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Claire Legrand
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Some Kind of Happiness Kindle Edition

by Claire Legrand (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.5 out of 5 stars 449 ratings
Reality and fantasy collide in this “beautiful and reflective tale” (Booklist, starred review) 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.
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  1. Reading age
    8 - 12 years
  2. Print length
    385 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Grade level
    3 - 7
  5. Publisher
    Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
  6. Accessibility
    Learn more
  7. Publication date
    17 May 2016
  8. Page Flip
    Enabled
  9. Word Wise
    Enabled
  10. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  11. ISBN-13
    978-1442466036
Next slide of product details

Product description

Review

"A multilayered plot, engaging characters, and more than one mystery highlight this ambitious novel. . . . Legrand successfully weaves it all into a rich, nuanced tale that culminates in a convincing and satisfying conclusion."-- "School Library Journal"

"Imagine if Wednesday Addams had written THE PRINCESS BRIDE and you've got some kind of idea of SOME KIND OF HAPPINESS -- a dark and meditative fantasy written with Claire Legrand's signature light touch."--Tim Federle, author of BETTER NATE THAN EVER

"Legrand has pulled off a difficult trick in this novel. She's constructeda story-within-a-story fairy tale that's utterly compelling but sounds asthough it was written by an 11-year-old girl. . . . A layered, thoughtful exploration."-- "Kirkus Reviews"

*Nominated by the Mystery Writers of America for the 2017 Edgar Award*

*"Legrand handles the tough subject of childhood mental health gently and honestly, and. . . . paints a realistic picture of a girl trying to figure out what's wrong with her. Finley's quest to uncover family secrets reveals not just what kept her father away from his relatives but how a family sticks together through good times and bad."-- "Publishers Weekly, Starred Review"

"Finley's marvelous adventure will resonate with anyone who has battled a broken heart through the power of story. The courage she finds along the way will leave you cheering - and believing in magic - even in the darkest part of the woods."--Natalie Lloyd, author of A SNICKER OF MAGIC

*"A quiet magic is at work in Legrand's novel, in which she adeptly interweaves Fin's imaginative writing with the real-life narrative, underpinning all with an appeal to honesty and self-acceptance. This beautiful and reflective tale carries echoes of Katherine Patterson's The Bridge to Terabithia (1977) and will resonate with thoughtful readers who enjoy pondering life's bigger questions."-- "Booklist, STARRED REVIEW"

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.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B016792I8O
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
  • Accessibility ‏ : ‎ Learn more
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ 17 May 2016
  • Edition ‏ : ‎ Reprint ed.
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1.6 MB
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 385 pages
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1442466036
  • Page Flip ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Grade level ‏ : ‎ 3 - 7
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 8 - 12 years
  • Customer reviews:
    4.5 out of 5 stars 449 ratings

About the author

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Claire Legrand

Claire Legrand

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Claire Legrand is the New York Times-bestselling author of a dozen novels, including the Empirium Trilogy, A CROWN OF IVY AND GLASS, SAWKILL GIRLS, SOME KIND OF HAPPINESS, and THE CAVENDISH HOME FOR BOYS AND GIRLS. She is one of the four authors behind THE CABINET OF CURIOSITIES, an anthology of dark middle grade fiction.

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
449 global ratings

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Top reviews from United Kingdom

  • lo
    5.0 out of 5 stars book
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 16 October 2024
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    a very good read.
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  • JD
    5.0 out of 5 stars Transported me back to childhood.
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 14 July 2022
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    I'm a 23yo female, and I love this book. There were parts where I cried, because the author made me feel like I was this young girl again, going through what the character was experiencing, and I felt so much love. This is a lovely book for any age, as we have all been children once.

    I also found the fairytale side of this really exciting. Now I want to go and get my grown ass friends and play in the woods. 😁
    One person found this helpful
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  • Ancient Mariner
    4.0 out of 5 stars An Honest, Heartfelt, and Ambitious,(Though Fantastical), Depiction of A Troubled Young Girl and a Troubled Family
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 17 May 2016
    Format: Hardcover
    A few chapters into this book I began to wonder what it was, exactly, that I was reading. The general feeling was claustrophobic and intense, and it seemed fairly clear that Finley, our eleven year old heroine, (who was being dropped off by her distraught parents at her estranged grandparents' home), was suffering from a combination of depression, anxiety, panic attacks and possibly even a mild form of some disassociative disorder. I had just an ARC and some uninformative publisher blurbs available, so I nosed around the internet.

