Young Adult
Pages: 224
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Release 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.

Julie Halpern has a rare gift with literary voice. Anna's voice was fresh and cool and unique. That's one of the most important things in realistic fiction and she definitely nails it! Anna's story is told in diary-like letters to her friend Tracy while she's stuck in a 'loony bin'. So you read everything after it has happened. This kind of bothered me at first, but then you get used to it and it works.

As a fan of dark contemporary I was immediately attracted to the premise. Though it ended up being a sweet, hopeful read and not very dark at all, which actually worked out better because of Anna's way of narrating. She's very witty and full of humor.You can totally relate with her as character, and having read Halpern before, I know that she does a great job at female characterization.

I was dissapointed when it ended, and not because it was a bad ending but because I just knew I would miss Anna. It's the type of book you just WANT to keep reading. Plus it's a very short read, so yeah, I needed more. More Justin. Aw, it was just such a cute book, which teen issues, and humor, and music, and unlikely friendships, just overall satisfying. As of now, after reading two of her books, I'm a HUGE fan of Julie. Can't wait til she writes some more!