LOUIE AND THE DICTATOR

A child battles anxiety and invasive thoughts in Bournelis’ debut children’s novella.

Louie’s anxiety is spinning out of control. His 10th birthday is coming up, but he won’t be able to have a birthday party with friends due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Making things worse is the Dictator—an inner voice that constantly tells Louie that if he doesn’t do as he says, there will be catastrophic consequences. Louie tries to ignore it, but in the end, the Dictator always seems to win out: He makes Louie check his bag several times to make sure there are two masks in it; tells him to take rubber gloves to school even though he’s not allowed to wear them there; and insists that Louie must rewrite the answers for a math quiz until the numbers perfectly fit the boxes. The Dictator’s voice becomes stronger the more Louie’s anxiety ratchets up, telling him he’s “going to be in so much TROUBLE” numerous times a day. One day, the Dictator tells him his favorite dish is poisoned, so Louie refuses to eat it. His mom becomes upset, and, because Louie knows his situation is worsening, he asks her for help. His parents take him to see someone they call a “mind wizard” who diagnoses him with obsessive-compulsive disorder and gives him strategies to deal with the Dictator. The novel is narrated from Louie’s perspective, effectively focusing on his emotions as he deals with paralyzing anxiety on a daily basis. Louie also models proactive behavior as he gets help, takes his sessions seriously, and begins to improve. In addition, Bournelis reveals how her protagonist makes assertive decisions to “plan a crushing counterattack” against the Dictator; she also shows how his newfound courage is put to the test when his beloved dog, Bailey, gets lost. The text is punctuated by occasional, uncredited black-and-white illustrations of Louie that are well executed. The story will create awareness about mental health issues in children as it empowers its protagonist to change his own life.

A compassionate, tender, and necessary read.