Stealing Happy

I would highly recommend this title to anybody who has a deep sense of humour, who enjoys problem-solving, and for those who give adoration for drama. Sonny, the main character in this book, has Tourette’s, which the author has done to add a sense of humour to the story amidst the hardest of times. His mother is in a bad financial state, and his father is suffering from the effects of COVID-19. This modernised novel shows that no matter if you are disabled, in this case with Tourette’s, anything is possible, even for the greater good. I would rate this a 4/5 on the Likert scale because this made me smile all the way from beginning to end. To the next person who reads this book after me, have fun!

Isabella

The Next Chapter

Stealing Happy is a book which contains many bad things or events that have gone wrong; debt, covid, the impact of Tourette’s, rent and some suspicious men. To me, the story starts pretty slowly and is quite boring with Sonny randomly shouting stuff out (I do know it was Tourette’s) which was slightly annoying and it didn’t seem like anything was happening except Sonny worrying. I thought I wasn’t going to like the book. That was until the story properly started – when they started planning whilst in dangerous grounds; school. I think the Tourette’s was a good addition to the story because, while teaching people how it isn’t on purpose and how it isn’t just clicking noises -as that is how I have often seen it portrayed in films- and it is also tapping and things like OCD, it made the book quite a bit more light hearted and also made every stealth scene feel ten times harder. In the middle of the book, for about two pages, I thought that it was quite boring as if they were waiting for it to happen until that idea was thrown away when Archie Burns and his friends started surrounding him and thought he would actually get hurt. At the end of the book my heart was actually racing -I’m not making that up- because I was so emersed in the speed, fear and description of the moment. Overall, I really liked it and I think the fact I didn’t like the start and thought it would be boring, made it three times better.

Hal L

Ermysted’s Carnegie Shadowing Group

I didn’t enjoy reading this book because I thought the plot was quite boring and it was very slow.It also had lots of chapters that seemed really irrelevant to the plot and it really bored me to read all of it. I think it would have been better if the author missed out those chapters and made the story line more complicated. The ending also wasn’t clear on what happened to get chick Lennon arrested and the robbery wasn’t very exciting after all of the planning. I wouldn’t recommend this book to anyone unless they specifically said they liked this sort of book. Overall, I didn’t like this book at all and thought the plot was quite dull.

Zoe

The Perse Carnegians

Stealing Happy is a heartfelt and intresting book that looks at family, identity and the search for happiness. The characters feel real and relatable, and the story tackles difficult emotions with sensitivity. The writing is engaging throughout. Balancing humour and sadness in a way that keeps the reader invested. Its themes of self-discovery, resilience and belonging make it a good book

Jeevan

Ermysted’s Carnegie Shadowing Group

At first I thought this book would be boring but I started to like the characters and it was funny at some parts.

Zak

Ermysted’s Carnegie Shadowing Group

A boy with Tourette's syndrome is trying to get the money back that his mum and dad owes to Chick Lennon. Time is running out rent is due and a whole lot of fun awaits. 8/10

Max

Ermysted’s Carnegie Shadowing Group

This book was also far better than all of the other books in the shortlist. It is about an - i think - Irish boy with Tourette's. I liked how he was not able to keep secrets as he would blurt out his plans as it made him a sympathetic character. I think many people would be able to relate to him because of his financial situation which makes us feel empathy for him. I liked how the author made it so when he had sudden outbursts of tourettes he would shout "ROB CHICK LENNON!". However my one issue was the ending. I feel like all of the book was one big build up that wasn't really paid off very well. Like, we don't actually get a proper conclusion as to what happens. Does he give his parents the money? Does he keep it? Does he hand it in? Does he get caught? Overall I give this book a ... 8/10

Elliott.H

Ermysted’s Carnegie Shadowing Group

I loved this book. I enjoyed how it tackled real world issues that children can understand as well as adults. I also liked how Sonny and his friends managed to help his mum save his house being repossessed. I would recommend

Eli S

Ermysted’s Carnegie Shadowing Group

It was an ok book as it was quite emotional but I don't really like it. I wouldn't really recommend it to anyone else.

