Painful, insightful, and hopeful.
A tween struggles with obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Josie (Jo) Martinez is convinced that if she isn’t the kindest person or the perfect best friend, terrible things will happen and she’ll deserve to be punished. When Jo can’t choose sides in her friends’ argument, her guilt compels her to self-harm. She’s admitted to Bryce Haven Psychiatric Hospital, where she discovers she has OCD—a diagnosis she initially resists. Nevertheless, Jo learns coping mechanisms and befriends Phoebe, who experiences anger management issues. But when Jo abruptly needs to be discharged, she is sure she’s disappointed her dad. Complicating matters, at home she must contend with Hal, the smelly goat her dad is taking care of in his owner’s absence, who bullies animals and humans alike. When Jo’s new therapist invites her to envision her brain being “hijacked by a bully of a goat called OCD,” she wonders: Can standing up to Hal help her confront her illness? Braden’s portrayal of OCD and its treatment is thorough and enlightening. Jo’s fears and self-recrimination are viscerally conveyed, including thoughts and acts of self-harm; readers experiencing similar struggles will appreciate the mental health resources included in the author’s note. Importantly, Jo is more than her OCD; flashes of humor and her passion for art and crafting shine through. Jo is surrounded by heartwarmingly supportive secondary characters, and readers will cheer her gradual progress. Jo’s surname cues her as Latine.
Painful, insightful, and hopeful. (Fiction. 10-12)Pub Date: Sept. 8, 2026
ISBN: 9798217110964
Page Count: 176
Publisher: Nancy Paulsen Books
Review Posted Online: June 1, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2026
Mildly amusing, with a silly, stomach-turning premise conveying sober concepts.
When a bizarre ritual goes haywire, Kids Say the Darndest Things meets Lord of the Flies.
In St. Polonius-on-the-Fjord, citizens over 12 partake in the annual commemoration of the town’s founding by eating of the Sacred Bear Liver. They engage in this loathsome rite to avoid falling into a monthslong slumber, a fate suffered by the original settlers. This year, white Jean Huddy participates for the first time but secretly barfs up her portion. Then, against all odds, everyone over 12 who did sample the liver falls fast asleep, leaving only the town’s children—including Jean and Isara, a 13-year-old boy of Thai heritage—awake and obligated to assume their parents’ jobs. The author mines a few laughs from kids’ performing adult work, but some aspects are sinister: the mayor’s xenophobic son revels in his tyranny; the town bullies are strict law enforcers. An unconvincing mystery subplot involves a startling revelation about what happened to the grown-ups, the discovery of a secret formula to reverse the sleep, and Jean’s and her friends’ frantic scramble to interpret and use it to awaken the sleepers. Themes abound in this political satire, with its “Sleeping Beauty” and Shakespearean overtones, including clueless adults, governmental corruption, shady corporate dealings, usurpation of power, anti-immigration sentiments, unethical science, and animal cruelty. Savvy readers may glean some hints about the current charged political scene. These disparate storylines coalesce uneasily.
Mildly amusing, with a silly, stomach-turning premise conveying sober concepts. (Fiction. 10-12)Pub Date: Sept. 12, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-5247-1785-8
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Wendy Lamb/Random
Review Posted Online: May 23, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A moving, well-written tale about an unusual friendship.
A middle-grade boy finds comfort and emotional growth in his friendship with an older woman in this novel.
Summer vacation isn’t starting out well for Russell, called Rusty. He failed fifth grade math and now has to go to summer school. His closest pal, Walter, is at sleepaway camp for six weeks. But worst of all, his mother is temporarily gone, being treated for depression; it’s unknown when she’ll return. Rusty takes his mind off things by fixing up an old catboat. One day, Hazel Perkins, an older woman in a wheelchair, asks him to take her sailing. Rusty puts her off but later agrees to earn money by doing chores at her house. They settle into a comforting routine, starting with a snack and math homework, then chores. Besides the money, Rusty appreciates Hazel’s agreeably cluttered house, her seaside paintings, and her friendly cat, Marigold. The day before his mother’s return, Rusty finally takes Hazel for a joyous sail. Though sorrow follows, Rusty gains a firmer sense of what’s important. In his third book for children, Loizeaux sensitively evokes his narrator’s pain and confusion as well as his insights. Rusty realizes he can repair his boat, “unlike some of the other things that I couldn’t do anything about.” Poetically striking details make scenes come alive, as with Hazel’s house, filled with “books, shells, pottery, dried seaweed, lacy snake skins…and an entire standing skeleton of what might have been a fox.” That Rusty allows himself to be changed by Hazel’s friendship and guidance speaks well of him in a subtle way, and it’s touching to see their mutual caring and compassion. Throughout, the author effectively employs maritime metaphors to tie everything together. Jacobsen’s lively, well-composed pencil illustrations nicely capture the book’s emotions.
A moving, well-written tale about an unusual friendship.Pub Date: March 1, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-947159-42-6
Page Count: 186
Publisher: One Elm Books
Review Posted Online: May 27, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2020
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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