THE OTHER HALF
OF HAPPY
OF HAPPY
by
Rebecca Balcárcel
Contemporary / Middle Grade / Multi-cultural Family
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Date of Publication: August 20, 2019
Number of Pages: 332
Scroll down for giveaway!
Quijana is a girl in pieces.
One-half Guatemalan, one-half American: When Quijana's Guatemalan cousins move to town, her dad seems ashamed that she doesn't know more about her family's heritage.
One-half crush, one-half buddy: When Quijana meets Zuri and Jayden, she knows she's found true friends. But she can't help the growing feelings she has for Jayden.
One-half kid, one-half grown-up: Quijana spends her nights Skyping with her ailing grandma and trying to figure out what's going on with her increasingly hard-to-reach brother.
In the course of this immersive and beautifully written novel, Quijana must figure out which parts of herself are most important, and which pieces come together to make her whole.
This lyrical debut from Rebecca Balcárcel is a heartfelt poetic portrayal of a girl growing up, fitting in, and learning what it means to belong.
PRAISE FOR THE OTHER HALF OF HAPPY:
"Seriously, I have never felt so seen in a book." --Sophia Jimenez of @LatinxinPub
“With poetic, flowing prose that sometimes feels more like a song and characters so convincing that they seem real, Balcárcel’s stunning debut depicts the struggles of being raised with two cultures and the challenges of not being “authentic” enough—in this case, “not Guatemalan enough” or “not American enough.” A lovely, moving, and realistic view of the struggles and insecurities—as well as the beauty—that comes from being bicultural.” -- Booklist starred review
"One of the best and most compassionate depictions of autism I have ever read in fiction.” -- Latinas Leyendo
HALL WAYS REVIEW: There
is so much to love about THE OTHER HALF OF HAPPY by the incredibly talented
Rebecca Balcárcel. It's lyrical, it's deep, it's highly
relevant, and most of all, it's REAL. The characters all pop to life and become
part of the readers' extended friend or family group. We feel invested in these
people and we FEEL for them.
Reading THE OTHER HALF OF HAPPY took me through all the
feels from flashing back to my own middle school days, to teaching and
parenting kids that age, to losing a loved one. Main character Quijana is an
extraordinary young lady, and extraordinarily smart, and I longed for her to
realize it. Somehow, I think one day she
will. I know I'll keep thinking about her and the rest of the group (and can't
stop, really).
There were many quotables in the book, but I share only a
few that illustrate all the different ways Balcárcel is
an outstanding writer:
"The English r isn't fancy, but
it's like a go-to pair of white socks, matching every word I need. The Spanish rrr is orange
with pink dots, blinged-out with rhinestones and ribbons."
"Her shine doesn't take away from yours."
"Saturday stretches out in all directions, my
unexplored island."
"Everything's okay in the end. If it's not okay,
it's not the end."
It's funny, but sometimes a book comes to you in a
backdoor way. I first met the author at
WORDfest in March of this year, when she conducted an interview with me. She
calmed my nerves and was delightful to talk to, and at the Lone Star table, she
mentioned her book and showed me the cover -- and of course, I went nuts over
it. Sometimes, you just know a book is
going to be next level, and so I made a point to find Rebecca again at the
Texas Library Association Annual Conference in April. I got my signed copy and
photo, of course, and the beautiful book taunted me -- which led to emails, which
led to a book blog tour, which led to my taking this book across an ocean so
that I could get it read, which led to my falling in love with people who exist
only between pages of a book, and I miss them so much.
I highly recommend THE OTHER SIDE OF HAPPY. It speaks important messages that we all need
to hear and absorb and ponder as part of our shared experience in this world. There
truly is something for every reader and readers of every age in this book.
 |
| at WORDfest |
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| at TLA 2019 |
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| Maui reading |
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GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY!
THREE WINNERS EACH RECEIVE:
SIGNED COPY OF THE OTHER HALF OF HAPPY
+ BOOKMARK & STICKER!
SIGNED COPY OF THE OTHER HALF OF HAPPY
+ BOOKMARK & STICKER!
NOVEMBER 5-15, 2019
(U.S. Only)
VISIT THE OTHER GREAT BLOGS ON THE TOUR:
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11/5/19
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Author Video
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11/5/19
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BONUS Review
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11/6/19
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Review
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11/7/19
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Excerpt
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11/8/19
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Review
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11/9/19
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Notable Quotable
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11/10/19
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Author Interview
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11/11/19
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Review
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11/12/19
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Scrapbook Page
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11/13/19
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Review
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11/14/19
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Review
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