Faking Happiness, Feeling Sadness

Will Anika ever feel happy again? She has her doubts.

Sadness is a feeling Anika cannot shake. She feels as if her life has no purpose or passion. Her unhappiness has been with her for so long, she's forgotten what joy feels like. Still, she tries to put on a happy face. She fakes being happy for the sake of her friends and family. But they're starting to see cracks in her cheerful façade, and Anika doesn't have the energy to keep on pretending.

With support and encouragement from her two best friends, Anika agrees to talk with a school counselor. She hopes for a quick fix, a speedy remedy, a permanent cure. But she soon learnsthat the path to feeling better is a process that may require patience, practice, and effort.

Faking Happiness, Feeling Sadness is a dramatic, empowering chapter book that gives young readers, especially girls, the hope and guidance they need to work through uncomfortable feelings and find emotional relief.

Educators and group leaders can supplement the story with a Teacher and Counselor Activity Guide. The guide provides self-reflection questions and group activities to thoughtfully engage readers with the content, which includes strategies for coping with sadness, such as meditation, exercise, healthy eating, vision boards, journaling, and joy seeking.

Award-winning author and school counselor Jennifer Licate's celebrated series, Navigating Friendships, also includes these popular titles: Why Is Drama Always Following Me?, My Anxiety Is Messing Things Up, He's Not Just Teasing!, I Lost My BFF, and Am I Weird?

Author: Jennifer Licate
Publisher: Boys Town Press
Published: 04/16/2024
Pages: 59
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.30lbs
Size: 8.82h x 5.83w x 0.16d
ISBN: 9798889070139
Audience: Ages 9-12

About the Author
Jennifer is an award-winning children's book author who has worked as a school counselor for over a decade. She loves writing social and emotional books to help children and preteens through challenging times. Jennifer's books teach children strategies to work through their issue, and the stories give children the comfort of knowing they're not alone in their struggles. Her books focus on topics such as anxiety, depression, and friendship struggles. Jennifer's books use a quick-read chapter format and are geared toward children ages 9 to 13.

Through working with children of all ages, Jennifer has seen the benefits of social-emotional learning books firsthand. Children lose themselves as they're immersed within the stories. They're able to understand complex issues from so many different perspectives by seeing the story through the eyes of the characters.

Counseling children, as well as raising two children of her own, has taught her a universal truth: all children want to be loved, valued, and respected for the unique individuals they are. She channels this truth, the importance of providing support to children as they navigate social and emotional issues, and her love for creativity into all her children's books. Her goal is that all children who read one of her books will feel like the stories are speaking directly to them.