Get Well Soon [Hardcover]

Julie Halpern (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 2, 2007

Anna Bloom is depressed—so depressed that her parents have committed her to a mental hospital with a bunch of other messed-up teens. Here she meets a roommate with a secret (and a plastic baby), a doctor who focuses way too much on her weight, and a cute, shy boy who just might like her.

But wait!  Being trapped in a loony bin isn’t supposed to be about making friends, losing weight, and having a crush, is it?

In her fiction debut, Julie Halpern finds humor in the unlikeliest of places, and presents a character whose voice—and heart—will resonate with all of us who have ever felt just a little bit crazy.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Praise for Get Well Soon:

“I completely fell in love with Anna Bloom’s voice—it’s wry, romantic, and so, so true.” —Gabrielle Zevin, author of Elsewhere

“An upbeat story that offers a hype-free, realistic look inside a teen ward . . . As the novel progresses, readers will get a kick out of Anna’s snarky sense of humor and her capacity for self-renewal.” —Publishers Weekly

“[Anna] is endearing as a caustic damsel in distress. With Anna down the hall, landing in the ‘loony bin’ just might be a whole lot of fun.” —Chicago Tribune

“A funny novel about depression. That's the welcome, endearing product Julie Halpern offers readers . . . a never-didactic message about emotional growth and psychic healing.” —Kirkus Reviews Best Young-Adult Books 2007

“Debut author Halpern drew from her own teen experiences with depression, and Anne’s voice, filled with spot-on musings, sarcasm, slang, and swearing, is uproariously funny and authentic . . . Many teens will connect with the vague anxiety that lands Anna in treatment as well as her subtle, realistic sense that her life is her own to value and shape.” —Booklist

“. . . funny, easygoing prose . . . an appealingly comic cousin of Carolyn Mackler’s The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things.” —Kirkus Reviews

“There is a lovely sweetness in the blooming relationship between Anna and Justin . . . Halpern creates a narrative that reflects the changes in Anna with each passing day that includes self-reflection and a good dose of humor. Readers will cheer for Anna as she gains confidence in herself, dares to rebel a little, and gets well as she goes back to her life.” —VOYA

 

From the Inside Flap

Anna Bloom is depressed—so depressed that her parents have committed her to a mental hospital with a bunch of other messed-up teens. Here, she meets a roommate with a secret (and a plastic baby), a doctor who focuses way too much on her weight, and a cute, shy boy who just might like her.

But wait! Being trapped in a loony bin isn’t supposed to be about making friends, losing weight, and having a crush, is it?

In her fiction debut, Julie Halpern finds humor in the unlikeliest of places, and presents a character whose voice—and heart—will resonate with all of us who have ever felt just a little bit crazy.

Julie Halpern is a middle-school librarian in suburban Chicago. She is the author of the children’s book Toby and the Snowflakes. Her likes include road trips, board games, and cake. Her dislikes include traffic, insomnia, and meanies.

Julie lives with her husband, illustrator Matthew Cordell, and their squeezably soft Siamese cat, Tobin. Get Well Soon is Julie’s first novel, and is based on her own depressing experiences during high school. But she’s fine now. Really.

Visit Julie Halpern’s Web site and blog at www.juliehalpern.com.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: Feiwel & Friends; First Edition edition (October 2, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312367953
• ISBN-13: 978-0312367954
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,549,858 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Julie Halpern lives with her husband, author and illustrator Matthew Cordell, their daughter, and their jumbo-sized Siamese cat in suburban Chicago. She enjoys spending her mornings watching Pee Wee's Playhouse with her daughter and her evenings watching Bravo reality shows with her husband. She also likes to read and do other stuff. You can visit her on the Web at www.juliehalpern.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Teens will love this, November 2, 2007

By 

London (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Get Well Soon (Hardcover)

I really loved this book. The story is not at all what you'd expect from a book about a teenager hospitalized for depression. Halpern doesn't shy away from the darkness that got Ana there in the first place, but this is all tempered by the character's hilarious and witty voice. I enjoyed the crazy cast of characters Ana encounters, and although I haven't been in a situation like hers, the story rang very true for me.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Courtesy of Teens Read Too, October 2, 2007

By 

TeensReadToo "Eat. Drink. Read. Be Merrier." (All Over the US & Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Get Well Soon (Hardcover)

Anna is fat and depressed. She suffers from panic attacks, and has stopped going to school. Her parents, who are totally clueless, decide to send her to a mental hospital. Will that do any good? Anna doesn't think so! Not in this place. Nobody tells her anything, they have the weirdest rules ever, and she's forced to wear these ugly pajamas all day long with no bra!

But as days go by, things turn out to be not as bad as she originally thought. Anna meets other teens. Matt O. has been living there for six months. Six whole months? Will Anna ever get out of this place? She also spends time with Sandy, her roommate who's eating for two and has to carry a baby doll all day long. Victor becomes the first black friend she's ever had. And finally, there's Justin -- Oh, Justin! -- the cutest guy around who may have even looked at her.

Written in the form of a letter to her best friend, Tracy, Anna describes all of the details of her life at the nut house in a very funny way, with a writing style that is just like... well... that of a teenage girl!

This story is engaging, the characters sound real, the writing is refreshing and natural, and the descriptions of the situations are hilarious!

Great job for a first time novelist, who's also a librarian and spent time in a psychiatric hospital herself when she was a teen. (She claims to be fine now!)

Reviewed by: Christian C.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book will definitely help anyone get well soon!, October 6, 2007

By 

Elayne Shapiro (Portland, OR USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Get Well Soon (Hardcover)

Julie Halpern's first novel, Get Well Soon, is a very, very funny book. Anna's parents have had her hospitalized for depression because neither they nor her therapist knew how to help her. A teenager, Anna finds herself alone. She is told to write down her feelings and that writing her feelings will help. She rebels, "I'm not going to keep my thoughts around. I'm going to send them away. I'm going to write my thoughts in letters." Her letters are so funny that by page 11 it is impossible to contain the laughter. Halpern has a wonderful ear for dialogue. The voice of Anna rings saucy, true and sweet.