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INTERMEDIATE FICTION
King, Wesley

Sara and the Search for Normal

264 pp. | Simon/Wiseman | June, 2020 | Trade ISBN 978-1-5344-2113-4 $17.99 | Ebook ISBN 978-1-5344-2115-8
(2) 4-6 In this prequel to OCDaniel, Sara Melvern keeps a list of all the things that "normal" kids do that she can't because of the myriad disorders she experiences. Sara's parents, teachers, and therapist try to convince her that these ­disorders--bipolar disorder, depression, ­generalized ­anxiety disorder, mild schizophrenia, and selective mutism--are not her fault. She copes with attacks and triggers by ­playing "games" that unfortunately lead to her ostracism at school. Sara feels as though her disorders are exposed by joining group therapy, but she is ­pleasantly ­surprised when she is able to tick a couple of "normal" things off her list by making a friend and developing a crush on a fellow therapy seeker. As the story unfolds, Sara ­witnesses her parents' crumbling marriage and unwittingly drives a wedge between herself and her only friend. Sara also takes herself off of her medication without consulting any adults, believing it a step to becoming "normal," but the book doesn't address the ­consequences of her risky decision. More positively, by surviving heartache and a fraught friendship, Sara is emboldened to be part of a larger social circle.
Reviewer: Maija Meadows Hasegawa | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2020

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