Happyface

Happyface by Stephen Emond

Happyface by Stephen Emond
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Number of pages:  307
My copy: hardbound, bought from Fully Booked

Just put on a happy face!

Enter Happyface’s journal and get a peek into the life of a shy, artistic boy who decides to reinvent himself as a happy-go-lucky guy after he moves to a new town. See the world through his hilariously self-deprecating eyes as he learns to shed his comic-book-loving, computer-game playing ways. Join him as he makes new friends, tries to hide from his past, and ultimately learns to face the world with a genuine smile. With a fresh and funny combination of text and fully integrated art, Happyface is an original storytelling experience.

* * *

The bright yellow cover called me the moment I entered the YA section of Fully Booked Eastwood. It was bright, and the smiley made an interesting cover, and when I took a peek inside, I saw that it was a book…with drawings!

But what really convinced me to buy is when I removed the half dust jacket and saw this:

With dust jacket

With the half dust jacket, it’s Happyface!

Without the half dust jacket

And then…awwww. :(

This certainly got me very, very curious. How can a book entitled “Happyface” have a sad face inside?

Happyface is the journal of a boy who has been christened Happyface by the girl he likes because of his sense of humor and his happy demeanor. Happyface is a high school sophomore, and a shy, artistic kid who tries to reinvent himself when he moves to a new town. The journal contains the account of the school year, from June to March, as he tries to make friends, ask out the girl he liked and be the happy person that everyone expects him to be.

This isn’t exactly a comic book, but it’s also not a plain novel. I like reading journal-type novels because I like first person accounts, and I’m a journal keeper myself. The drawings in this book are fascinating and entertaining at the same time. Look:

Happyface: Family spread

Happyface: Family

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