Ocdaniel

King (The Incredible Space Raiders from Space!) offers a candid and memorable account of life with OCD, inspired by his own experience with the anxiety disorder. Thirteen-year-old Daniel Leigh, a wryly funny narrator, has a popular best friend, a crush on a classmate, and a spot on the football team as backup kicker. But he also has a secret that is making him miserable: he is plagued by "Zaps," his name for the triggers--such as an unlucky number or the wrong number of steps--that create a flood of horrible feelings that can only be quelled by certain actions such as flicking a light switch repeatedly. Writing is an outlet for Daniel, and excerpts from the novel he's working on are interspersed throughout. When Sara, a selectively mute school outcast, suddenly begins to speak to him, she draws him into a potential murder mystery and becomes the first person to see and understand his struggle. Daniel's pain and confusion at what he comes to realize is OCD is memorably portrayed in this moving story of self-acceptance. Ages 8-12. Agent: Brianne Johnson, Writers House. (Apr.)

Copyright 2016 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

Gr 9 Up--Daniel, a budding writer and resident pariah, is tortured by a neurosis that racks his body and mind with pain if he doesn't fulfill obsessive rituals before bed, eating, or anything else in life. He lives in fear of these compulsions, until his path is crossed by someone whose cornucopia of irregularities rival his own. Sara is situationally mute and understands his problems because hers are more than she can bear. Believing her father was killed by her stepfather, Sara embarks with Daniel on a desperate search to reveal her father's fate. King uses crisp, believable dialogue to illustrate positive character dynamics, while sidestepping stereotypes and the typical YA tropes in this coming-of-age tale. Readers will find the characters sympathetic but may become disillusioned by the lack of a driving point in the book. At times, the work is a character-driven book of neuroses, and at others it's a quirky coming-of-age comedy. Then, it switches gears and becomes a plot-driven novel of suspense. King endeavors to explore too many avenues of possibility: the progression of Daniel's placekicking career; his unlikely pursuit of Raya, the popular girl from school; the inclusion of the character's own writing; and, finally, the arc unveiling the fate of Sara's father. King is a skillful writer, but the multiple strands give the novel an unfocused feel. VERDICT This book will appeal to readers who enjoy weird boy-meets-misunderstood girl stories, particularly fans of A.S. King's Please Ignore Vera Dietz and John Green's Paper Towns.--Brian Hoff, Elmwood Park High School, IL

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

King (The Incredible Space Raiders from Space!) offers a candid and memorable account of life with OCD, inspired by his own experience with the anxiety disorder. Thirteen-year-old Daniel Leigh, a wryly funny narrator, has a popular best friend, a crush on a classmate, and a spot on the football team as backup kicker. But he also has a secret that is making him miserable: he is plagued by "Zaps," his name for the triggers—such as an unlucky number or the wrong number of steps—that create a flood of horrible feelings that can only be quelled by certain actions such as flicking a light switch repeatedly. Writing is an outlet for Daniel, and excerpts from the novel he's working on are interspersed throughout. When Sara, a selectively mute school outcast, suddenly begins to speak to him, she draws him into a potential murder mystery and becomes the first person to see and understand his struggle. Daniel's pain and confusion at what he comes to realize is OCD is memorably portrayed in this moving story of self-acceptance— "Publishers Weekly"