Obsession-Compulsive BOOK LIST

If you or someone you know needs help, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1 800-273-TALK (8255) or through chat available 24/7.

All the Things that Could Go Wrong
Stewart Foster
TPL Book, WorldCat

Trigger Warning: Bullying

This is a story about finding friendship in the most unlikely places. Alex’s Obsessive Compulsive Disorder has got him worried. All. The. Time. About everyone dying, about germs consuming him, about all the bird poop everywhere. Dan is the class clown and new to the business of being a school bully. When their parents force them together over the winter break, it seems that a certain disaster is inevitable. But, is it possible that a raft, a stolen giraffe, and Star Wars could rescue them both?

The Best Worst Thing
Kathleen Lane
TPL Book, TPL eBook, WorldCat

Maggie worries. She worries about everything. If all the doors are shut and windows are locked. If her family is going to die. If her parents are going to get a divorce. If the boy next door is going to hurt her. She worries. And starting middle school opens up a whole new world of worries. Will she be able to find a way to keep everyone she knows safe from danger?

The Brave
James Bird
TPL Book, WorldCat

Trigger Warnings: Bullying, Death

Collin Couch can stop counting. He counts every letter in every word that is spoken to him. His condition isn’t one that goes unnoticed, especially since he is compelled to share the letter count out loud. This puts a big bullseye on his back for bullies and has got him kicked out of more than one school. When his dad can’t handle the hassle of taking care of him anymore and so Collin is now being shipped off to live in Minnesota on a Native American reservation with his mom who he has never met. Will he be brave enough to start over again? 

Cookie Cutters & Sled Runners
Natalie Rompella
TPL Book, Hoopla, WorldCat

Ana and Lily have been best friends and as long as they can remember. They are even working on creating their own cookbook filled with original recipes. This project is something that they hope to use as part of their big sixth grade project. But, that is all thrown out the window when Ana is forced to work with Dasher, the new girl from Alaska. Dasher is messy, disorganized, and worst of all she doesn’t know that Ana has Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. Will Ana be able to work through her compulsions in time to save her project and her friendships?

Family Game Night and Other Catastrophes
Mary E. Lambert
TPL Book, WorldCat

Annabelle doesn’t want anyone near her home because her family lives under piles of her mom’s many “collections”. The only place in the house that is clean is her room. Soon, she becomes obsessed over what comes in and out of her room, and because of her mom’s hoarding, she’s finding it more and more difficult to even be home. Annabelle feels the need to get away but also feels bad about leaving her sister behind. 

The Goldfish Boy
Lisa Thompson
TPL Book, Hoopla, WorldCat

Matthew has severe Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. He has trouble leaving his house and attempts to keep his parents from crossing the threshold of his room because of … germs. He spends a lot of time observing his neighbors from his bedroom window and ends up being tossed into the middle of a case of a missing toddler. Because of Matthew’s lifestyle, he is able to help with the mystery and actually somewhat forget about how bad his OCD has gotten. 

The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl
Stacy McAnulty
TPL Book, WorldCat

Trigger Warnings: Bullying, Death

Twelve-year-old Lucy loves math. After she was struck by lightning, she developed “acquired savant syndrome.” Now, she sees numbers as colors and constantly calculates everything around her. She has been homeschooled by her grandmother since the accident, but Nana wants Lucy to experience public school before she jumps headfirst into college. So, Lucy begins middle school and learns to handle the Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder that has her counting and calculating, even when she wants desperately to develop normal friendships.

The Notations of Cooper Cameron
Jane H. O’Reilly
Hoopla, WorldCat

Trigger Warnings: Bullying, Death

Cooper has to count by three. He has to read every word he reads three times. Has to chew his food three times on each side. Has to stomp each foot three times when he is upset. He has to do this to keep his family safe. He has to despite the fact that he gets made fun of, despite the fact that it makes his father mad. Despite the fact that he wants to stop. He can’t. But maybe things will change this summer when his mom, sister, and he goes to the family cabin at the lake. Maybe he will finally be able to fix his broken family.

OCDaniel
Wesley King
Hoopla, WorldCat

Trigger Warnings: Bullying, Suicide (mention of)

Daniel is a middle schooler desperately trying to live a normal life. But, he is plagued by what he calls, “zaps.” During these incidents, he finds himself unable to resist the temptation to perform certain rituals: arranging things in specific order, turning the lights off and on a specific number of times, and avoiding certain seemingly random, harmless actions. One day in class, “Psycho Sara,” the girl who hasn’t spoken a word for years, makes a connection with him that draws him into a new friendship, an exciting possible murder mystery, and a much deeper understanding of what it means to be “normal.”