffers from depression and anxiety but doesn't have a name for what's wrong until the end of the book. Finley's grandmother also has cancer but it's kept a secret from the family.

Final Note: I adored this book! I actually took my time reading it because it was so good. It touches on real life issues and also has elements of mystery and fantasy. This is the book that may encourage middle school kids to share their feelings of anxiety and depression. Parents may want to note that the cousins often sneak out and go behind their grandparents back to play with the neighbors in the woods.

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