Sonny Gilmour has a problem. Well, he has a few at the moment, but the biggest one is money. To be specific, the lack of it.
He and his mum and dad live on the 13th floor of a council building, and despite the building’s lift not working (and smelling of pee or vomit when it does), it’s not been a bad place to live.
He’s used to the trek up the stairs when the lift’s out, and the neighbours are mostly nice, and looking out from the 13th floor over the city is good too. Lately however, there’s been a problem. Sonny discovers that his mum has struggled to pay the rent.
Dad is in bed 98 percent of the time, suffering from long covid. His postal run is impossible, and his bosses haven’t paid him out yet. Mum’s cleaning jobs have all but dried up, and there is hardly any money coming in.
When the local gangster knocks on their door, Sonny knows something’s not right. Learning that mum has borrowed money from Chick Lennon to pay the rent is bad enough, but the interest he’s piled on has made the debt impossible to repay.
Threats lie over the Gilmour household, Dad is still in bed, and Sonny is scared.
He wants to be able to help, and goes through all the things that he could do in his head. Do a stand-up comedy routine and charge people? No. He’s a budding comedian, but he’s got a long way to go. Sell his drum kit, that he’s not allowed to play anyway, because of the thin walls and the neighbours complaining? No. That’s only going to bring in a few quid?
He asks his best friend Jonah, who suggests that the smartest girl in the class might be able to help? Carolina is Sonny’s secret crush, so he’s keen to get her involved.
Her solution involves a hold-up, a balaclava and lots and lots of courage. Sonny thinks he might be able to find them. But his TS (tourette syndrome) will give him away for sure. What use is a balaclava if he can’t prevent himself blurting out the strangest things? He always does when he’s stressed, and a hold-up will definitely be stressful. How will he get the money to get Chick Lennon off his mum’s back, pay the rent so they’re not homeless, and get back to normal life again?
Stealing Happy is a story of a 13-yr-old boy trying to solve a money problem. He wants to be a comedian, so he’s quite a character, his tourette syndrome making him even more so. The author himself has TS, so is writing from personal experience about how the tics, barks, and random outbursts are all part of Sonny Gilmour’s everyday.
In 1st person, Sonny describes the obsessive behaviours he must go through, his wariness of anything with odd numbers, and what his body feels like when the TS is in control. But Stealing Happy is much more than a boy with TS. Sonny is such a genuine character, with a crush, a best friend he loves to hang out with, and worries at home.
A great character within the story is a supportive and understanding school councillor who helps Sonny with his self-esteem, problems in school, or is just an ear when Sonny needs one.
Sonny might be a long way from his stand-up-comedian dream, but he is certainly funny in this heart-felt, authentic novel for early teen readers.
Author – Brian Conaghan
Age – 12+
Find more Brian Conaghan books here
Publisher – Bloomsbury UK
Set – UK city / Present
Viewpoint – 1st person
Violence – Threat of
Sex – No
Real Life – Yes
Fantasy – No
Blend – Real Life / Humour / Poverty
(2025, Bloomsbury, Family, Bullies, Conflict, Crime, Friendship, School, Growing up, Secret, Poverty, Council Flat, Loan Shark, Gangster, Heist, Humour, Funny, Tourette Syndrome, Crush, OCD, Long Covid, Poverty, Debt)