Happyface: You Can't Run From Reality

While meandering through my local library, I came across a seemingly optimistic and friendly book, Happyface, by Stephen Emond. Only when I began reading the first few pages of this book, did I realize that this book is actually a deep, heart-wrenching look at what’s true and what’s fake in life.

I usually refuse to read novels with illustrations. Call it whatever you want: comic book, graphic novel, manga, picture book, I prefer my fiction in the written word. However, Happyface, which I thoroughly enjoyed, is in fact part words, part pictures. Of course, I enjoyed the words much more than the picture counterparts, but I found myself oddly attracted to the pictures that beautifully illustrate this story. Mind you, this book is not like a comic book with different panels and speech bubbles, but more like a story, a journal actually, that has both beautiful and whimsical drawings interspersed within the text (similar to Diary of a Wimpy Kid, for those of you who have read it). I found myself astonished at the fact that my view of graphic novels was very two dimensional and stereotypical. This book may have changed my view on graphic novels. I smell a new poll idea…

With that being said, let’s get to the story. Happyface starts off with an unnamed fourteen-year-old boy receiving a journal from his father, an aspiring author. He journals about his family life, his parents who are at odds with each other, his perfect older brother, Everett, and his only best friend, Chloe, with whom he also has a major crush. The narrator lives a quiet life, hiding in the shadow of his brother, disconnected from his parents, not talking to many people. Then one day, the boy’s parents split, and he moves to a small apartment with his mom. When I was reading this part in the book, I was baffled; the narrator went from living an okay life, to, all of a sudden, moving to a new place, leaving behind his dad, his school, Chloe, his brother. There was no reason given to the reader as to why he was moving, except for his parents’ marital troubles, especially with alcohol. I chalked this up to poor writing (which did not help my view of illustrated novels, at the time), only to realize later that something else happened, something major that the author was not ready to reveal.

The narrator begins life at his new school with a very cliche attitude: that he can recreate his life. He takes his once quiet, introverted personality and adds oomph to by doing one thing: smiling. Through many difficult situations he keeps smiling, which earns him the nickname, Happyface. He makes new friends, new enemies, and a new crush. He desperately wants Gretchen, a popular girl, to love him, but as the reader discovers, probably not for the right reasons. Happyface was traumatized by events that occurred in his past, and he feels the need to be known, wanted. He develops a false identity as an always happy person that doesn’t let anything faze him, and he quickly climbs up the social food chain.

Not only does he hurt himself in this big coup, but he also hurts the people around him. His real personality and past begin to shine through this mask he created for himself, and he is confronted by his demons.

This is a great coming-of-age novel that shows how different people respond to tragedies. Happyface runs from the truth and the pressure and guilt soon builds up, builds up so much that he almost explodes of falsity. He learns that he must face his past, the people that deceived him, and the people that he lost, in order to move on. He soon discovers that he can’t fix everything just by smiling.

Rating: 4.75 out of 5 stars

Poll #5: Books Into Movies

Since reviewing I Am Number Four, which is being adapted into movie to be released later this month, I’ve had the concept of books into movies in my mind. I think it’s fair to say that the book is almost always better than its movie counterpart, but some movie adaptions hold pretty close to the original book. And there are those that are so far away from the book, it might as well be a whole different story.

The Harry Potter film series is a great example of how a movie can be truthful to the book. They’re not entirely the same, but awfully close. And with the release of the last Harry Potter movie this year, Harry Potter and Deathly Hallows Part II, it’s going to be sad to know that there probably won’t be any more truthful and accurate adaptions for a while.

A good, or bad, example of bad movie adaptions of books is last year’s release of Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief. I really shouldn’t talk about this because I’ll just rant on forever, never stopping. Let’s just say I, and millions of others, were greatly upset by the direction they took with the film. And it shows in the critics’ reviews, too. What was really upsetting was that it was directed by Chris Columbus, the same guy that directed the first two Harry Potter films and produced the third (however, he did not discover the New World). I just guess I expected more.

So, you get what I’m saying? Books into movies can be really good or really bad. And I suppose I can see why; most move scripts are 90-175 pages, not like books which are, typically, 250-800 pages. Also, movie producers want to try to make the story their own, unique and special, so I can see how that would cause some changes in the movies, too.

Anyways, let’s get to the main point of this post: the unveiling of a new poll! This is the fifth poll on The Bookshelf, and it’s about the adaption of books into movies and what you, the readers of The Bookshelf, think about them. The poll, as usual, is located on the right side of the page, under the “about me” section. Please, please, please vote! There’s no reason not to – you don’t have to be eighteen to vote here! So far there’s no official, set in concrete, poll closing date yet, but I’m thinking maybe March 12th?

To thank you for reading this unnecessarily too long post, I have included some info about upcoming books into movies release dates in 2011:

I Am Number Four, Feb. 18

Beastly, March 4

Water for Elephants, April 22

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II, July 15

The Help, Aug. 12

Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part I, Nov. 18

Hugo Cabret, Dec. 9

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Dec. 21 (this is actually the second adaptation of this book)

...

And just because I’m excited about this one,

The Hunger Games, March 23, 2012!

I cannot wait for The Hunger Games movie, if you can’t tell.

Well that’s it, now go vote!

I Am Number Four: A Mysterious Thrill Ride

Numerous things caused me to pick up this book, I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore, at my local bookstore a week ago: 1) There is a movie adaption, also titled I Am Number Four, of it coming out later this month; 2) This book is written under a pseudonym; 3) The actual author, or rather authors, of this book are, Jobie Hughes and James Frey, the latter of which is the controversial author of a fabricated memoir, A Million Little Pieces; 4) This book is very well designed, with a cool cover and interesting typeface and icons inside; 5) I was intrigued by the title, I Am Number Four, which is actually part of a sentence, Three are dead, I am number four. So, knowing these things, I began reading what was sure to be either a big success or a big flop.

