An Occasionally Happy Family

by Cliff Burke

Gordon Korman meets The Great Outdoors in this funny and moving debut about a boy who goes on a disastrous family vacation (sweltering heat! bear chases!) that ends with a terrible his dad's new girlfriend.

There are zero reasons for Theo Ripley to look forward to his family vacation. Not only are he, sister Laura, and nature-obsessed Dad going to Big Bend, the least popular National Park, but once there, the family will be camping. And Theo is an indoor animal. It doesn’t help that this will be the first vacation they’re taking since Mom passed away.
 
Once there, the family contends with 110 degree days, wild bears, and an annoying amateur ornithologist and his awful teenage vlogger son. Then, Theo’s dad hits him with a whopper of a  the whole trip is just a trick to introduce his secret new girlfriend.  
 
Theo tries to squash down the pain in his chest. But when it becomes clear that this is an auditioning-to-be-his-stepmom girlfriend, Theo must find a way to face his grief and talk to his dad before his family is forever changed.

Genres: Middle Grade, Family, Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Humor, Grief, Contemporary

224 pages, Hardcover

First published May 18, 2021

About the author

Cliff Burke has taught reading and writing in China, Hong Kong, the US, and the UK. His first novel, An Occasionally Happy Family, was a 2022 Spirit of Texas Book and was selected for several state reading lists. His most recent novel, My Not-So-Great French Escape, was released in March 2023.

Visit him online at cliffburke.com

Reviews

[Darla · Rating 5 out of 5]

You are going to need your tissues when you read this new release from Cliff Burke. You may find yourself laughing and crying within short periods of time. This book has so much heart and just the right amount of sass. Theo and big sister Laura find themselves in Big Bend National Park with their widower dad on the first vacation (grandma's house doesn't count) since their mom died. Dad has a big surprise to unveil -- his new girlfriend Lucrecia. There are some humorous moments as the family attempts to adjust to the heat while dealing with the flora and fauna in the park. What they really need is to have some honest conversations about missing mom and when those happen, the book really shines. This was my third Texas book in one week, y'all: the first two were The Hunting Wives and The Field Guide to the North American Teenager.

Thank you to Houghton Mifflin and NetGalley for a DRC in exchange for an honest review.

[Diana · Rating 5 out of 5]

☆ Bittersweet & Funny Middle Grade Fiction ☆

4.5 Stars — AN OCCASIONALLY HAPPY FAMILY is about two teens and their father dealing with loss, and just because one member is ready to move on, the others might not be.

Can a disastrous road trip help the Ripley family face their grief after the loss of their mom? Not only is camping at Big Bend National Park the last place Theo and his sister Laura want to spend their summer vacation, their dad has a doozy of a surprise: meeting his new girlfriend.

This book made me teary eyed, and kept me laughing out loud at the witty dialogue. The characters were realistic and I could empathize with each one. The humorous banter and misadventures helped balance the seriousness in the story. Enjoyed! (Borrowed from the library.)

[Ms. B · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bittersweet story about thirteen year-old Theo, his sixteen year-old sister Laura and their Dad who bond during a two week family vacation.

[Rowan :) · Rating 2 out of 5]

･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

Genre: Realistic fiction, middle grade 🌎🏫

Content Warnings:🚨Death, death of mother (to cancer), brief mentions of suicide🚨

•❅──────✧❅✦❅✧──────❅•

Not that I had a problem with the humor, it was just a little. . . Unusual for a middle grade novel. I got very bored and lots of parts seemed unrealistic to me

[Deb (Readerbuzz) Nance · Rating 4 out of 5]

Theo Ripley is going on vacation. With his sister. And his father. And they are going to Big Bend, the least popular national park.

Theo is not thrilled.

The trip to Big Bend is everything a family trip is known for: fighting between siblings, fighting between parent and child, boredom during the long car ride, more fighting.

After they arrive, the family faces more challenges---scorching heat, long hikes, getting lost, meeting annoying fellow tourists, and even a bear standoff. Then Theo's dad reveals his surprise, and everything goes crazy.

Theo and all the characters in this story are so real you will swear you know them. They make the story with their quirks and obsessions.

It's a story that is both amazingly fun and deeply serious. Delightful. I can see this being a Texas Bluebonnet selection.

[Joanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the funniest books I've read from The21ders, my debut group of MG and YA authors. But there's also a touching undercurrent of sadness running through it.

Heartfelt doesn't begin to describe it.

Thirteen-year-old Theo's mom died two years ago, and he and his dad and his fifteen-year-old sister, Laura, still haven't really talked about it. Then Dad informs the siblings they're embarking on a road trip to go camping in the hottest park in Texas during the hottest part of the summer, with a promised surprise at the end. Neither Theo nor Laura want to go on this trip and would prefer to spend all their time in air conditioning and on their phones.

What follows is laugh-out-loud hilarious, as one disaster after another befalls the family. The dialog is spot-on. The characters come across as real people, and long before the end, you'll fall in love with this family and want only the best for them.

Thanks to the author and the publisher for an e-ARC of this delightful book.

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a great look into loss and the family dynamics surrounding it. Two years after their mother dies, Laura and Theo's dad are taking them on a big trip for the summer. They go to Big Bend National Park and during the last portion of their trip, their dad springs a surprise on them. He has invited a "friend" who might be a woman, and he might be dating. As Laura and Theo navigate this new person, feelings fly and all three of them have to deal with their feelings once and for all.

The writing was really good. I enjoyed the banter between dad and kids, as well as between Laura and Theo as siblings. Laura is loud and opinionated while Theo is quiet and enjoys drawing his comics. How they all navigate this difficult situation in their lives was sweet, but not saccharine.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Children’s Book Group for the review copy of An Occasionally Happy Family by Cliff Burke. This book follows Theo, who lives with his dad and sister, Laura, since his mother passed away from cancer two years ago.

Theo is a bright, imaginative middle schooler, who loves to illustrate and write graphic novels that he shares with his friends at school. When his dad announces that they will be going on vacation, he doesn’t really know what to think. He really doesn’t know what to think when they encounter a crazy cast of characters en route to their destination: a bird enthusiast, a social media prince, a pair of nudists and finally - his father’s new girlfriend.

An Occasionally Happy Family explores what happens when family members move on from loss at different paces, and how much empathy and patience are important in families. Theo is a wonderful main character and the banter between Theo and his friends, and with his father and sister are a perfect blend of heartfelt and humorous. This story is delightful, and the set up is believable. Cliff Burke has certainly written a wonderful debut for middle grade students!

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

*Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for providing me with an ARC of this title. All thoughts are my own and were in no way influenced by receiving this copy.

NetGalley got me again thinking this was a GN when it wasn't. Again though, this one would probably make a good graphic novel.

Theo, his sister Laura, and their dad are taking a summer camping trip in the wilderness of Texas, and Theo is not an outdoorsman. His dad has very strict road trip rules and thinks they can go camping for free, though Laura is certain it's not possible. What ensues is comedy of errors trip with an "Instagram Famous" son and bird enthusiast dad, nude French grandparents, and a surprise guest. But also a really heartfelt story of father child connection after loss.

I think this book would be perfect for a lot of kids with a wide interest range, because even outside the message of loss and healing it's quite funny.

[Lisa Riddiough · Rating 5 out of 5]

The voice in this book had me from the very start. Two years after the death of his mother, Theo's father decides to take him and his sister on a camping trip in Big Bend. Theo prefers enjoying the great outdoors from the safety of the indoors, so the whole idea does not sit well with him. The witty banter between family members is escalated when Theo's dad reveals that he has a surprise for them at the end of the trip: an introduction to his new girlfriend. Mix in an annoying father/son duo whom they share the trail with, as well as 110 degree heat, and Theo's misery sees no end. All the while, Theo grapples with how to reconcile his feelings and memories of his mother. The humor on every page is laugh-out-loud funny, but the deeper themes of a family dealing with loss pull hard on the heart strings. So well done!

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fun one! Although the book deals with a serious subject (death and the effect grief has on a family), it's mostly a very funny read about a family vacation gone wrong. The teens' voices are pitch-perfect, with plenty of sass and sarcasm that will resonate with young readers. It's a quick read with short chapters, lots of dialogue, and enough action to keep the story moving along. I enjoyed this humorous, entertaining read—it literally made me laugh out loud.

[~just one hopeless romantic~ · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was hilarious and sad. I loved how the author made the characters feel when their dad got a girlfriend! I loved how Laura gave the finger to the park ranger because he was acting rude. It amazed me so much! This book is definitely going on my list of the greatest books I have ever read. This book was amazing. I loved it.

