What is Degrees of Happy about?
14 year old Tess is unhappy about leaving the city she grew up in and moving to where her parents are from. It means navigating another new school, and leaving behind the special tree in their backyard where memories and more of her younger sister Chloe are.
A story of complicated family and friendship, Shakespeare and sorrow – and how they gradually lift a grieving teen to her feet, finding happiness again.
Plot summary of Degrees of Happy
Tess can’t believe it. Not only is she moving from the home she knows and loves, her parents have been planning it for ages without telling her. She’s a little happier about being closer to her older half sister, and older half brother in the new city, but she plans to keep to herself and under the radar at her new school.
It’s a relief to also be away from people who know about her younger sister. No one knows who she is, so Tess decides that she doesn’t have to be who she was before. She doesn’t have to be the perfect student either. She’s been used to private schools, and the public one she chooses is messy, chaotic and just what she needs to hide within.
But in spite of her prickly demeanor and slipping grades, those around her see through it – especially her half brother from her parent’s previous relationships. School teachers and classmates are also much more attuned than Tess gives them credit for.
Involuntarily joining a small group for an upcoming Shakespeare Festival Competition, another chink in her armour is made. Maybe she doesn’t have to be the old perfect Tess, or the new prickly one? Maybe there is something in between?
Review
Philippa Werry is one of New Zealand’s outstanding YA writers, and Degrees of Happy is a beautiful read. The scenes inside classrooms are so realistic I felt like I was there with them, and each time main character Tess’ sharp tongue caught someone, I winced. She hides her pain well, but hiding it affects her physically and prevents her from moving away from it.
Her complicated family life and chaotic school classrooms help her hide, but what’s so brilliantly done in this novel is the way the people around Tess begin to chip at her tough exterior, ignoring her indifference and aloofness. She makes the most of her parents being busy settling into new lives, but the teens and even some teachers around her are there to lift her up. It really is wonderfully written and true to life in so many ways.
The author spent around 10 years writing and rewriting this novel, and I’m so happy the characters didn’t let her give up on it.
(An earlier draft of this manuscript was shortlisted for the Storylines Tessa Duder Award in 2024)
Book Style
250 pages / 46 Chapters
FAQ’s
What age is it for?
13+
Where & When is it set?
New Plymouth, Taranaki, New Zealand – Present (2026)
What is the Point of View / Tense of the novel?
First person / Present tense
Is there Violence?
No
Is there any Sex?
No
What genre is Degrees of Happy?
Young Adult Contemporary Fiction
Themes
Grief / Family / Friendship / School
Is it part of a series?
No
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Author
Phillipa Werry
Publisher
Cuba Press / Ahoy
(2026, Cuba Press, Ahoy, Aotearoa, New Zealand, NZ Author, Friendship, Blended Family, New Plymouth, Taranaki, Loss, Grief, Siblings, Half Sister, Half Brother, Shakespeare Festival, School, Drama, Acting)