Kill All Happies

by Rachel Cohn, Chintsova Yana Konstantinovna (Illustrator)

Overview

Last Call at Happies! Tonight, 8 P.M. Senior Class Only! Please with the Shhhh?.

This is it. Graduation. And Vic Navarro is throwing the most epic party Rancho Soldado has ever seen. She's going to pull off the most memorable good-bye ever for her best friends, give Happies-the kitschy restaurant that is her desert town's claim to fame-a proper send-off into bankruptcy, and oh yes, hook up with her delicious crush, Jake Zavala-Kim. She only needs to keep the whole thing a secret so that her archnemesis, Miss Ann Thrope, Rancho Soldado's nightmare Town Councilwoman and high school Economics teacher, doesn't get Vic tossed in jail.

With the music thumping, alcohol flowing, bodies mashing, and Thrope nowhere to be seen, Vic's party is a raging success. That is, until Happies fans start arriving in droves to say good-bye, and storm the deserted theme park behind the restaurant. Suddenly what was a small graduation bash is more like Coachella on steroids with a side of RASmatazz pie. The night is so not going as planned. And maybe that's the best plan of all.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781484719534
Publisher:	Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication date:	01/05/2016
Sold by:	Hachette Digital, Inc.
Format:	eBook
File size:	5 MB
Age Range:	14 - 17 Years

About the Author

Rachel Cohn is the New York Times bestselling author of several young adult novels, including Kill All Happies, Gingerbread, Shrimp, Cupcake, and, with David Levithan, Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist, Dash & Lily's Book of Dares, and Sam & Ilsa's Last Hurrah. Visit Rachel online at rachelcohn.com or on Twitter @rachelcohn.

Editorial Reviews

05/08/2017
With high school graduation out of the way, Vic Navarro is ready to ditch her desert town of Rancho Soldado, but not before throwing an epic—and forbidden—graduation party at Happies, a kitschy restaurant and local institution that is about to close. Beyond being a raging sendoff, the party is also the best possible revenge against the Happies-hating Annette Thrope: teacher, realtor, town council chair, and longtime nemesis of the town’s teens. Cohn (Emergent) returns to her roots writing realistic teen fiction with snappy dialogue, a sassy go-getting lead character, a hard-to-attain crush, and best friends for life. Though Happies—and its long-closed nearby amusement park—is a memorable setting for a final hurrah, the misunderstandings, betrayals, and solutions play out predictably. Cohn’s rowdy humor and quirky cast are entertaining, but the story’s cutesiness can start to feel exhausting: nicknames abound, including the too-clever Miss Ann Thrope for the reviled teacher, and Vic and her friends are known as the Cuddle Huddle for their three-way hug sessions, a decade-long habit. Like Vic’s party, it winds up being a bit much. Ages 14–up. Agent: Jennifer Rudolph Walsh, William Morris Endeavor. (May)

Publishers Weekly

"A fun read featuring a diverse cast of characters and a lot of heart... relatable and entertaining."— School Library Journal

"A bawdy and colorful outing that may draw fans of Bridesmaids and Broad City."— BCCB

"An entertaining and easy read, populated with quirky characters and absurd circumstances."— VOYA

From the Publisher

04/01/2017
Gr 10 Up–Victoria Navarro is determined to throw one last bash for the senior class, especially if it means getting some action from the hottest guy in town. It's time to say goodbye to high school and Happies, the local landmark restaurant. The party will be epic as long as Vic can keep her nemesis, teacher, and town councilwoman, Miss Ann Thrope from finding out. She didn't expect busloads and biker gangs of nostalgic Happies fans to show up and force their way into the adjoining theme park. Either way, it's going to be a night to remember. This 21st-century update on classic teen movie high jinks is a fun read featuring a diverse cast of characters and a lot of heart. Cohn perfectly captures the variable maturity of high school seniors in Vic's voice, referencing sex and drug use and sprinkling in plenty of realistic profanity. VERDICT A relatable and entertaining story, recommended for public and high school libraries.—Elizabeth Saxton, Tiffin, OH

School Library Journal

Lauren Ezzo narrates a campy romantic comedy about a high school student, Vic, who is planning the most epic after-graduation party the small town of Rancho Solado has ever seen. She also plans to hook up with her best friend’s brother, Jake. The party is held at Happies, a longstanding restaurant in the town, before it closes for good. The party must be kept a secret from Miss Thrope, a teacher, who will pull the plug if she finds out. Ezzo succeeds in showcasing the emotions of the colorful characters. Listeners will especially appreciate her portrayal of Vic, who evolves from a rebel who wants to run away to a more mature teen who must say goodbye to her childhood as she moves forward to adulthood. G.M. © AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine

OCTOBER 2017 - AudioFile

2017-03-15
Over the course of two days in a desert California town, a high school graduation celebration challenges friendships and introduces post-graduation realities. Victoria "Vic" Navarro (white, Filipino, and generic "Native American") is throwing one final fete for her graduating class at Happies, the legendary local restaurant that has popularized Rancho Soldado but is now closing. With her two best friends, Genesis "Fletch" Fletcher (adopted from "Africa" by an interracial couple) and Mercedes "Slick" Zavala-Kim (mixed-race, Mexican/Korean), Vic has secured permission from Happies' owner to orchestrate a final hurrah, distracted Rancho Soldado's most villainous teacher Annette Thrope (called "Miss Ann Thrope" by her students), and landed her crush's assistance for the night. In Vic's account, alcohol flows, music plays, and pot brownies are consumed, while lustful teenagers tuck themselves in all corners of the property. After a large band of geriatric Happies fanatics crashes the festivities, the growing crowd morphs from a discreet rager into a grander, final tribute. Girls repeatedly refer to themselves as dumbsluts or bitches, and somehow these teens are well-versed in dated pop-culture references. In Cohn fashion, characters strike varying chords of teen attitude from idealistic to cynical, naïve to sophisticated. The diversity is pleasing to see, but it is skin deep—there is no plumbing of cultural nuance. Readers who find "dumbslut" endearing will likely enjoy the crazed teenager angst, but the rest may find themselves wondering why they should care about these hormone-charged characters. (Fiction. 14-18)

Kirkus Reviews