But when her mother's out of the room, a FedEx package arrives from her father. Despite numerous dropped hints to her mother about a ukulele, she receives a cardigan instead. Writing song lyrics has been a great outlet for her, but Minerva needs one more thing: an instrument. Minerva doesn't know much about her fatherher mother has kept mysteriously mumbut she does know he abandoned them when she was 2. Hand it to fans of Sara Zarr, Sarah Dessen, or Zooey Deschanel.' -School Library Journal, 'On her 16th birthday, not only does Minerva Watson not get the gift she wanted, she receives an unwanted giftfrom her estranged father. Overall, however, this is a moving, charged tale of family and identity. Some readers may be frustrated with the lack of closure, as quite a bit is left unresolved. Though the book explores a heavy, fraught situation, the prose is light and the ending optimistic. Amato skillfully balances Minerva's angst with plenty of light, fun bits, such as her interactions with Hayes and her trips to the music store to visit the ukulele she longs for.

Despite some flaws, she's also endearingly quirky and full of drama, willing to burst into song at a moment's notice.

While Minerva has some unattractive qualities at times (such as her jealousy), they make her realistic and relatable. Though secondary characters are sketchily drawn, tending toward stock types (the encouraging best friend, the seemingly perfect girl who has it all, the overworked single mother), they're engaging. Meanwhile, she and her best friend, Finn, are keeping busy with a weekend job hosting children's birthday parties, where she grapples with her attraction to another coworker, Hayes, and her resentment for the effortlessly gorgeous Cassie.

When Minerva Watson turns 16, she receives a beautiful necklace that appears to be from the father she believes abandoned her years ago, a gift that triggers long-buried feelings of sorrow and anger. 'A poignant tale of a teen attempting to find herself.

Get Happy by Mary Amato