Mohammed

Ermysted’s Carnegie Shadowing Group

Stealing Happy is a very good book. It is about a boy called Sonny Gilmour, who has Tourette's syndrome, and how he navigates through his life- and how his family get in debt by £5500. It is very emotional, and it dives deep into how he feels about having Tourette's, and about how he pays his mother's debt back. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes funny books dealing with serious things in life- including disability. When Sonny discovers that his mother had borrowed money from Chick Lenon, the person who is famous for doing nothing good, he is shocked. His family know that Chick Lenon is a very bad person, and that he will put the whole family in jail if Sonny's family didn't return the money. At first, they tried to hide it from his dad, because of a long Covid, but eventually tells him because they need money. His dad was a postman or as Sonny calls him 'POSTMAN PAT!' and he cannot do his job anymore because he is too weak and that he would spread Covid via the letters when he touch them. Sonny is hopeless and is preparing for doom, until when he gets an idea. Sonny, Jonah, his best friend, and Carolina make up a cunning plan to rob Chick Lenon from his own ill-gotten gains. The job is tough, and it doesn't help when Sonny's Tourette's tics up 'ROB CHICK LENON', but they have high hopes. Their plan is to rob Archie Burns, a school bully- who delivers lots of money to Chick Lenon. After planning cunningly, they get the bag, containing the money, from Archie's bike. When they were running away from Archie, they had a close encounter with the police. But, the police weren't chasing them, they were just heading off to the police station to put Chick Lenon in jail for all the bad deeds he'd done. The end was very happy and it was like how Sonny had wanted to be from the beginning of the book.

Mithulesh A

Ermysted’s Carnegie Shadowing Group

I really enjoyed reading Stealing Happy because it represented neurodiversity well and covered a variety of topics and showed them all well. It was a good book overall, but it had an extremely ambiguous ending. Firstly, it showed a variety of topics such as neurodiversity, poverty and many others. I enjoyed the development of Sonny, and it was written well from his perspective. It represented his situation really well. One problem I had with it though was that the ending was not clear. Despite Chick Lenon being arrested it did not show how or why. Although it could have been a good ending instead it just faded out. The robbery was not done well despite all the planning and could have been written better. Overall, I though it was a well written book which covered several topics and was an enjoyable book to read despite the ambiguous ending.

Max

Norwich School Carnegie Shadowers

Stealing Happy was a very interesting book with many ups and downs, cleverly crafted by the author, who uses humour to pull the reader out of a pit, though it can also put the reader back in one as the story progresses. The character development was great as he had to overcome struggles such as his dad having long Covid and his mom being in debt. The story highlights real world struggles like long Covid and neurodiversity very well. The trio of friends decide to rob a loan shark. Sonny's motivation is to pull his parents out of debt, showing how poverty can force good people to make bad choices to survive.

Thor

Norwich School Carnegie Shadowers

I thought Stealing Happy was one of the better books in the Carnegie. It had a great plot and was enjoyable. One thing I liked especially was the fact that Sonny’s Tourette’s was built into the story and how it almost bottled the friends heist. Overall I thought Stealing Happy was a good book that had very few flaws (such as a slow start).

Rafferty t

Ermysted’s Carnegie Shadowing Group

This is definitely one of my favourite books I've read. After reading a bit of 'The Boy I Love', I decided to switch to 'Stealing happy' after getting bored out of my mind, and I do not regret it at all. Everything about this book was portrayed well, though I found it a bit realistic. Character development was amazingly portrayed by the author in most characters like Carolina, Jonah, Sonny's parents, Archie Burns, Chick Lennon etc, but I feel the author didn't tell us much about the main character himself, Sonny. He was portrayed very generally by the author, and I couldn't derive much personality from the limited character descriptions of him. Aside from this, I found the plot and setting excellent. The author really instilled a strong sense of hope and fear for the three protagonists in me, which made my heartbeat speed up towards the end. I would certainly recommend this book to anyone. Overall, I'd rate it a 9/10.

