Buzzing written by Samuel Sattin and illustrated by Rye Hickman. 224 p. Little Brown, Ink/ Hachette Book Group, July, 2023. 9780316628419. (Review of finished purchased copy.)
Middle Grade Monday features Buzzing written by Samuel Sattin and illustrated by Rye Hickman. Middle school student, Isaac has been recently diagnosed with OCD, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, and is seeing a therapist to try and control his impulses, such as ear tugging and negative self-talk. His thoughts constantly buzz, distracting him from school work. He takes refuge in his art and when a classmate notices how well he draws, they invite him to join their RPG, but his helicopter mother worries that fantasy games will worsen his OCD. Meanwhile, his sister feels ignored and resentful of all the attention Isaac gets.
The art reflects Isaac's outlook. The personified bees are bright yellow. School and home life are in blues and greys, but his happy times, such as when he's with his diverse group of friends are colorful. This is a relatable depiction of a mental illness that might be difficult for young people to understand. I know my students will love it. It's a terrific addition to your graphic novel collection.
Growing Pangs by Kathryn Ormsbee and illustrated by Molly Brooks. 249 p. Random House Books for Young Readers, May, 2022. 9780593301289. (Review of finished copy borrowed from public library.)
Happy Monday TMS Readers! Middle Grade Monday features Growing Pangs by Kathryn Ormsbee and illustrated by Molly Brooks. This semi-autobiographical graphic novel centers of Katie's summer between fifth and sixth grades. She's worried about a lot - her freckles, whether people think she's weird, the fact that she homeschools, impending surgery and braces. She does have a BFF and she and Kacie are headed to sleep-away camp!
Unfortunately, once at camp, Kacie branches out and is happy to meet new friends, leaving Katie feeling isolated, jealous and feeling like bees are swarming and buzzing inside her. She develops some tics in order to alleviate the buzzing feelings, but worries that someone might notice her new habits. Things don't get much better once she returns home and her parents find a therapist to help her navigate her anxiety and OCD.
Katie is a sympathetic character that readers will root for. Unfortunately, anxiety in young people is on the rise and sometimes it can be hard to reach out for help. The art is vibrant and the panels are varied. Back matter includes notes from both the author and illustrator describing their personal struggles with anxiety as tweens and teens. Fans of Raina Telgemeier and Kayla Miller will enjoy Growing Pangs. Happy reading!
The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl by Stacy McAnulty. 304 p. Random House Children's Books, May,2018. 9781524767570.
Rising sixth grader, Esther K. recommended today's feature! Esther sent me a message to say that she loved The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl and I think it's a great choice for Middle Grade Monday! I haven't highlighted it here in The Daily Book Talk because I reviewed it for School Library Journal. You can read that review here.
Ever since Lucy Callahan was struck by lightning, she has been a math genius. So much so, that between that and her OCD, she has been homeschooled by her grandmother. She's ready for college math now but her grandmother wants her to try middle school for one year, make one new friend and read one book that isn't math related. Read this is you love books about friendship, middle school or math. Read it even if you hate math. Lucy and her grandmother are wonderful characters!
Thanks Esther!
ETA: I was thrilled to pick up an arc of The World Ends in April at ALAAC!
Ball Don't Lie by Matt de la Peña. 288 p. Random House Children's Books, September, 2005. 9780385902588. (Own)
#tbt features Ball Don't Lie by Matt de la Peña. This was de la Peña's debut and was published in 2005. Ball Don't Lie is a gritty, intense story that takes place over twenty-four hours. Sticky is a seventeen-year-old basketball phenom; but he has had a tough life since being removed from his prostitute mother's home ten years earlier. He has moved from foster home to foster home, none being much better than the situation he was removed from. His real home, the only place he feels safe and comfortable is at the Lincoln Park basketball court where he can ball and trash talk the other players. Basketball is his thing and perhaps his ticket out. Can he manage his OCD and the demons from his past to earn himself a basketball scholarship? If you are a teen who loves basketball, you should not miss this book. Don't love basketball? Give it a try if you like intense, emotional reads.