    My first clue was that this book is listed three ways on its Amazon site: Children's Books - Fiction; Children's Books - Family Life - New Experiences; and "Children's Books - Growing Up & Facts of Life - Difficult Discussions - Illness". More to the point was an author interview in which Ms. LeGrand discussed her childhood struggles with anxiety, depression and panic attacks, and described the happiness she shared with her cousins playing in the woods behind her grandma's house. So, with the book a bit more in focus, I soldiered on.

    This is an intense book. It is not a tra-la-la saving-the-faerie-kingdom book. (MILD NON-PLOT RELATED SPOILERS) Because the lines between Finley's real world and her imaginary world of Everwood are so blurred, and because the story set in Everwood is ever present as a metaphor for her actual mental and family problems, we are never far from and never get much of a break from Finley's anxiety and depression. Finley is precocious, observant and articulate, but she's also wound pretty tight, so her reactions to everything are intense and mercurial. The book is written in the first person so we see and learn almost everything from Finley's point of view and through her thoughts, and her swings from hyper-sensitivity to despair to "the blues" can be exhausting.

    The saving grace of the book, for me, came about one-fifth of the way in, when there was a welcome change in tone. Up to that point literally every other character in the book was distant, mean or in some fashion unattractive. Finley was estranged from her parents; she didn't like her grandparents, (her grandfather couldn't even wink at her properly). Her three aunts were sharp or nasty or shifty. Her cousins were mean or distant or dismissive. It was all so grim and depressing and hopeless and sad. But then, her cousins and a few neighbor boys get caught up in Finley's tales of the Everwood and believe her and support her and value her. We finally start to see hints of hope, and Finley's estranged family members begin, one by one, to thaw a bit. It's still a slow go, but progress nevertheless.

    That said, the book is well crafted, and the quality of the writing is extremely high. There are numerous arresting lines and passages, and Ms. LeGrand succeeds at what she intended - putting us inside the mind of a young girl with serious depression and anxiety issues. An older reader would no doubt be touched by Finley's circumstances and her struggle, and would likely be impressed by what Ms. LeGrand has achieved. I hesitate to suggest how a younger reader would react to Finley and her struggles, but this book is intense and rewarding enough that that is worth thinking about.

    So, ambitious and intense, with a challenging allegorical parallel fantasy tracking the real world drama, this is a notable book. (Please note that I received a free advance ecopy of this book in exchange for a candid review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)
    9 people found this helpful
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  • M. J. Robinson
    5.0 out of 5 stars Would give this more than 5 if I could
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 13 February 2022
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    This book is without a doubt the best book I’ve read in years, absolutely love every single second of reading this and didn’t want it to end.

    So well written and such a great story, chance to escape realism and imagine

    I can not recommended this book enough I will re read this for certain
    One person found this helpful
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  • Lily Trevallion
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great book
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 25 August 2022
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    A gift for my friend which he absolutely loves. Came well packaged and in perfect condition, no markings or bend corners. The cover is beautiful, this is a book, not a graphic novel. Very pleased :)
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  • James
    5.0 out of 5 stars you can't jude a book by it's cover
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 6 August 2016
    Format: Kindle Edition
    This book is one if the best books ever and I'll tell you why.

    my mum bought this book for me and I looked at the front and went nope so NOT reading that. but one day I thought fine I'll give it a shot. So if you do end up buying this let me warn ya now. The first few chapters are a bit boring but what ever you do ,do NOT through the book away!! After a few minutes it becomes the best book ever! Full of mystery and exitment I just love it. the book is a page turner ,best book ,so good I can't describe it. just get it. :)
    One person found this helpful
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  • Laura
    5.0 out of 5 stars I want to buy all of my friends a copy for Christmas
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 6 November 2016
    Format: Hardcover
    Some Kind of Happiness is about a 10-year-old girl named Finley who has to spend her summer at her grandparent's house because her parents are having problems. She has never met her grandparents, or anyone from her dad's side of the family, before.

    Finley has blue days she wants no one to know about. Days on which she can't physically get out of bed, and when life feels overwhelming. Her only escape is the Everwood, a forest kingdom that she often writes about in her notebook, until she discovers that the Everwood is real, and that it's right behind her grandparent's house. And it holds more mysteries and secrets than she could've imagined.

    I am struggling to find words to describe how much I loved Some Kind of Happiness. Finley's struggles are heartbreaking, but as someone who deals with them herself, they felt so so real. I felt so much happiness when I realized that I finally found a book that describes what I feel, too. Even though it was hard to read at times.

