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Title details for We Are All So Good at Smiling by Amber McBride - Available

We Are All So Good at Smiling

by Amber McBride
Amber McBride
Audiobook
2 of 2 copies available
Borrow Listen to a sample Listen to a sample
2 of 2 copies available

"McBride brings a special gift to this production by narrating her own material." - AudioFile Magazine

This audiobook features music and special effects. Listen along and enjoy the fun that is We Are All So Good at Smiling.

This program is read by the author.
They Both Die at the End meets The Bell Jar in this haunting, beautiful young adult novel-in-verse about clinical depression and healing from trauma, from National Book Award Finalist Amber McBride.
Whimsy is back in the hospital for treatment of clinical depression. When she meets a boy named Faerry, she recognizes they both have magic in the marrow of their bones. And when Faerry and his family move to the same street, the two start to realize that their lifelines may have twined and untwined many times before.
They are both terrified of the forest at the end of Marsh Creek Lane.
The Forest whispers to Whimsy. The Forest might hold the answers to the part of Faerry he feels is missing. They discover the Forest holds monsters, fairy tales, and pain that they have both been running from for 11 years.
A Macmillan Audio production from Feiwel & Friends.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    January 10, 2023

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9781250877413
      • File size: 108284 KB
      • Duration: 03:45:35

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • Publisher's Weekly

      November 21, 2022
      McBride, the author of Me (Moth), employs lilting poetic wordplay to weave familiar fairy tales with original, resonant fables in this haunting verse novel. When human poet Whimsy is hospitalized with clinical depression, she meets and immediately connects with a Fae boy named Faerry. After getting discharged, she learns that Faerry has just moved into a house on Whimsy’s street and soon realizes their intense familiarity hints at a shared past that neither of them seems to remember. Working together to unearth buried memories, the teens battle a fantastical physical embodiment of sorrow and struggle to face their inexplicable fear of the forest at the end of their street. Sparse yet expressive verse (“We are floating in a circle/ made from hope & crystal wings”) grounds mystical happenings, such as Whimsy and Faerry’s meetings with characters from classic fairy tales and folklore, including Anansi, Baba Yaga, and Snow White. Drawing from personal experience, as detailed in a beginning note, McBride delivers a dark, whimsical adventure that viscerally depicts experiences of clinical depression, generational trauma, racism, self-harm, suicidal
      ideation, and survivor’s guilt. A glossary of the fairy tales referenced concludes. Whimsy and Faerry are Black. Ages 14–17. Agent: Rena Rossner, Deborah Harris Agency.

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Author/narrator Amber McBride begins this audiobook with a trigger warning that the story involves depression, suicide, and self-harm. Whimsy, newly released from rehabilitation, meets a fae boy, Faerry. They are bound by the commonality of magic, unexpressed grief, and determination to find healing through mutual support. McBride brings a special gift to this production by narrating her own material. Skillfully, her pacing reflects the verse format of her novel, providing the rhythms she intends to her words. McBride's narration expresses strong feelings for her characters as she uses lyricism to merge fairy-tale worlds, magical realism, and harsh realities into a complex web describing a search for wholeness. S.W. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine
    • School Library Journal

      April 1, 2023

      Gr 9 Up-McBride presents another affecting author/narrator performance of her sophomore novel in verse, repeating the dual-credited success of her 2021 National Book Award Finalist debut, Me (Moth). Her opening "A Note Before Entering the Forest," which warns of "clinical depression, self-harm & suicide," sets a somber tone throughout. Atmospheric music announces each new chapter in the recovery journey of two teens, Whimsy and Faerry, who meet while hospitalized. The members of their group therapy circle to which Whimsy "assign[s] each person a Fairy Tale name" will play vital roles in the pair's survival. An author's note insistently reminds, "Stories keep the world intact." Whimsy & Faerry's Playlist follows, ending with acknowledgments that underscore the lifesaving power of poetry. VERDICT McBride's self-described "book about depression & pain & hope" is a healing balm for suffering souls.

      Copyright 2023 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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