Matt de la Peña went on to write three more YA novels set in urban settings, Mexican White Boy, We were Here, and I will Save You. He then wrote a book in the Infinity Ring series, a survival trilogy and a number of picture books, one of which, The Last Stop on Market Street, won the Newbery Medal!
Finding Perfect by Elly Swartz. 304 p. Farrar, Straus and Giroux Books for Young Readers, October 18, 2016. 9780374303129. (Review from arc courtesy of the publisher.)
Molly Nathan likes things just so. Her cherished collection of glass animals has to be arranged perfectly. Her homework is not allowed to have one erasure. She's at odds with odd numbers. And that moment just before she recites her poetry in the slam, is perfect. Unfortunately, it's getting harder for Molly to achieve perfect. Her brother keeps disturbing her animals. The work is getting harder in school. The rituals she keeps to keep her anxiety down are starting to get in the way. She's terrified that her best friend might find out. She's also yearning for her mom to return to the family. She thinks that if she wins the poetry slam, her mom will have to come back.
In the last two months, I have read four books in which the main character suffers from OCD - two YA and two MG. All were well-drawn, engaging and tugged at my heartstrings. In my book, it is most difficult to write middle grade fiction. The author has to get so much right and it's so easy to get things wrong. In Finding Perfect, we have a winning main character in Molly. She's not only facing common problems - family dysfunction and friendship conflict - but she's battling irresistible rituals that are taking over her life.
I think it's safe to say that we all have a Molly in our life, especially if we are in education. We just might not know it yet. I think this is an important book. I'm not real into bibliotherapy. I tend prefer to give books not to the "sufferer" per se, but friends and classmates so that they might gain some compassion and insight. I guess I'm on a bit of mission to eradicate offhand comments like, "I am so-o-o OCD!" in both adults and students. No! No! No! No! Young people who are in the grips of this are crippled by anxiety and rituals. This book effectively, even brilliantly portrays the stark reality at an age-appropriate level for the middle grade reader. (I highly recommend The Unlikely Hero of Room 13B by Teresa Toten for a brilliant YA treatment.)
Finding Perfect also features well-drawn secondary characters, including sympathetic adults.The dialogue is realistic and Molly's narration is nearly pitch-perfect. I think this would make for a terrific audiobook with the right, young-sounding narrator. I also think the cover is pretty perfect (take a gander at the spine art).
Another notable debut from the "Sweet Sixteens!" I can't wait to booktalk this next school year!
The Best Worst Thing by Kathleen Lane. 208 p. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, June 7, 2016. 9780316257817. (Review from arc courtesy of publisher.)
To say that Maggie is a worrier is an understatement. Not only is she worried about starting middle school, there's Gordy, her tough-guy neighbor and classmate, who's been bragging that he's getting a gun for his twelfth birthday. She's also worrying about the fate of the baby bunnies next door, some may be heading to the cooking pot. And, ever since learning about the murder of the checkout lady at the local convenience store, which she and her sisters visited moments before the botched robbery, Maggie has been obsessing about the possibility of being murdered by the criminal since he is still at large.
This unique debut is told from Maggie's point-of-view and can be a rather challenging read even though it's short. The stream-of-consciousness style used to portray her obsessions and repetitions can be disorienting. Be patient and stick it out.
Maggie can't simply travel from point A to point B without any number of rituals (counting, repeating, checking). This glimpse into the bind that those who suffer from OCD labor under should help tween readers empathize. At the same time, there's a lot that's familiar to the average tween. She's eleven and given to flights of fancy and abrupt shifts in concentration. Anyone who spends any time with tweens being social with one another is used to this. Her relationships are changing within and outside of her family. She's recognizing that her assumptions can be wrong. She grows in the many wondrous ways that happens in these special in-between years.
It'll be a pleasure to add this short, satisfying novel to my school's collection. There aren't a lot of books for tweens dealing with OCD. It's an important addition because it seems that severe anxiety and OCD in children is on the rise. Students may recognize either themselves or someone they know and might benefit from the respectful portrayal in The Best Worst Thing.
The 2016 Schneider Family Book Award went to a YA book, The Unlikely Hero of Room 13B, in which the main character is working through his struggle with OCD. It was heartbreakingly wonderful. Different year, different committee, different age category - but I hope someone considers The Best Worst Thing.
