Author: Maulik Pancholy
Published: 2019 Rahul is just starting his seventh grade year at school. He is being bullied by a boy named Brent who just won’t leave him alone. When Brent starts making fun of Rahul for staring at their classmate Justin and saying that he’s gay, Rahul feels so alone, especially because he is having complicated feelings towards Justin, and he doesn’t know who to turn to. Rahul and his family are Indian, and his mom and his aunties want Rahul and his friend Chelsea’s help to help spread the word about a celebration they are organizing on different cultures. When his aunties give a presentation in front of the whole school, Rahul is embarrassed. He doesn’t want to be a big part of the celebration. Rahul’s grandfather, Bhai, lives with him, and he tells Rahul about his grandmother who found something she was good at and became the best; Rahul thinks he needs to find something to be the best at. The problem is he doesn’t know what that is. Meanwhile he has started worrying about things like if the stove is off or if the door is locked. Keeping everything in is very hard on him. But will he reach out to someone? The Best At It is a fantastic middle grade book about a boy who is dealing with a lot of issues in his life and doesn’t know how to handle them on his own. I absolutely loved this sweet book.
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Darius suffers from depression, which he can keep under control if he takes his medication every day. His father also suffers from depression, which is one of the only things the two have in common--that and their love for Star Trek. Darius' mother is Iranian and his father is white. He has always felt like he does not live up to his father's expectations--he weighs too much, doesn't fit in enough, doesn't get good enough grades. His dad thinks that it's Darius' fault that he gets picked on by his peers at school. If he would just try, then he wouldn't be a target.
When his grandfather who lives in Iran gets sick, Darius and his family go to Iran for the first time to see his mom's family. Darius feels left out because he doesn't speak Farsi like the rest of his mom's family--at least he has another thing in common with his dad. He thinks life is going to be the same as it was in the United States, that he won't fit in and he'll always be the outsider. But this trip he takes to Iran changes his life in many different ways. Darius is hilarious and lovable. I loved the story line and the representation of mental illness. One of the best books I've read this year! Author: Elly Swartz
Published: 2016 Ever since her mom left home (and her family) for a job in Canada, Molly has really been struggling. She wants everything she does to be perfect. If she writes something and a letter is crooked, it bothers her so much that she needs to re-do it. She has to get a ruler when she measures where she puts her glass figurines. If they are not in the exact same space, she thinks that bad things will happen to her brother. Molly will count and count repeatedly in her head. She will wash and re-wash her hands until they are raw. A part of Molly knows the things she does are not logical, but the other part of her convinces herself that she needs to do these things. Molly is gifted at poetry. When her school as a slam poetry contest, she thinks that if she wins her mom will have to come home for the winners' ceremony and then then everything will be okay. Soon the stress of all of these habits and trying to keep them a secret starts to take over her life. Will she reach out to someone for help? Finding Perfect is a great book about someone who has obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). Readers who have experience with this illness or with others who have it will be able to relate heavily to the things Molly is going through. |
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