Daniel tries to act like a normal 13-year-old. He is on the football team mostly because his best friend wanted him to, and because it is a normal 13-year-old boy thing to do. He even has a crush on the most popular girl in his grade. Neither his friends nor his family knows that secretly he deals with compulsions, which he calls zaps, that force him to do repeated actions like turning on and off a light, or taking a certain number of steps to get from his bedroom to the bathroom. These compulsions keep him up for hours at night and leave him in tears. One day he is surprised when Phycho Sara, who never talks in school, says something to him. He finds out that she isn't as crazy as she seems, and she enlists him to help her solve a mystery. As he gets to know Sara, who has a long list of "conditions" he slowly starts to gain hope that he is not alone in his challenges.
This book got a lot of awards the year it came out. In an author's note, King reveals that Daniel's experience with OCD is based on his own attempts to hide his OCD as a teen. I am really glad I read this book because King does such an amazing job describing what it is like to feel an OCD compulsion. It helped me understand the disorder better and feel more compassion for those who are dealing with it. The writing is good and all the main characters are fully realized. Although Daniel and Sara are both dealing with tough challenges, the book is hopeful and both characters experience victories that are fun to read. This is a great one for young readers who like Fish in a Tree or Out of My Mind. (2016, 304 p.)
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