Sebastian isn’t sure about it all. But his parents are, and his annoying fifteen year old sister is. But being selected for the HappyHead program is all a bit daunting.
It means going away to a special camp for a few weeks. Leaving home and his comfort zone. Meeting other seventeen year olds who were also selected. They too are probably shy, introverted, and having problems at finding their place in life. Like Sebastian, they are probably unhappy.
Arriving late doesn’t help, but Sebastian is just in time for the Welcome to HappyHead presentation and a heads up on what to expect. Healthy meals, changing their rooms every day, being part of group activities and challenges, all while the staff sprinkled them with positive affirmations. Sebastian isn’t the only one to grumble or roll their eyes, at the constant smiles and joy oozing out of the staff in their bright yellow overalls.
Sebastian decides to contribute to the daily tasks he is assigned to along with his group. For some it’s a tough ask, and one person in particular, rebels. Finn is an enigma to Sebastian, this boy with the tattoos and hate filled gaze. Why won’t he just make an effort, complains another in Sebastian’s group.
Depending on how well they do each day, they are given corresponding comforting rooms at the end of the day. The top spot is Room no.1 and one girl in Sebastian’s team has it in her sights.
Finn doesn’t seem to care about the rooms either, and if anything, he distrusts the whole program more and more each day. When he shares with Sebastian what he’s seen, learnt or experienced each time he is dragged away after refusing to join in, Sebastian begins to see the program with different eyes.
Is Finn right? Or should Sebastian trust the adults around him who say they have his best interests in hand?
What they finally discover is more terrible than Sebastian could have ever imagined. But there is no escape….
An ever increasing menace creeps through the pages of this young adult novel. Beginning with a teen who has never found his place amongst his peers, and who’s parents believes a specially designed program will fix him, HappyHead delves into a growing problem in society. Anxious, stressed, unhappy teenagers.
But as each day passes and the activities and learning opportunities become more bizarre, alarm bells begin ringing. What is the desired outcome for the leaders of HappyHead? Is it to aid the hundred 17 year old participants given in to their care, or are there other nefarious objectives? Sebastian and another from his group are attracted to each other, but the LGBTQ+ element weaves effortlessly into the narrative, building more into the characters themselves than the plot.
The truth of Sebastian’s predicament continues to derail right up to the very last pages, revealing that this is the first in a series.
Looking forward to what is waiting for Sebastian next.
Author – Josh Silver
Age – 13+
(2023, Bloomsbury, Dystopian, Our Future, Mental Health, Family, Anxiety, Stress, Self hate, Camp, Wellness, Control, Group Activities, Gripping, Series, Secrets, Mystery, Peer Pressure, Expectations, Society, Shy, Introverted, Unhappy, Health, Wellbeing)