This was a great middle grade story and I can't wait to get our physical copies in at the branch. I can envision the library display now...But in all seriousness, this was great--a fun and fast-paced rad with lots of quirky life lessons!

A perfect addition to a classroom library! Lots of great parallels to real life, and just quirky and fun enough to keep kids engaged!

This reminded me of the old Disney movie SmartHouse. A family moves into a town where there is exceptional technology, and everything is perfect. The story was fun, fast paced, and enjoyable until the end!

This novel is an action-packed story about a kid who moves to a town where everything is perfect -- except that of course it isn't -- and the kids need to save the day. I was hoping for a Masterminds type book but this one just didn't deliver for me.

Ven Eekhout's continues his trademark balance of contemporary issues and immersive age-appropriate adventure in his latest outing, which takes on the very real dangers of extreme consumerism and unchecked capitalism with middle-school ingenuity and body humor. Keegan and his parents are new arrivals in self-contained company town Happy Town, where everything is branded and structured, and consumption of the company's products and compliance with the company's methodology for everyday existing are mandatory. Keegan and a few rebellious friends strive to buck the system, but can they succeed before all of the adults become mindless consumers? Entertaining as always!

Well, where do I start? The book starts off decently. In some ways it reminded me of another middle grade novel I read awhile ago called Eventown. It also is about a family moving to what seems like a perfect place to live. As expected, it all falls apart and kids are left to save the day. This book almost moved too quickly for me. There wasn’t much set up for getting to know the main characters before disaster strikes. Kid will likely enjoy the crazy things that happen to the adults and how the kids manage to solve at least the first big problem. I didn’t love it, but a kid who likes sci-fi adventure may like this a lot. It was fairly short as well which would apply to more reluctant readers.

I teach 4th grade and I will definitely be reading this book to my class! I have been a Gordon Korman fan for many many years. This book ticks all of the boxes, quirky characters, funny storylines, and interesting plots. I love the products that are produced in Happy Town. The "Meat Cramwich ... the Microwaveable Sandwich Crammed with Meat!"

I also liked the connection between our own children of today with their devices and in this book, the adults are the ones who are swayed by the power of marketing. Are we all just sheeples?

This adventure-packed middle grade story, set in a world not too far from our own, follows a family that moves to a remote company town that seems perfect on the surface....

Keegan knows there’s something off about Happy Town.

The isolated, high-tech company town is too perfect—with a dome keeping out bad weather and self-driving vehicles rumbling throughout the town delivering residents to work and school. Still, Keegan is excited to grow his art skills at Happy Town’s state-of-the-art middle school, even if he has less time to see his mom and stepdad because of their new jobs.

But when the two become obsessed with working and eating Happy Corp Meat Cramwich (the Microwaveable Sandwich Crammed with Meat) and Keegan gets sentenced to Mandatory Work Opportunities for refusing to follow Happy Town’s shady rules, he discovers a dangerous glitch in the system that’s turning the town’s happy residents into mindless zombies. Scratch that, literal zombies. With his new friends Gloriana and Tank by his side, he’ll need to find a way to destroy Happy Town’s happy system—before there’s nothing left.

Thank you to NetGalley for a chance to read this ARC for an honest review

What an ending!
What a book!

Happy Town will give readers and discussion groups a lot to think about and a lot to chat about! The premise of where they live is interesting and thought provoking. The characters are likeable! I especially love Tank’s fascination with and use of romance novels.

This would go well in a text set with or paired with titles such as Masterminds by Korman, The City of Ember by DuPrau, Eventown, The Big Dark by Philbrick and True Colors by Abby Cooper.

This was a fast page, engaging read that I think many middle grade students will enjoy. Especially ones that are into dystopian type books- this is a new one on the scene! I enjoyed it- fast read, and kept me engaged the whole time. Excited to share with students!

This would be a great book club for kids. So many concepts are built in for great discussions. It is a crazy wild ride of a story that makes you think. I can’t wait to introduce this to kids.

I enjoyed the character, Keegan, as he embarked on his journey through Happy Town. Many of his thoughts were insightful and made me reflect or think about present day application or behaviors.

This was a quick, clever and enjoyable read! Much like in Ghost Job, Greg finds a way to tell a full story with a high stakes plot, interesting characters, absurd situations, witty dialogue and plenty of heart wrapped up in around 200 pages. A critical look at our consumer society and the worship of and reliance on the super wealthy.