[Kim Gardner · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this. I thought the kids were realistic. It’s obvious Burke is actually around teenagers on a regular basis. The dad was also very realistic. (And incidentally I always tell my children that is something g happens to me, a new lady will appear i less than two years.) I liked the reconciliation at the end between the kids and dad.

I know oBurke thanked whoever was responsible for the cover art but I think the cover is the worst part of the book. The characters were I think 13 and 15. A cartoon cover doesn’t speak to the appropriate aged reader.

[superawesomekt · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this aloud to my 12 year old son as part of his school's battle of the books program, and we both enjoyed it quite a bit. There were several laugh out loud scenes and although, as my son said, "the kids are so mean to their dad!", I still found the book's overall handling of family problems refreshing.

[Hoover Public Library Kids and Teens · Rating 4 out of 5]

Theo and his sister Laura have to endure a family road trip with their nerdy dad . . . to a desert . . . in July. Oh, and they get to meet their dad's secret girlfriend. Surprise!

[Jill F. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed this one!

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s been a long time since I read a book that struck such an absolutely perfect balance between laugh-out-loud funny and achingly heartfelt. In the first few chapters of Cliff Burke’s AN OCCASIONALLY HAPPY FAMILY, you think it’s going to be all humor. And the humor – throughout the book - is so good and so real and so well done, from online reviews of Big Bend National Park to the hilariously awful ‘Leonard Blenard’ and son, to a pair of nudists in a hot spring. But a few chapters in, you get the back-story about Theo’s loss, and you realize that the sad part, too, is pitch-perfect. And the two sides of the story meld so seamlessly and believably, a real tightrope-walk of hilarity and tears. Theo’s voice is entirely relatable, and the dialogue never misses a beat, whether it’s conversations between Theo and his dad and sister, or between the family and the outstanding cast of secondary characters (a psychic rental property landlord, a pretentious museum guide, dad’s overeager girlfriend, just to name a few). I read AN OCCASIONALLY HAPPY FAMILY in a single sitting, completely sucked into this family vacation that is so much more than a family vacation, this emotional journey by a family that isn’t at all comfortable with emotions. Highly recommend. Many, many thanks to the author and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for the eARC of this fantastic story.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny, heart-warming, with just enough true wisdom mixed with just enough of a slightly implausible ending to make it all work well. All the characters were very real, nuanced, complex, believable - even Theo's friends who we barely met. Recommended.

[Kathie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Edelweiss+ and the publisher for an eARC of this book.

Theo isn't sure what to expect when his dad announces that he's planned a surprise vacation for him and his sister, Laura, to Big Bend National Park. He isn't thrilled about the idea of the long drive with limited electronics time, or doing any of that outdoor camping stuff, but those things end up being the least of his worries. Theo goes from one unpleasant situation to another (including sweltering heat, his dad's new hiker "friends", and a close encounter with wildlife) until he finally discovers that his dad's big secret is a woman that he's been seeing and he wants them to meet. Theo didn't think the trip could get much worse, but boy, was he ever wrong.

Many kids can relate to those summer holidays stuck in a car with their family on a trip they didn't want to take. The author captures this so well, and the dynamics between Theo, Laura, and their dad are strained and awkward as one might expect on their first vacation since Theo's mom died. There's a lot of humor as Theo's faces one obstacle after another (I loved the scene with the bear) and his impatience grows, but the lack of communication and inability to talk openly about their feelings is the undercurrent of the story that finally reaches a breaking point for the family.

This story didn't take me where I expected, but I enjoyed watching the three main characters struggle with their emotions and find a way share their perspectives with each other.

[Pete Springer · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a splendid balance of humor and seriousness! The Ripleys are about to embark on a family vacation. Having suffered the loss of their mother two years ago, siblings Theo (13) and Laura (15) are still reeling from their mother's passing two years earlier. Dad decides it's time for a family trip to Big Bend National Park. Theo and Laura are under the impression that this is a regular trip until Dad drops a hint that he has a huge surprise for them. Dad's ideas of surprises don't normally impress his kids. The purpose of the trip turns out to be an opportunity to meet Dad's new girlfriend, which the kids find out from snooping around.

What author Cliff Burke nails in his debut novel are the family dynamics. Theo and Laura have a typical sibling relationship. When not insulting one another, they usually are complaining about their father. Laura and her dad clash on a regular basis. Having seldom talked about their mother's death, Theo and Laura have a lot of grief to work through. Dad's new girlfriend is a life coach, and the kids don't quite know what to make of her. They do know that they don't want to share their feelings with her.


Anyone who has taken a long family trip will be able to relate to this novel. There are also many other interesting people they meet on their travels including an ornithologist and his son that provide many laugh-out-loud moments. I highly recommend this book for upper elementary students.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an electronic ARC from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Children's Book Group through NetGalley.
Theo's family heads off on a surprise family vacation that involves several disasters - major heat wave, bears, interesting campers - and culminates in meeting Dad's girlfriend. Unfortunately, Dad only gave Theo and his sister, Laura, a day to process this. It has been two years since their mom died and they're blindsided. This is a family who doesn't talk about emotions and hides their grief from each other.
Burke's debut story offers plenty of humor wrapped around a family learning to communicate again and continuing to heal. The short chapters will appeal to middle grade readers.

[Terry Jennings · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is the saddest of books and the funniest of books. Throughout, An Occasionally Happy Family, a book about a young boy trying to cope with the loss of his mother and his confusion at his father’s seeming ability to move on with life, is laugh-out-loud funny. From the accurate portrayal of the relationship between he and his fourteen year old sister, to the adventure with the bird-watching man who threatens to ruin the vacation meant to be a bonding and healing experience for the family. As I read, I wondered how Cliff Burke would bring it all together at the end. How could he reconcile the pain and the laughter. He does. Masterfully.

[Melissa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Did this book make me cry? Yes. Did I think it was a great read? Not really. There was one really tender moment when they talked about the mom’s death (not a spoiler) that was heart wrenching, but most of the book was just about the MMC, Dad, and sister fighting. The dad was a train wreck and the sister was forced to be the parent for the dad and her brother. This story was about a family vacation and it was just a series of bad things happening one after another. Usually in a story, when that happens, it causes the family members to bond together, but that doesn’t really happen until the last 5 pages of the book. I was hoping they’d learn to bond throughout, not just fight the whole time.

[Chad Lucas · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the funniest middle grade books I've read in a while. The whip-smart dialogue and disastrous road-trip antics had me laughing out loud. But it's also a deeply moving story as Theo, his sister and his dad wrestle with grief and their inability to talk to each other as they try to move on with their lives after Theo's mom dies. Theo and Laura's sibling relationship really stands out. A highly worthwhile read.

[Debbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Let me be honest, I had to read this book. After all, don’t many of us judge a book by its cover? I did. I judged it to be funny and full of relatable incidents. And that it was.

Theo’s family’s vacation usually consisted of visiting his grandma, but this year his dad had other plans for them. Theo and his sister have been out of sorts over life lately. Though no one has said anything, it’s probably because they are still trying to deal with their mother’s death, which occurred two years ago. They seem to be getting uglier and uglier toward each other. And their bad attitude has spilled over to their dad.

Could it be possible that by not addressing the elephant in the room, Mom’s death, that they have deteriorated so far as a family?

As expected there were literally laugh-out-loud places for me. The author’s descriptions and dialog at times felt right on. Burke’s debut story had so many ups and downs. He could bring out both laughter and tears.

My Concerns
Unfortunately, I had enough concerns that I rated the book down a star or two. I understand that the kids were suffering from grief from not having discussed, as a family, the hurt and loss of their mom’s death. I completely understand the author’s point, but it’s going to take much more than that for a child to disrespect a parent like Theo and his sister did to their dad. That part of the book was really difficult to read.

The behavior of the kids in this book Theo and his sister, toward their dad, may be meant to elicit laughs or make a point as to the pain they were internally suffering, either way it’s a bad example to young readers. A better example is to learn to apologize and “use your words.” (Ugh, I was a secretary in an elementary school. I hated that phrase, but it seems fitting here.)

Final Thoughts
It pains me to rate this debut novel down. For me, it bounced between really funny and really disrespectful dialog. The writing was very good. Sadly, part of the content didn’t work for me.

My thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of this book and the ability to review it without any stipulations.

[Tiffany Reynolds · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thirteen-year-old Theo and his family have led a quiet life since the death of his mother two years ago. Theo creates graphic novels, including a new one titled, Bob: The Boy with Perfect Memory, about a boy who has an opportunity to erase all of his unpleasant memories. His fifteen-year-old sister, Laura, enjoys outsmarting their endearing but dorky science-teacher dad, and looks forward to the freedom of driver's ed. As the book opens, Dad springs an unwelcome surprise on Theo and Laura: they are taking a road trip to the desert, where they will camp out in the blazing heat at least two nights, and after that, there's another surprise. Theo and Laura are not only underwhelmed (their family has never camped, and Theo is strictly an "indoor person"), they are also suspicious. After snooping through some of Dad's papers in the cabin one night, Laura figures out that Dad is going to introduce them to someone new on the trip.
Though the book started out slowly, with too much emphasis on how uncomfortable and hot the desert was, it picked up as soon as Laura discovered Dad's secret. Until then, it was mainly descriptions of long hikes and annoying people, though I loved the realistic dialogue between Theo and his sister; they sniped at each other, but were essentially a team and looked out for each other.
Good family story with likable characters.

[Paula · Rating 3 out of 5]

I decided to read this book because it had Tolstoy's famous quote at the beginning: Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way. Which I believe is total BS. Sorry, Mr. Tolstoy. Happy families are just as unique from one another as unhappy families, but happiness is harder to write about. This book was about an "occasionally happy" family, so I was intrigued.
This book had a storyline that lots of kids could relate to - a parent beginning a new relationship after the loss of a spouse. In this case, the mom has been dead for two years (cancer), but I think kids who live in a one-parent household due to divorce could also relate.
Written from the point of view of 13-year-old Theo, the story mostly takes place on a family vacation where the new "girlfriend" is sprung on him and his sister Laura (15), in a clueless way by their otherwise well-meaning dad. At times Theo and Laura speak to their dad and each other in ways that would never have been allowed in my house when I was a kid, and I wouldn't have allowed from my kids, either. No swearing, but some very needlessly mean stuff is said. But at other times I thought the dialog and the feelings being expressed - or not being expressed - rang true.

[Jessica Zimmerschied · Rating 5 out of 5]

We listened to this as an audiobook on a roadtrip, and this book was hilarious. The dialogue felt authentic, and the author excelled at creating those completely cringe and awkward moments we all experience. The whole family felt lovable, relatable and maddening in their own way.

There was a scene with nude French tourists drinking in the hot springs that made my 11 year old son very uncomfortable; I felt it still fell within the realm of age appropriate, but barely. In another scene, an older teen tries to convince the 15 year old sister to leave the tent at night, and she responds perfectly; there are some great examples of setting boundaries and real conversation starters.

I also loved the emphasis on real world experiences vs. online image: resonant, but not hitting you over the head with it.

The ending was bittersweet, with the family reconnecting in a way they hadn’t since the mom died, and my son said it almost made him cry. It doesn’t wrap everything up in a neat bow, just gives you hope for the characters as they move on.

ETA: Beyond the humor, I think the emotions around the dad dating were my favorite part. It wasn’t a farce about trying to sabotage a potential step-monster, just real emotions and people in a messy situation trying to make the best of it.

[cay · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was alright.

The first thing I noticed about this book was the hook. It was a good one. Then, I found myself loving the main character from the second I finished reading the first chapter. I related to him in more ways than I thought I would. Theo finds himself on a family vacation with his dad and older sister, Laura. They go through many trials and triumphs, but overall learn more about themselves and each other. And that was it.

Nothing about this book really spoke to me in a way that some other books did. I didn't dislike it by any means, but there wasn't a whole lot to set it apart from other realistic fiction books. But for some kids, this book may mean a lot to them. Lots of kids find themselves in the position of their parent finding someone new, lots of kids struggle with parental death; if those things apply to you, then I think you've just found your next read.

It was a sweet book overall, but if you miss out on the reliability factor, it can kind of just look like a failed attempt to make a funny book with some rough undertones. I probably wouldn't read it again, but it wasn't bad.

6/10

[Andrea Cox · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was shocked at how crude this children’s book was. Definitely not what I was expecting when I chose to read it. Just so parents know before allowing their kids to read it: there was a crude hand gesture mentioned and performed by children a couple of times in this book. Totally inappropriate at any age, but it’s definitely something I think parents should be aware of prior to giving a book to their children. There were also a few spots of liberal-minded propaganda sprinkled throughout.

Things I liked were…
… it was an outdoor adventure
... road trip!
… there were fun mishaps that led to good plot twists
… it was from a middle-grade boy’s perspective
… it took place in Big Bend National Park
… there was some good emotional depth at times (particularly with the graphic novel creation)
… the sibling therapy session!

Content: expletives, crude gestures (by children and adults), profanity, crude talk, alcohol, tobacco, nudity, skinny-dipping, psychics/tarot/palm readings, tattoos