Veronica Agarwal

Entering into sixth grade has Maggie worried about everything: Will she make friends? Will she pick the right afterschool club for her? Will she remember to always bring in her homework? Will she live up to the legacy of her two older sisters who were high academic achievers? And most of all, just WHAT is that thing rustling in the grass around the school that leaves everyone spreading rumors about a deadly snake?

Having some worries and fears is a normal part of life, and pretty standard show more when it comes to entering middle school. But instead of facing her fears, Maggie turns to little compulsions like flicking the light switches several times when she arrives home or constantly rolling her 20-sided dice to make a decision for her, even little things like what to eat for lunch. Her family and friends gently show her how her OCD is starting to control her life, so this book serves an empathetic look at how to help those who are struggling with mental illness and the general stresses of life.

In addition to this detailed look into the mind of someone going through life with untreated OCD, the book has many other diverse characters and situations, including LGBT couples, people of color, etc. Therefore it more accurately reflects what many middle schoolers see in their own schools and lives. The cast of characters is pretty large so it did take me a moment to get a hold on who everyone was and how they all related together, but it's definitely manageable and fairly quickly so.

The illustrations are a little more cartoony than I typically prefer but I think they work very well here, offsetting the more difficult subject matters with these fun and fresh faces. It also helps with keeping track of that large cast of characters by having all of them always wear the same outfit no matter what scene they are in over time and space. Authors' notes at the end of the book explain the process of sketching and inking the artwork as well as how both writer and illustrator had their own battles with mental illness. show less

Man, I have been on a roll with some fantastic middle grade graphic novels lately! Get it, on a roll XD. But for real, I am loving them! And this one was sooo good! It’s another one that features a big theme of mental health and this time in relation to OCD and anxiety! A new sixth grader who loves playing RPG starts to worry her family when it seems like she needs to roll a d20 for every decision in her life, even the smallest ones like which way to turn down a hallway or whether or not show more she is allowed to eat a snack before starting homework.

We get to see the everyday worries any sixth grader would go through in starting at their new school, making friends, getting homework done, and joining clubs. But we also get to see how this stress load becomes too much for some people sometimes. Maggie lives in so much fear because she doesn’t understand her OCD at first and is so scared she will hurt the people she loves. But she makes really good friends that support her, already has a family that loves and supports her, and finally decides to try therapy to see if it can help.

I also love the notes at the end of the book about how the graphic novel was made! Always cool to see the behind the scenes stuff like that! And I really appreciate the author note that encourages people to “shop around” with therapists until you find the right fit for you, because it’s really true. I think it’s easy to have a bad experience and decide not to do therapy anymore, so I think this is an important step of the process. show less

Entering middle school, Maggie uses her d20 to make decisions - but really, she's letting it control her decisions, even small things like whether to accept an apple slice from a friend. She has other compulsions too, and one of her older sisters worries she has OCD. But Maggie makes a good friend on the first day of school, and Clara convinces her to join the RPG club. Maggie worries because her two successful older sisters joined academic clubs and their parents were proud of them, but show more everyone in Maggie's family is supportive.

When eighth graders try to scare the young students with rumors of a wild beast outside the school, Maggie and her RPG friends are the ones to tackle the mystery head-on, and end up capturing a baby albino alligator, which they return to the wildlife refuge. Ultimately, Maggie agrees to see a therapist to help her feel less anxious and come up with coping mechanisms.

Maggie's anxiety appears visually as dark cross-hatching in the background or as scribbles surrounding her, and sometimes as a red-eyed white dragon that Maggie eventually tames and recognizes as a fearful part of herself.

See also: Sunny Rolls the Dice by Jennifer Holm

Quotes

"It must be really hard for Sarah [Good, in The Crucible]. She knows she's not a witch, but when everyone is saying that kind of stuff to you, sometimes it's hard to remember they're wrong." (Clara, 83)

One thing at a time. One thing at a time...inhale...exhale. (Maggie calming herself down, 106)

"A lot of the worries I made up in my head ended up not coming true. So I put myself through a lot of heartache for nothing....You'd be putting yourself through unnecessary pain in the process of preventing pain. Does that make sense?" (Maggie's sister, 143)

"Sometimes help is right in front of you. All you have to do is take it." (Zoe at the rehabilitation center, 276) show less

There’s A LOT here: eating disorders, body image issues, trauma, drowning, miscommunication, a budding crush Ty realizes he’s attracted to boys, especially his best friend Max who is also secretly attracted to him too., and learning how our actions affect the others around us.

Another theme was there is no lost time. Just because you were good at one thing, doesn’t mean that one is all that you embody. Again, a lot is covered here to the point it’s overpacked, but it was paced show more throughout smoothly.

The ages of the characters were pretty ambiguous. They seemed about middle school, so I wasn’t sure if Max, in particular, was immature for his age or not. But I thought the emotional issues and hiding secrets were stellar. Every time the kids would fight and not resolve the issue, I was like that’s accurate lol.

Something that stood out to me as an adult reader was that the camp counselor didn’t automatically have all the answers. He was honest and told Ty he’d get back to him when he was more knowledgeable. The honesty was great, but he should have referred Ty to a professional and most definitely told his parents (probably happened off-screen but still). We may not always have the perfect answer right away, but we must do our due diligence.

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