“Readers will appreciate [Sara] as good literary company even as they develop sympathy for her struggles.” —BCCB “It’s the vivid, insightful depiction of Sara’s internal struggles that readers will remember.” —Booklist “A must-buy.” —School Library Journal (starred review) In this prequel to the Edgar Award–winning OCDaniel, fan-favorite Sara quests for “normal” and finds something even better … OCDaniel, fan-favorite Sara quests for “normal” and finds something even better along the way.
Sara’s Rules to be Normal
1. Stop taking your pills
19. Make a friend
137. Don’t put mayonnaise on peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
Sara wants one thing: to be normal. What she has instead are multiple diagnoses from Dr. Ring. Sara’s constant battle with False Alarm—what she calls panic attacks—and other episodes cause her to isolate herself. She rarely speaks, especially not at school, and so she doesn’t have any friends. But when she starts group therapy she meets someone new. Talkative and outgoing Erin doesn’t believe in “normal,” and Sara finds herself in unfamiliar territory: at the movies, at a birthday party, and with someone to tell about her crush—in short, with a friend. But there’s more to Erin than her cheerful exterior, and Sara begins to wonder if helping Erin will mean sacrificing their friendship.
more
I am pretty certain I do not have any mental disorders or OCD or anything, but I have had people in my life who have said things like, “You are such a dork,” and I have had other people who have said things like, “You’re not as weird as you are afraid you are.” I know, I know, both of those are pretty mild. But those are just my examples. A lot of this book is about seeking and establishing healthy relationships, with others and with yourself, and I’m just saying I get that. This is true, Mr. King, and thank you for sharing. I first read OCDaniel, or actually heard the audiobook, and I of course wanted to immediately read this book about Sara. I say it does NOT matter which book you read first, but please do read them BOTH! When I was a kid I counted to three to make myself do things that made me nervous or afraid. I sometimes went or spoke or whatever it was I was trying to make myself do, on three, but sometimes it wasn’t until five, and many times it wasn’t until 10, or re-starting the count again and again. But it worked. So why not? Find out the things that work. Sara does some of this, and so does Daniel (in the second book). This book was funny, enlightening, interesting, pretty tragic, sad, hopeful, and informative. That’s a lot of things in one short book, but it worked and I believe it fulfilled its purpose. I even had the pleasure of writing down some things from the book in my Keepers journal. Here are a few:
The leaves were all red and orange now, both the ones on the branches and the growing skirts around them. (I just loved that description. Skirts! ha! Yes! Good one!)
And this is so me: I tried to think of something clever to say, but nothing came to mind, so I just walked and waited and smiled. (smiling is my favorite, especially when I have the aforementioned problem)
and a snippet: “somewhere deeper, down where thoughts don’t need a voice…”
And this: There is lots of darkness around me and sometimes my light takes a very long time to reach anything, but it does, and somebody somewhere might need to see that light, even if they never tell me about it. (I am a Christian, and so this one reminds me about being part of the light in this world because of Jesus in me, and letting Him shine as I share His love with others, even through maybe just a smile or a word of kindness.)
This is an amazing middle grade novel, that includes enough action/events to keep middle-graders interested along with an opportunity for them to learn about mental health issues and develop their emotional side. Sara is a well-rounded character that you learn to love.