I Am Number Four begin with the death of Number Three, one of nine aliens from the planet Lorien that escaped to Earth ten years ago after their planet was destroyed. The planet Lorien was taken over by the Mogadorians, another race of alien, in search of a life-sustaining planet. Number Four, then known as Daniel Jones, knew of Number Three’s death because of a curse that was put upon him and the eight others before departing Lorien at age four. The Mogadorians are out to destroy what is remaining of the people of Lorien, however, due to the curse, they must kill each Lorien in sequential order, one through nine. Each of the nine Loriens are aware of when their fellow allies die, because a small scar forms around their ankle each time one dies.

Upon feeling the third scar form around his ankle, Number Four, a member of the Garde, an elite form of Loriens that at a certain age will develop many supernatural abilities, and his Cepan, a keeper and protector of the Garde, Henri, flee their current home in Florida. They settle down in middle-of-nowhere Paradise, Ohio and start creating a new life. Henri, who is a fatherly figure to Number Four, helps him create a new identity. Number Four is then enrolled in high school and begins to go by the name John Smith.

For his entire life on Earth, almost his whole life, Number Four, John, is taught to not get to connected or involved with his home, his belongings, his town, and the people that live there. This is standard for procedure for John. He is used to leaving at a moment’s notice without even saying goodbye. He understands that if he actually made a true relationship with the people around him, he would be greatly hurt when he would have to leave. So, John starts his first day of school with hope that he’ll do what he’s supposed to do, then go home. Nothing more.

Unfortunately, that doesn’t happen. After receiving a warm welcome from the friendly Sarah Hart, John is taunted and teased by Mark James, her big, jock, ex-boyfriend. After standing up to Mark, John is befriended by Sam Goode, a fellow outcast and space/extraterrestrial beings nerd. John’s plan for no connections with the people around him had gone down the drain. Not to mention, he got his first power, known as a Legacy, the ability to shine light from his hands. All on his first day in Ohio.

The book progresses, with many plot twists and raging emotions: John and Sarah beginning dating, John and Sam becoming best friends, Henri training John to control and properly use his Legacies, and the ever constant threat of the Mogadorians finding Number Four. Ultimately, this book leads to a breath-taking cliffhanger ending, that will lead readers doubled over, waiting for the sequel, The Power of Six, coming out in August. This was, overall, a great first book. It set the scene for many good, potentially even better, sequels to come. My only complaint was that at times the characters seemed bland and two dimensional. This book could have been excellent if it took more time to better explain the feelings of the characters and how they reacted. But it was, overall, a great read.

Rating: 4.25 out of 5 stars

Hate List: The Aftermath of a Tragedy

The recent events of the shooting in Tucson, Arizona have caused much outrage and uncertain emotions amongst the victims, the families, and every American. The truth is that we were all victims. Some of us were hurt more than others, but everyone found their lives affected by this horrendous event. Many people claim the shooter, 22-year-old Jared Loughner, was mentally unstable, and it was a mental illness that caused him to commit this crime. Others protest that, mentally unstable or not, Loughner did commit this crime willingly and should be charged appropriately. Some say this shooting could have been prevented, others disagree.

Even with knowing all this information, supplied by the TV and newspaper, I am not exactly sure what to think.
As I am sure many other Americans feel, too.

Which brings me to a book I read recently, Hate List by Jennifer Brown. This novel follows the aftermath of a school shooting that leaves six dead and countless injured. The book's protagonist, Valerie Leftman, was the girlfriend to the shooter, Nick Levil. She has to cope and deal with unwanted emotions that come from knowing that she played a part in the shooting, a part that left fellow classmates dead, including Nick after he turned the gun on himself.

Ever since they first met, Valerie and Nick always seemed to fit together. They were both outcasts, bullied and tormented by the so-called "perfects" at their school. They were both interested in death, homicide, suicide, and otherwise. And they both had strong feelings for those they hated. There were many people, concepts, and things that Nick and Val hated. The two began to create a notebook, referred to as the Hate List, of things they never wish existed. Things they wanted dead. Nick would often joke about how things would be so much better if the things and people on the List would just disappear, gone forever. Val agreed it would be nice to live a life without these things, but she would never actually consider it to happen. The Hate List was an escape for her, just a list, nothing more. Later, it was clearly obvious to Val that the List meant something more to Nick.

The book begins with the start of a new school year for Valerie, after the shooting happened the previous May. She was nervous about her first day back, but thought going back was the best thing to do. She didn't want her already fragile family to fall apart after the thought of having to move, so Valerie continues to attend the same school, the same place the shooting occurred. Upon returning, Valerie is viewed as many different things: a villain, for being a part of the crime, a hero, for stopping Nick and saving someone that was on the Hate List, and a victim, for taking a bullet in the leg.

Told from the present and the past, this book carefully examines all emotions that come from a tragedy. Valerie becomes depressed during the summer after the shooting. Her parents don't know what to do with her. Her younger brother gets caught in the mix of rage and sadness that comes after someone you love does something so out of character.

Fortunately, with help of her therapist, Dr. Hieler, and a local art teacher, Bea, Valerie begins to see the importance and meaning in life. She starts seeing the truth in people, she realizes the people who are her true friends. And lastly, she lets go of Nick. The Nick Valerie knew was not the same Nick she saw in her school Commons area that May. She happily remembers their days together, but comes to an understanding that he is gone. Valerie finally sees the world for what it really is.

Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars