{"product_id":"when-the-world-was-happy-benjamin-alire-saenz-hardcover","title":"When the World Was Happy -- Benjamin Alire Sáenz, Hardcover","description":"\u003cb\u003eTwo starred reviews!\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eA \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003eheartrending yet\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003ebeautiful\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e (\u003ci\u003eSchool Library Journal\u003c\/i\u003e, starred review)\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e tale of twins and their group of friends who are forced to navigate life, relationships, and grief after their world is turned upside down from \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling and award-winning author Benjamin Alire Sáenz.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eCheChe knows that he and his twin sister Emma lead an unusual life. They enjoy spending time with their parents and grandparents, love to read, and don't have a huge circle of friends--and they're happy. Then, just a few months after they turn seventeen, three gunmen show up one morning at their El Paso, Texas, high school, and everything changes. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eCheChe loses a leg, and both he and Emma have friends who die. Suddenly, the world feels like a very different place. But what they find hasn't changed--or has only gotten deeper--is their love for their family, their close friends, and one another, and as they begin to heal, they create their own little community, one that wields the power of humor, kindness, and hope. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eCheChe finds himself doing all kinds of things he never expected from his junior year: relearning to walk, falling in love with the boy he's nursed a longtime crush on, making friends with a kid he always found intimidating. By the end of this life-changing school year, none of them will be the same, and many of them will have found their voices in ways they never imagined.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Benjamin Alire Sáenz\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Simon \u0026amp; Schuster Books for Young Readers\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 10\/13\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 416\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.05lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.40h x 5.60w x 1.40d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9798347104055\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReview Citation(s): \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e 06\/01\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e 07\/01\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eSchool Library Journal\u003c\/i\u003e 07\/01\/2026 pg. 101\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eBooklist\u003c\/i\u003e 08\/01\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBenjamin Alire Sáenz is an author of poetry and prose for adults and teens. He was the first Hispanic winner of the PEN\/Faulkner Award and a recipient of the American Book Award for his books for adults. He is the author of \u003ci\u003eAristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe\u003c\/i\u003e, which was a Printz Honor Book, the Stonewall Award winner, the Pura Belpré Award winner, the Lambda Literary Award winner, and a finalist for the Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award, and its sequel, \u003ci\u003eAristotle and Dante Dive \u003c\/i\u003e\u003ci\u003ei\u003c\/i\u003e\u003ci\u003ento the Waters of the World\u003c\/i\u003e. His first novel for teens, \u003ci\u003eSammy and Juliana in Hollywood\u003c\/i\u003e, was an ALA Top Ten Book for Young Adults and a finalist for the \u003ci\u003eLos Angeles Times\u003c\/i\u003e Book Prize. His second book for teens, \u003ci\u003eHe Forgot to Say Goodbye\u003c\/i\u003e, won the Tomás Rivera Mexican American Children's Book Award, the Southwest Book Award, and was named a New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age. He lives in El Paso, Texas.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Benjamin Alire Sáenz","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":67567696511204,"sku":"9798347104055","price":14.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0611\/9587\/8628\/files\/9798347104055.jpg?v=1791963930","url":"https:\/\/bookandmortar.com\/products\/when-the-world-was-happy-benjamin-alire-saenz-hardcover","provider":"BookandMortar","version":"1.0","type":"link"}