OCDaniel is a great book. I really enjoyed it and it’s prequel, Sara and the Search for Normal. They are both amazing books that I would be happy to read over and over again.

I got both books on a trip we took this summer to see family in New Mexico, Colorado, and Kansas. I got Sara and the Search for Normal at a bookstore in Santa Fe, not knowing it was a prequel. It was so good, and I just had to read OCDaniel. I called my Grandma in Colorado (our next stop on the trip) and asked for her help in finding OCDaniel. Within a day or two, she found it, and I had read it.

OCDaniel is about a boy named Daniel. Daniel struggles to hide all of his odd tendencies, like not writing certain numbers, never stepping on cracks, and doing “the Routine” for hours every night. But a girl at school, “Psycho Sara,” sees right through him. She recruits him to help her find her dad, who recently went missing, leaving a suspicious note. As they work together, Daniel realizes more and more about himself.

Sara and the Search for Normal is about a girl named Sara who struggles with anxiety disorders and depression and thinks she is crazy. She has a list of things to do to become normal, because that is what she believes is the goal. But when she is signed up for group therapy, everything changes.

She meets Erin. Erin has trichotillomania, which causes her to pull out her hair obsessively, and she believes that they are “Star Children,” and that they get to create their own normal. Slowly, Sara starts to think she is right. Sara also starts to notice that bruises keep showing up on Erin. When Sara asks about it, Erin is reluctant to tell her, but when she finally does, she reveals that her dad has been hurting her whenever she pulls out her hair. When Sara hears this, she knows she has to take action. But what can she do?

These books discuss several mental disorders, and this is really important, because it helps the reader understand these challenges, and it helps develop empathy. It also helps people with similar struggles feel a connection, less alone, and more accepted for who they are.

These books are for ages 10 and up. OCDaniel is 292 pages, and Sara and the Search for Normal is 261 pages (259 if you don’t count the epilogue).

I give these books 5 out of 5 bookworms.

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