Reasons to Be Happy

September 15, 2011

This frank tale follows a girl's journey of healing as she recovers from an eating disorder.

Hannah's actor parents' rising-star status necessitates relocating from Ohio to the epicenter of celebrity life: LA. At her new school, Hannah encounters the B-Squad—the reigning trio of eighth-grade girls, who sit in judgment on all things hip. Suddenly, all that Hannah loves to do—running track, her art work—is deemed uncool. In the wake of this upheaval and the devastating news of her mother's terminal-cancer diagnosis, Hannah turns to her Secret Remedy—bulimia. Kittle scrutinizes how negative peer opinion can wreak havoc on a young teen's fragile self-esteem. Her sometimes graphically detailed and unflinching portrayal of bulimia explores the insidious way it can overtake a person's life both physically and emotionally. When Hannah's illness spirals out of control, Aunt Izzy, a documentary filmmaker and recovered anorexic, intervenes. Izzy takes Hannah to Africa, where she is documenting the plight of the country's orphans. Through her travels and experiences, Hannah gains a new perspective on the notion of beauty and friendship. The rather contrived healing and happy ending do not undercut the emotional intensity of Hannah's journey.

With a forthright intensity, Kittle's tale examines a complex subject. (Fiction. 13-16)

(COPYRIGHT (2011) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

December 1, 2011

Gr 6-8-Hannah used to have many reasons to be happy; so many, in fact, that she kept an ongoing list. That was before she moved to a new school and before her mother was diagnosed with terminal cancer. Hannah's new circle is not what she envisioned; the mean-girl clique disdains her two passions, running and art. Overwhelmed by her unhappy school situation, her mother's illness, and her belief that she is extremely ordinary compared to her Academy Award-nominated actor parents, the eighth grader becomes bulimic. Her initial weight loss is praised by her unsuspecting parents and her crush, but Hannah finds it increasingly difficult to purge. With many aspects of life spiraling out of control, she accompanies her aunt, a documentary filmmaker, to Ghana, where she somewhat predictably yet touchingly has a life-changing experience. Although there are many issues at play in this novel, they are all realistically drawn. Only toward the end of the story, with the addition of the Academy Awards presentation, do the multiple dramas threaten to overwhelm it. Subplots involving a clique member with a mentally challenged brother and another with cutting issues are underdeveloped. The tension and conflict between Hannah and her father is palpable. Bulimia's emotional toll is honestly portrayed, with authentically rendered scenes involving frenetic binging, purging, and food theft. With minor shortcomings, this is an honest and open story of overcoming enormous challenges. While Hannah's struggles are not over, readers can believe that she has an excellent chance of overcoming her traumas.-Jennifer Schultz, Fauquier County Public Library, Warrenton, VA

Copyright 2011 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 1, 2011
Grades 7-10 Hannah Anne Carlisle keeps a list of the things that make her happy. Or, at least, she used to. Hannah, living in L.A. with her movie star parents, stops adding to her happy list when her mom's battles with cancer and constant pressure from her classmates start to overwhelm her. In an attempt to cope, Hannah turns to bulimia. Although her physical sickness brings to light the severity of her situation, the loss of her happiness and self-worth are at the root of her problems. Kittle, a former middle-grade teacher who witnessed the struggles that mercilessly bombard young girls, pulls the reader through the numbing abyss of an eating disorder and back along the slow, empowering journey to overcome it. Hannah's believability as a character as well as the realistic, painful depiction of bulimia make this a standout.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)