William B

Ermysted’s Carnegie Shadowing Group

For my second book I read Stealing Happy. Personally I didn’t enjoy this book at all. I felt that it took a long time to actually get the book going, which meant that it was quite a boring read. I also think that a lot of the chapters weren’t really relevant to the story's plot and it took a while to introduce the characters. I felt like I couldn’t really connect to the characters and the writing didn’t really make me feel anything to the characters, but I did like how Carolina was portrayed as the smart one in the story; how the book introduced themes like poverty and disabilities like Tourette’s syndrome; how the ending ended on a happy note and how his family was well and happy. At some points, it was funny when Sonny shouted out some things like “ ROB CHICK LENNON” but also felt sorry for him. Overall, I felt like although there were some good bits about the book it wasn’t very memorable and the characters also weren’t well described to make me connect with them.

Bea

Norwich School Carnegie Shadowers

It was a really funny book it mixed humour with sad real life stuff like Tourette’s syndrome which sonny the main character has and also long covid which his dad has. Sonny’s family is very broke so they took a loan from someone called Chick Lennon who’s a super evil gangster. They owed him over five thousand pounds which they couldn’t afford to pay so most the book is about them planning to rob him and steal money from Archie Burns. The author managed to make quite a depressing real life scenario, since the story is quite literally about a mentally troubled boy with a super ill dad and a poor family facing eviction, into something quite humorous and the plot moved quite fast it was pretty cool to read.

Yaseen

Norwich School Carnegie Shadowers

I thought it was a generally a good book but I didn't like how they stole chick Lennon's money at the end. I would not usually read this kind of book because this book was about Sonny's family struggles. I would personally rate this book 8/10

Maulik Linesh

Ermysted’s Carnegie Shadowing Group

I really liked this book. Although it was a bit slow to get into, the plot was very intriguing and I really loved the whole collection of characters. In this book you really get to understand Sonny’s situation. I have already recommended it to friends and other students in my year group.

Arabella

Epsomians

I thought stealing happy was a good book but did not come to a very conclusive ending. I found it an interesting read though and enjoyed how you felt you were really there. Overall I would give this book a 9/10.

alfie c

Ermysted’s Carnegie Shadowing Group

Stealing Happy is a book about a boy who has Tourettes Syndrome and lives with his mother and father. His dad has long covid and he has lost his job and the mother took a loan from a loan shark and they don't have enough money to pay rent so the boy steals money from the loan shark with two of his friends and the dad no longer has long covid and the ending is happy. I would not recommend this book and would rate it a 5/10.

Thomas Forrow

Ermysted’s Carnegie Shadowing Group

I liked the book Stealing Happy. It was funny and easy to read. I also like how it spreads awareness about Tourette’s. The main character, Sony, goes through many difficult moments that many could relate to. This makes it stand out to others as it's actually relatable rather than perfect book characters. The book took a while to get into but I really liked it once I was reading. It was an easy read after that and that’s why I liked it so much. I would definitely recommend this book to others,

Beatrix

Norwich School Carnegie Shadowers

This book was great. Packed with excitement, thrill and action, this intense, wild book is one brilliant read. Also, I like the fact that it talks about Tourrettes. I would recommend this book to older individuals due to the theme and language. Overall, this book was great.

Hamzah S

Ermysted’s Carnegie Shadowing Group

This book is very funny, wholesome and tells people the dangers of loaning from people you can't trust. As well as this is shows how hard work and pushing your self even if you find it difficult can give you wonderful results. I really liked this book and would recommend it to people my age.

Niall

Norwich School Carnegie Shadowers

I liked stealing happy and I thought it should have gone on the Carnegie shortlist as it had similar themes to Popcorn but I found it more interesting as it had adventure and a bit of mischief which really hooked me as a reader. I also think it was a well written book that was targeted for my age group so it was easy to understand which is really important when writing a book.

James

Ermysted’s Carnegie Shadowing Group

I thought Stealing Happy was a reasonable book, with some good literature in it and a good balance of action and description. As an avid reader, I feel that it could have had some more formality, for example the chapter names are things like “the bit about archie burns” and although I appreciate this is the style of the book, I think it could be more concise - just “Archie Burns” or something alike. Other than this and some of the descriptive language, I really liked how Brian Conaghan portrays Sonny as a very strong figure countering his Tourette’s in a variety of ways throughout finding ways to re-pay his parents’ debts.

