This book begins with our protagonist being dropped off by his family at a two week “camp” that I spent a lot of the book trying to decipher. Is it a conversion therapy? An elaborate character-building exercise? Whatever it is, the goal seems to be to help attendees become happy. The main character, Sebastian, has some hints of being interested in boys more than girls, but never states that as the reason he is there. The rest of the kids in attendance are a variety of characters with unique backgrounds that are glossed over, giving the general idea that they’re all there for a reason and mostly against their will.

Lots of things seem pretty off to Sebastian right away. The “Overalls” who are basically camp counselors to keep the kids in line are constantly lurking and typing on their electronic tablets. Despite doing their best to keep HappyHead kids safe and further their well-being, the Overalls often seem to have their own issues to work through and get distracted. And then there are the seemingly innocent challenges the kids are teamed up against each other to win. But as time goes on, Sebastian begins to see that there may be danger lurking in the disguise of growth. During one of the exercises that is meant to build endurance and survival skills, Sebastian stumbles upon an old lady living in the woods near where he and his team have set up temporary camp. What begins as an awkward encounter becomes a moment of clarity for Sebastian as he takes the time to talk to the elderly woman. She’s just like him, or she used to be: a little lost, a little scared, and just wanting to make those who love them proud. 

The concept of working as a team and trust-building does make sense if you look at it from a creative perspective as something to teach youth; sometimes as a single person it doesn’t seem like we can really make a difference in a situation, but when we work as a team and rely on others and not just ourselves, it can help further a bigger picture. But there’s also the chance that you focus so much on what you think others would be proud of you for that you end up doing something that’s damaging. Or you might miss the point of the exercise completely and end up losing trust that you thought you were gaining.

Squid Game vibes were abounding throughout HappyHead with the teams and odd “games” or challenges that kept popping up that seem more like experimentation on minors than opportunities for growth. This is a book that is super easy to get into and read in one sitting or pick up as you have time. There’s no complicated storyline or much to keep track of as far as specific details go. I was kind of annoyed with how abruptly this book ended; however, I see that there is a sequel already. I can’t wait to catch up with Sebastian and see what is next for him!

Review of a Digital Advance Reading Copy from Random House Children Books

Content Analysis:

Profanity/Language: 84 religious exclamations; 23 mild obscenities; 1 religious profanity; 5 derogatory names; 55 scatological words; 6 anatomical terms; 22 F-Word derivatives.

Violence/Gore: A brief scene is described where a minor gets a chip inserted under his skin and the small incision and some blood is mentioned; a group of minors are instructed to kill a chicken as a trust building exercise and the chicken is reported to be chased down and killed with some blood mentioned; a minor shares a story about taking pills and blacking out which results in her falling onto some train tracks and breaking her leg; a brief scene occurs where a minor is caught in a unique situation trying to steal and he is interrupted by someone trying to rob the store who begins to physically assault the storekeeper, blood is mentioned; a group of minors participate in a trust exercise that turns into a dangerous situation with participants blacking out and one getting a bloody nose; minors are briefly chased when trying to get away from adults supervising them in a tense scene; a minor shares that their parents died several years ago in a fire; a boy is depicted falling from a height in a brief scene, hitting his head resulting in a concussion and causing a gash on his leg that is mentioned to bleed; a mention is made of someone taking their own life; a brief scene occurs where some boys get into a fight and it is broken up by adults; a woman is mentioned to be missing from her home and is later reported to be sick, minors find blood in her home and are suspicious; a woman mentions she was questioned at gunpoint; a minor participating in a team building exercise begins to feel like she is being burnt and pleads with her peers to help her in a brief scene, a boy uses a piece of broken glass to try to cut through ropes holding her captive and some blood is mentioned as the glass cuts his hand; a minor boy recalls a time when he was bullied in school for possibly liking a boy and how a group of his peers chased him and tied him up and threw him in a body of water.

Sex/Nudity: A minor boy mentions that he has kissed a girl once and a boy once as well; an orgy is referred to jokingly; a brief scene occurs where a girl flirts with a boy and squeezes his butt, calling him sexy and the boy registers the look on her face a “sexy face”; a minor girl and boy kiss briefly; a minor boy recalls a brief scene when he kissed a boy he liked when he was drunk; a girl kisses a boy on the cheek; two boys camp together and share the same sleeping bag in a brief scene, a brief kiss between them is mentioned; minor boy couple who like each other have an emotionally charged moment and kiss before parting when they are afraid they were seen.

Mature Subject Matter:

Death of a loved one; exploration of sexuality; same-sex attraction; suicide; ethical dilemmas.

Alcohol/Drug Use:

A minor is mentioned to procure vodka and weed; a minor is depicted smoking a few times; a mention is made of getting high; a minor is mentioned to be offered pills and black out; a minor is reported to attempt to steal alcohol; minor thinks moms get together for an excuse to “get sloshed on white wine”.