A book that gives you 'Some Kind of Happiness' on lonely, blue days
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We're continuing our September focus on great books for kids and teens. This week, Britt Margit of Second Star to the Right Books in Denver, Colo., recommended "Some Kind of Happiness" by Claire Legrand. It's a middle-grade novel, which means it's geared toward kids aged 8 to 12.
Margit says the novel is part family epic, part mental health discovery, part imaginative backyard world-building. Main character Finley Hart has undiagnosed anxiety, and she's been sent off for the summer to her grandparents' house while her parents focus on a difficult time in their relationship. The woods behind her house become a kingdom fueled by imagination in a way that reminds Margit of "Bridge to Terabithia."
"I read this during quarantine," says Margit, "I think this book is great for young readers and also adults because sometimes you just need that character who's just going to sit with you when you're having one of those blue days, who understands you and who's going to make things feel less alone even if it doesn't make it feel better right away. That was the protagonist of this story, for me."
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