    I also loved the aspect of the Everwood, and found it a brilliant way to describe what was going on in Finely's mind. I also loved the dark magical-realism vibes it gave to the book, which made this so much more than 'just' a mental-health book.

    The family aspect was amazing as well. While Finley found it hard to get along with her oh-so-perfect family at first, it warmed my heart to see her become such great friends with her cousins, seeing their adventures in the Everwood, and seeing the whole family grow closer when their secrets are finally out in the open. I especially adored Finley's relationship with her older cousin, because they really helped and supported each other.

    Some Kind of Happiness is a book that really had an impact on me, and is going to have a big impact on a lot of it's readers. It is a story that won't easily be forgotten, and holds lessons that are going to help the people who need them.

    All in all, I basically want to buy everyone copies of this book for Christmas so everyone can read it. It was amazing.
    3 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • Esther
    5.0 out of 5 stars A very good read
    Reviewed in Germany on 29 May 2023
    Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
    This was a great book. Emotional, funny and sweet. It’s a book that deals with depression and anxiety but handled extremely well by the Author. A book for young adults who might struggle with the same and can’t seem to find out what’s wrong with them.
    It’s the story about a girl named Finley who needs to stay and her grandparents house near the woods while her parents go through a divorce. Finley doesn’t really know her grandparents or her cousins who also live there. But they soon all become really good friends. Still Finley feels extremely lost and sad and anxious and can’t understand or talk about her emotions because she always thinks there is something wrong with her. In order to escape her thoughts and deal with all the emotions she escapes into a magic forest called the Everwood. A very wholesome story about building friendships and a true family relationship.
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  • e
    1.0 out of 5 stars the book cover is damaged
    Reviewed in Saudi Arabia on 6 December 2023
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    i received the book with a damaged cover it literally looks like someone engraved it with a key or something. very disappointed
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  • Neill Smith
    5.0 out of 5 stars An enlightening study of family relationships
    Reviewed in Canada on 12 January 2020
    Verified Purchase
    Finley has been sent by her parents to get to know her father’s family. There is some sort of secret dispute between her father and his family and this might be an attempt to heal the breach But maybe her parents have some other reason - Finley is not sure. Finley is a story writer and has an amazing imagination so when she arrives she convinces her cousins, Gretchen, Kennedy, Ruth, and Dex that the woods around them are the kingdom of Everwood, filled with trolls and other monsters and the source of great excitement. The oldest cousin, Avery is not part of the exploring group. Finley’s imagination attracts the interest of a family of boys, Jack, Bennet, and Cole Bailey, who are totally despised and mistrusted by Finley’s grandmother and grandfather, her father’s parents. Finley is diligently trying to understand the reason for this distrust but when her grandparents find out that they are playing together Finley decides she must unravel these mysteries. Her discoveries explain the interrelationships of all the characters dating back to her father’s youth. This is a great book and highly recommended. An enlightening study of family relationships
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  • C. P
    5.0 out of 5 stars Excelente
    Reviewed in Mexico on 6 April 2019
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    Una historia conmovedora donde se explora la depresión desde una mente infantil.
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  • Bobby Griffith
    5.0 out of 5 stars An honest, intimate tale of childhood fantasies and painful discoveries
    Reviewed in the United States on 21 June 2016
    Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
    This is a wonderfully intimate story about a young girl making the difficult and delicate transition from childhood to adulthood, learning in the process that she cannot depend on adults or peers, nor can she be entirely self-sufficient. At some point we must risk opening ourselves up, acknowledging our vulnerabilities and sharing our various strengths to support each other.

    The opening scenes, as the protagonist meets and moves in with her estranged family members, has a sense of creepiness underlying the artificially perfect, clench-jawed smiles that suggests the stories of Shirley Jackson in some ways. But this is not a horror story, nor is it a fantasy, although there are fantasy episodes sprinkled throughout. It’s a painfully realistic account of childhood mental illness and of the emotional and physical toll withheld secrets can take on both those who keep them and those from whom they are kept.

    The story is beautifully paced, building up quietly but implacably to several gut-wrenching climaxes, all depicted at the deepest psychological level and without a trace of sentimentality or melodrama. It is to her credit that the author achieves a satisfying conclusion without feeling the need to tie up all the loose threads or imply that difficult, entrenched problems can be solved in a pat, fairy-tale ending. It’s a story not so much of triumph over adversity as it is one of hope, majesty, and transcendence in the midst of pain and sorrow.
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