Timothy

Norwich School Carnegie Shadowers

Stealing Happy was an okay book about a boy trying to find the money to pay rent and Chick Lennon. I didn't really enjoy this, because most of the story felt like a slow buildup to the robbery which ended in a not very suspenseful series of events. I liked the concept of the story, but the addition of Tourettes felt forced and there was no real time spent on understanding why they were in the situation they were in. The writing was okay but the dialogue felt, as expected, stunted, and became tiresome due to the constant interruptions of the Tourettes. Overall, the story was okay but the execution of it felt forced.

Oliver R

Ermysted’s Carnegie Shadowing Group

This book is called Stealing Happy. It is about how Sonny's dad has covid and his mum works as a cleaner. It's hard for Sonny as he suffers from Tourettes. Tourettes is where you blurt random things sometimes out of the blue. Chick Lennon says they are in 5k debt to him. Sonny and his two friends Jonah and Carolina devise a plan to steal from Archie Burns, Chick's henchman is the money. They steal it and and slowly his dad starts to break from covid and they aren't in debt anymore. I liked this book as it was very funny and it shows how important friends are, I would recommend this book to people who want a happy ending book whilst being funny. I would rate it a solid 8/10.

Musa H 7P

Ermysted’s Carnegie Shadowing Group

Sonny's dad has covid and his mum works as a cleaner, it's hard for sonny as he suffers from Tourettes. Chick Lennon says they are in 5k debt to him. Sonny and his two friends Jonah and Carolina devise a plan to steal from archie burns, Chick's henchman is the money. They steal it and and slowly his dad starts to break from covid and they aren't in debt anymore. I liked this book as it was very funny and it shows how important friends are, I would recommend this book to people who want a happy ending book whilst being funny.

Mahiru

Ermysted’s Carnegie Shadowing Group

This book is one of my favourite carnegies so far it has a lot of realistic action and a realistic plot it is about a boy who has Tourettes and his family has a problem with money and needed it badly. I think that this is a book for people aged 10+ because younger ones would find it hard to understand. I would rate this 9/10.

Ayaan N

Ermysted’s Carnegie Shadowing Group

​Stealing Happy is a thrilling, engaging, and genuinely funny novel. ​The book tells the story of Sonny Gilmour and his two friends, Jonah and Carolina, who devise a risky plan to steal money to help pay off Sonny’s mother’s debt. What I liked best was the way Conaghan developed the characters; they feel authentic and humorous, which makes the story both memorable and gripping. ​It is a highly entertaining read, and I would definitely recommend adding this to your collection.

Raven

The Book Explorers

I found Stealing Happy to be a well-paced and fun book to read. In this novel by Bryan Conaghan, a teenage boy with Tourette’s, named Sonny, attempts to rescue his family from debt by stealing back the required amount of money from the loan shark Chick Lennon (although he actually steals it from Archie Burns, who works for Chick Lennon). It highlights the struggles of life with long covid, Tourette’s, and the cost-of-living crisis. I found that this book was well written with a clear plotline. It was fun to read but, in some places, I felt like things happened too quickly, and without enough explanation. The book educates well about Tourette’s, and it is interesting to learn more about the subject.

Owen

Norwich School Carnegie Shadowers

This book is really moving and awe-inspiring. It starts off with the main character, Sonny Glimour introducing himself, and that he has Tourette's, a condition where he is unable to control some of the things he says, which is mainly screamed out. Then, we are introduced to this person called Chick Lennon, who is wanting Sonny’s mum to pay rent for their apartment. However, she doesn’t have enough money to pay him, so he gives them a week to get over £2000. Still, this isn’t much time to get that much money in a short space of time, as well as Sonny’s dad being ill from long Covid. So, Sonny asks his friend Jonah and a quiet girl called Carolina to help him get money. Jonah comes up with the idea of robbing Chick Lennon. This seems like a good idea, until Sonny’s Tourette’s makes him scream “ROB CHICK LENNON” at the top of his voice whenever things get dicey. Thankfully, they managed to get the money in the end, and Chick Lennon is imprisoned.

