Happyface

Grace Armacost

This week I read part of the book HappyFace by Stephen Emond. From what I’ve read so far, Happyface is basically about an awkward artsy boy who is a new student at a new school and is dealing with being an outsider. He strives to find friends and decides that in order to make friends, he has to hide his true personality under a mask and be a totally fake person. He meets a girl named Gretchen who gives him the nickname “Happyface”. With family and school struggles going on, Happyface’s inner feelings grow until he finally can’t take it anymore. He is given the chance to take off the mask and have a fresh start at being who he really is.
I decided to chose this book because I thought it was very relatable. A lot of teenagers feel the need to hide behind a mask and join the crowd instead of being a unique individual person. They are afraid of what other people will think of them and get too focused on how they come across to people. They don’t think that they’ll be accepted if they’re anything different from everyone else, which is what Happyface is going through. The moving and starting at a new school concept was very relatable to me. So far in my lifetime I’ve been to two different elementary schools, and three middle schools. So, I’ve had lots of time to learn how to make friends.
I predict that later in the book, Happyface will make a lot more friends and gain a reputation for something. I also think he’ll become really popular for revealing his true identity and taking off the mask.