Get Happy

by Mary Amato

Overview

Minerva has been raised by her single mother after her father left them. On her 17th birthday, she is shocked to discover that he has been trying to keep in touch, and that her mother has been sabotaging his attempts. Furious at her mom, Minerva begins to investigate her dad, a famous marine biologist, only to discover that he has a new family, including a beloved and perfect, stepdaughter—a girl Minerva already knows and despises.

As Minerva tries to build her songwriting career, jealousy takes over and threatens to derail her life completely. It is only through the efforts of her best friend, Fin, and the introduction of Hayes, a new young man in her life, that she is able to see clearly who she is and who makes up her family.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781606845233
Publisher:	Lerner Publishing Group
Publication date:	08/01/2014
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	244
Lexile:	760L (what's this?)
File size:	2 MB
Age Range:	12 - 17 Years

About the Author

Mary Amato is an award-winning children's and YA book author, songwriter, and poet who lives in Maryland. Her books have been translated into foreign languages, optioned for television, and produced onstage.

Editorial Reviews

08/25/2014
Amato (Guitar Notes) delves into contemporary issues—living with a single parent, searching for an unknown father, finding unexpected romance—in this music-based novel set in the Chicago suburbs. Opening on songwriter/musician Minerva Watson’s 16th birthday, when she is disappointed by not receiving the ukulele she has been openly craving, Amato’s story suffers from a lack of both tension and forward momentum. Even the plot device of Minerva and two male friends winning jobs to perform as Disney-like characters at birthday parties doesn’t go anywhere. Minerva’s loving (though clueless and conflicted) mother is well drawn, but the boys—and Minerva’s relationships with them—are too good to be true. Coworker Cassie (“A tall, gorgeous girl, a cross between a young Halle Berry and Rihanna, but totally natural”) is free of defects, and a revelation about her identity feels gratuitous. Amato’s choice to have Minerva learn about her past via overheard arguments is also a lost opportunity for dramatic confrontation. An unexpected climax leads to a realistic, if not entirely satisfying, finish. Back material includes songs with lyrics and chords. Ages 12–up. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

"Amato skillfully balances Minerva's angst with plenty of light, fun bits....[T]his is a moving, charged tale of family and identity." —School Library Journal

From the Publisher

12/01/2014
Gr 7 Up—A poignant tale of a teen attempting to find herself. When Minerva Watson turns 16, she receives a beautiful necklace that appears to be from the father she believes abandoned her years ago, a gift that triggers long-buried feelings of sorrow and anger. Meanwhile, she and her best friend, Finn, are keeping busy with a weekend job hosting children's birthday parties, where she grapples with her attraction to another coworker, Hayes, and her resentment for the effortlessly gorgeous Cassie. Though secondary characters are sketchily drawn, tending toward stock types (the encouraging best friend, the seemingly perfect girl who has it all, the overworked single mother), they're engaging. While Minerva has some unattractive qualities at times (such as her jealousy), they make her realistic and relatable. Despite some flaws, she's also endearingly quirky and full of drama, willing to burst into song at a moment's notice. Amato skillfully balances Minerva's angst with plenty of light, fun bits, such as her interactions with Hayes and her trips to the music store to visit the ukulele she longs for. Though the book explores a heavy, fraught situation, the prose is light and the ending optimistic. Some readers may be frustrated with the lack of closure, as quite a bit is left unresolved. Overall, however, this is a moving, charged tale of family and identity. Hand it to fans of Sara Zarr, Sarah Dessen, or Zooey Deschanel.—Mahnaz Dar, School Library Journal

School Library Journal

2014-08-20
On her 16th birthday, not only does Minerva Watson not get the gift she wanted, she receives an unwanted gift—from her estranged father. Minerva doesn't know much about her father—her mother has kept mysteriously mum—but she does know he abandoned them when she was 2. Writing song lyrics has been a great outlet for her, but Minerva needs one more thing: an instrument. Despite numerous dropped hints to her mother about a ukulele, she receives a cardigan instead. But when her mother's out of the room, a FedEx package arrives from her father. Shaken and worried that her mother might see it, she quickly stashes it in her backpack, later to open it at school. With a puzzling accompanying card, the birthday gift—a silver sea horse necklace—turns out to be a clue to her father's identity. Meanwhile, she and her jocular best friend, Fin, land jobs with Get Happy, a company that provides costumed entertainment for children's birthday parties. Minerva's life unexpectedly intertwines with those of the two other teenage employees: dimpled, nonconformist Hayes and the ultrabeautiful Cassie. While Fin and Minerva begin to unravel the surprising mystery about her father, an ever widening gap grows between her and her mother. Veteran Amato skillfully infuses her tale with moments of teenage angst, jealousy, disenchantment, humor and love. Hits a deep, sweet resonating note. (Fiction. 12-16)

Kirkus Reviews