Joshua

Norwich School Carnegie Shadowers

The book is interestingly written in that it is does not have “fixed” chapter names. For example, one of the chapters is, ‘the bit where I go to school, shaking like a leaf’. In terms of the events that happen, it does not feel like total reality, mostly because, of one of the main villains - somebody called Chick Lennon, who gives somebody money and takes 40% every month or so. Overall, the book is interestingly written in that it helps people to understand people with Tourette’s.

Irynei

Norwich School Carnegie Shadowers

Stealing happy is an interesting and anticipating book with the main character having Tourette’s. I think this book has lots of good examples on how to treat somebody who is neurodiverse like Sonny, but it also has some bad examples which people should not be learning from. In my opinion, there is a lot of anticipation for the robbery that Sonny and his friends are going to commit to end Sonny’s family’s poverty and it is only in the last paragraph that they actually carry it out. Otherwise, the storyline is perfect for my kind of personal interest of book. It has a lovely, slow-paced narrative and the sessions Sonny goes to in the middle of school seem quite relatable to what a real person with Tourette’s might do, but also Sonny’s tics get him into some trouble and some people don’t know about his neurodiversity so they mistake his tics for actual words that he meant and intended to say and from Sonny’s perspective, that can seem quite scary. But I would definitely recommend this for intermediate readers.

Ben

Norwich School Carnegie Shadowers

I thought this book really expresses the challenges of having multiple things you need to do. Having Sonny’s dad having long Covid and nearly being taken to court. How he trie to get money in a non violent manner. In the end he still had to rob money from Archie burns but also trying to hide having Tourette’s. Trying not to tic whist about to go the bad in which he can help out his family’s debt to loan shark Chick Lennon. Also highlighting that you can recover from injuries by his dad slowly going one block further everyday and fully recovering and getting back to full fitness. Overall I thought it was a really well thought out book and would happily read again!

Harry

Norwich School Carnegie Shadowers

This was a very good book and it made me think of King of nNthing. The ending was a bit boring and nothing special. Overall a good book but it was a bit easy to read. It was a 7/10 for me.

Cody w

Ermysted’s Carnegie Shadowing Group

A very good book surprised it didn't get on the short list I think the ending was particularly good, I think the fact the money got paid back anyway, didn't like that 6.8/10

Billy C

Ermysted’s Carnegie Shadowing Group

Overall, I really liked the book "Stealing Happy".  It's funny and light hearted as well as serious about important topics. Throughout the book I become more aware of Tourette's and how it can hugely effect somebody's life. The main character Sonny goes through many real life difficulties, issues and is a character that many will be able to relate with and empathise to. I like how the pages and words are laid out. The book is easy to read, and interesting. So much so that I almost read the whole book in one sitting! The plot had many ups and downs which I found nice, my favourite parts were the parts with the "bad people" like chick Lennon and archie burns most gripping parts. It was also fascinating to see life through the eyes of someone with Tourette's. Overall I really liked this book.

Sarah

Norwich School Carnegie Shadowers

Stealing Happy is a unique book which shows how members of the community deal with things like Tourette’s. The book shows how people deal with poverty and greedy loan sharks. With an entertaining and fast paced plot. The book uses an authentic Scottish accent to bring 13-year-old Sonny to life showing his trouble with OCD and Tourette’s making it an intense and read while the Robin Hood inspired plan to rob Archie Burns is a thrilling and intriguing part of the story. The story starts in a flat; everything seems fine to start until Sonny’s Mom reveal the piles of debt the family is in after Sonny’s dad got long covid and his Mom struggles to find houses to clean to make income and the post office isn’t giving them any money for a while. The story is an enjoyable easy read that I would recommend.

Oliver

Norwich School Carnegie Shadowers

This book is an extremely fun read. I love how accurate the representation of problems is, like ill family, money being tight at times and conditions you and others have to learn to live with. The narration for me is completely new, and I did have to search up a few words, but I definitely think it's a book worth reading, four stars.

rida

HGS Book Club

The book Stealing Happy is an emotional book about a teenage boy named Sonny. He is dealing with a lot of things in life. His father has covid and his mum can barley hold things together. He is trying to go forward in life though. The book is so simple but somehow written in a very powerful way that makes the reader actually feel the characters emotions, thoughts, and feelings. Even though the book is supposed to be serious, it still includes some light and funny moments. Overall Stealing Happy is a meaningful book that shows that if you're not happy about something, you will still find hope someday.

