I saw the book in Barnes & Noble today. I have been drawing and using stickers of the Happy Face along with my signature since 1960. The OUTSIDE of the book looked very cute, BUT what is the book about? I was pressed for time so didn’t get to look through it. Is the story CLEAN???? :)
It’s fairly lighthearted, the issues the book deals with are a little dark. There’s 2 or 3 swears and some underage drinking in one scene. It’s for 12 and up – here’s the publisher’s weekly review that goes over some of the plot:
Comic artist Emond (Emo Boy) pens an endearing and self-deprecatingly witty debut novel a la illustrated diary that manifests the insecurities, longings, and trials of a recognizable brand of teenage male. The narrator-an introverted, artistically talented sophomore-is trying an “everything goes” personality at his new school (he gets the nickname Happyface). The facade works. He makes a group of eclectic friends, including a possible love interest, but Happyface has skeletons in his closet: his parents’ collapsed relationship, how his former crush broke his heart, and the reason he switched schools-a gruesome secret readers don’t learn about until Happyface is emotionally able to write about it. Throughout, Happyface shares his grievances and hopes, but also feelings too scary to write about (illustrations come easier). By the time his sketchbook’s full, readers will have a palpable sense of how much he’s grown and how painful-but worthwhile-the process was. The illustrations range from comics to more fleshed-out drawings. Just like Happyface’s writing, they can be whimsical, thoughtful, boyishly sarcastic, off-the-cuff, or achingly beautiful. The best exhibit hints of all of the above. Ages 12-up.
I saw the book in Barnes & Noble today. I have been drawing and using stickers of the Happy Face along with my signature since 1960. The OUTSIDE of the book looked very cute, BUT what is the book about? I was pressed for time so didn’t get to look through it. Is the story CLEAN???? :)
It’s fairly lighthearted, the issues the book deals with are a little dark. There’s 2 or 3 swears and some underage drinking in one scene. It’s for 12 and up – here’s the publisher’s weekly review that goes over some of the plot:
Comic artist Emond (Emo Boy) pens an endearing and self-deprecatingly witty debut novel a la illustrated diary that manifests the insecurities, longings, and trials of a recognizable brand of teenage male. The narrator-an introverted, artistically talented sophomore-is trying an “everything goes” personality at his new school (he gets the nickname Happyface). The facade works. He makes a group of eclectic friends, including a possible love interest, but Happyface has skeletons in his closet: his parents’ collapsed relationship, how his former crush broke his heart, and the reason he switched schools-a gruesome secret readers don’t learn about until Happyface is emotionally able to write about it. Throughout, Happyface shares his grievances and hopes, but also feelings too scary to write about (illustrations come easier). By the time his sketchbook’s full, readers will have a palpable sense of how much he’s grown and how painful-but worthwhile-the process was. The illustrations range from comics to more fleshed-out drawings. Just like Happyface’s writing, they can be whimsical, thoughtful, boyishly sarcastic, off-the-cuff, or achingly beautiful. The best exhibit hints of all of the above. Ages 12-up.