Yusra

Norwich School Carnegie Shadowers

Stealing Happy is about a boy called Sonny and his family who go into debt from rent and a loan shark ( Chick Lennon ) and they owe over 5500 pounds .The book is about how sonny and his friends steal the money from someone who works for Chick Lennon carrying drugs for him. They got into this because sonny's dad has long covid and was not allowed to work as a postman. This book was very good and action packed because there is always something happening and I would recommend to anyone.

Samuel H

Ermysted’s Carnegie Shadowing Group

I do not really have many opinions on this book as I do not know many of the words in the story. I can say that the main storyline was a bit interesting of a boy who shouts a LOT and I mean a LOT. He with. two of his friends try to figure out where the money that his mother uses to pay rent is from.

Tahmeed

Ermysted’s Carnegie Shadowing Group

I thought this book was rather interesting and showcased neural diversity like Tourrettes. I would recommend this book to people older than 13 since it includes adult themes.

Theo

Ermysted’s Carnegie Shadowing Group

Stealing Happy dives deep into emotions. The novel is set on a realistic stage but the events are more surreal than real. The story follows a teenager navigating strong emotions and difficulties that the teenager has to manage so they don't get caught in one of the most exciting scenes. Conaghan’s very energetic writing really helps us under stand the teenager's feelings. What stands out most is the book’s exploration of happiness not as something easily found, but something that can feel lost, stolen, or rebuilt. The unique narrative voice may take a little getting used to, but it ultimately adds depth and authenticity. Overall, the book was a thriller to read and I didn't want to stop reading it. The book uses neurodiversity like someone writing it had experience. They should keep in mind that Tourette's Is now classified under the Autism umbrella and isn't its own thing, just a trait of Autism.

George

Norwich School Carnegie Shadowers

We have 13-year-old Sonny and he has Tourette’s syndrome. He has a teacher who he calls special K and tells all his dreams to him. His family is poor because his dad had an impact from covid and his mum is struggling to get hours at her cleaning company. When Sonny sees Chick Lennon at the door, he realizes that his mum borrowed money for the family. This was when Sonny decided to steal money from Chick Lennon. This book is quite funny although there are some parts where people wouldn’t consider a funny moment.

Ihsan K

Ermysted’s Carnegie Shadowing Group

It was a good book that dealt with the struggles of poverty and disabilities. I thought that it was a good (if immoral) plan to steal the money. There were some bits that I found hard going, and others that were page-turners. I struggled to imagine what it must be like for sonny, to have Tourette's, a bedbound dad and a struggling mum, and still managing to struggle through it.

connor f

Ermysted’s Carnegie Shadowing Group

Stealing happy is an absolute masterpiece and I feel it has a unique story that no other book has. It was gripping and enjoyable my only criticism is that it was a bit jumbled a times with a lot going on.

Henry D

Ermysted’s Carnegie Shadowing Group

Thirteen-year-old Sonny Gilmour lives on the 13th floor of a Scottish council flat—a place he considers his "safe haven" despite the stinking lifts and cramped quarters. However, his world is crumbling. His father is disabled by Long Covid, and his mother is struggling to keep up with the rent after her cleaning hours are cut. When the notorious loan shark Chick Lennon shows up at their door, Sonny realizes his mother has borrowed money just to survive. Desperate to reclaim his family's joy, Sonny teams up with his best mate Jonah and the quiet genius Carolina Swift to hatch a plan: rob Chick Lennon. I liked this book because it’s funny even when things are dark.

Patrick J

Ermysted’s Carnegie Shadowing Group

This book was very entertaining, despite being a little confusing at the start - due to the use of very informal language and clear plot, until later in the book - it was still very interesting and had a great story. The story itself progressed quite slowly, however, it was still enjoyable and had some very exciting moments. The characters were quite diverse (like the main character, Sonny) and made the book a lot more fun to read.

Theo dP

Ermysted’s Carnegie Shadowing Group