Scan barcode
nyx89's review
4.0
*I received an advance copy of this novel from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This was a very heartfelt, poignant novel about a young boy struggling with OCD after the death of his grandfather. Believing his grandfather's death to be his fault, Cooper invents rituals he must complete in order to prevent the rest of his family from dying. These same rituals end up causing a rift in Cooper's family; his father just can't understand or accept him. But with the help of his sister who is "becoming more and more believable every day" and some new friends he makes along the way, Cooper gradually begins to understand that he can't control everything, and that he wasn't responsible for his grandfather's death.
At times this novel got quite heavy. It deals with some mature themes, such as death, grief, mental illness and the stigma that comes with it. Cooper is wise beyond his years, always scribbling down words of wisdom in his notebook. I'm tempted to recommend this book only to older readers, but the prose isn't that difficult, and I think the author does a really good job of portraying a highly misunderstood mental illness. So while I'm not sure that every reader will enjoy this story, I think it definitely deserves to be read far and wide.
This was a very heartfelt, poignant novel about a young boy struggling with OCD after the death of his grandfather. Believing his grandfather's death to be his fault, Cooper invents rituals he must complete in order to prevent the rest of his family from dying. These same rituals end up causing a rift in Cooper's family; his father just can't understand or accept him. But with the help of his sister who is "becoming more and more believable every day" and some new friends he makes along the way, Cooper gradually begins to understand that he can't control everything, and that he wasn't responsible for his grandfather's death.
At times this novel got quite heavy. It deals with some mature themes, such as death, grief, mental illness and the stigma that comes with it. Cooper is wise beyond his years, always scribbling down words of wisdom in his notebook. I'm tempted to recommend this book only to older readers, but the prose isn't that difficult, and I think the author does a really good job of portraying a highly misunderstood mental illness. So while I'm not sure that every reader will enjoy this story, I think it definitely deserves to be read far and wide.
theredpanda17's review
5.0
Wonderful. That's all I can say. If you're thinking about reading it, just go ahead and buy it or check it out of the library
delaneyreads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
sad
tense
5.0
Amazing book for middle graders. One of those book I’m glad is available for kids today to read.
hartcheri's review against another edition
4.0
Death is hard for a child to deal with. Cooper is a young boy trying to navigate the feelings of sadness and guilt he feels after the death of his grandfather. This grief manifests itself into OCD behaviors. These behaviors take a toll on him physically and mentally. His family is at its wits end, especially The Father.
I've rarely come across a book that deals with OCD in children and this story is truly a gift to help us all understand what might be going on inside the mind of someone who is dealing with this crippling mental illness. Cooper is lovable, strong and someone I wanted to cheer for throughout the story. It's a perfect middle grade book to teach kids about compassion and acceptance.
I've rarely come across a book that deals with OCD in children and this story is truly a gift to help us all understand what might be going on inside the mind of someone who is dealing with this crippling mental illness. Cooper is lovable, strong and someone I wanted to cheer for throughout the story. It's a perfect middle grade book to teach kids about compassion and acceptance.
jesstele's review against another edition
5.0
I read this with my 5th grade book club and we all just loved it!
jennyrbaker's review against another edition
5.0
4.5 stars
This was a wonderful story with exceptional writing. It’s a story about an eleven-year-old boy with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and the affects it has on his family. Cooper decides he wants to cure himself so that his family will be whole again.
I just loved the writing and the story execution. First, I love that his name, Cooper Cameron, is alliterative. This story is written in third person, but at times, the narrative voice sounds how somebody with OCD would think. One of Cooper’s rituals was to read everything in threes. When he read a novel, he would read every word, sentence, and page three times. He thought that if he didn’t, his family would (for example) burst into flames and die. Cooper loved to read Dante’s Inferno and when he read it, he would read it like this:
I’ve heard of people having some of his rituals, especially when he needed to count or touch everything. Another common ritual is his excessive organization such as when he organized the pantry at the family’s cabin. I know people with OCD have to complete their rituals before they leave the house, so it can take a long time for them to finish before they leave.
Cooper kept a journal to write down his thoughts and things he wanted to remember. He’s a smart kid! He’d write insightful things such as, ”Sometimes you cannot see things that are crystal clear.” For an eleven-year-old, his thinking is very philosophical.
It was so easy to become completely engaged in this story and Cooper’s life. I just loved Cooper to death! Other than being smart, he was a sweet boy. His frog Amicus was his best friend and he took great care of him. He wanted to make friends and be normal, but he just didn’t know how. It was so sweet how Cooper made friends with that 90-something year old man. I sympathized for him. I wanted him cured and not be so fearful.
His family didn’t understand him, but his mother and his sister, Caddie, earn points for trying to connect with him. His sister was easily embarrassed by Cooper’s behavior, but she did attempt to play with him. His mother was patient, but his father scared him. Whenever Cooper had an OCD episode, his family would refer to that side of him as “That Boy”. It was as if “That Boy” was a separate entity.
Cooper read people very well. That was another thing I loved about him. When this family went to the cabin for the summer, Cooper met a couple of teen boys on the beach. He immediately knew which kid was the foe. He had more courage than he realized.
The Notations of Cooper Cameron entertained me from beginning to end. I read it in one day because I just couldn’t put it down. I feel like I’m not doing the book justice, so I hope you just take a chance and read it. I’m going to end my review with a couple of Cooper’s journal entries.
Jenny’s Book Bag | Facebook | Twitter
This was a wonderful story with exceptional writing. It’s a story about an eleven-year-old boy with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and the affects it has on his family. Cooper decides he wants to cure himself so that his family will be whole again.
I just loved the writing and the story execution. First, I love that his name, Cooper Cameron, is alliterative. This story is written in third person, but at times, the narrative voice sounds how somebody with OCD would think. One of Cooper’s rituals was to read everything in threes. When he read a novel, he would read every word, sentence, and page three times. He thought that if he didn’t, his family would (for example) burst into flames and die. Cooper loved to read Dante’s Inferno and when he read it, he would read it like this:
”We. We. We. In. In. In. Our. Our. Our…We in our turn stepped forward toward the city and through the gate…”
I’ve heard of people having some of his rituals, especially when he needed to count or touch everything. Another common ritual is his excessive organization such as when he organized the pantry at the family’s cabin. I know people with OCD have to complete their rituals before they leave the house, so it can take a long time for them to finish before they leave.
Cooper kept a journal to write down his thoughts and things he wanted to remember. He’s a smart kid! He’d write insightful things such as, ”Sometimes you cannot see things that are crystal clear.” For an eleven-year-old, his thinking is very philosophical.
It was so easy to become completely engaged in this story and Cooper’s life. I just loved Cooper to death! Other than being smart, he was a sweet boy. His frog Amicus was his best friend and he took great care of him. He wanted to make friends and be normal, but he just didn’t know how. It was so sweet how Cooper made friends with that 90-something year old man. I sympathized for him. I wanted him cured and not be so fearful.
His family didn’t understand him, but his mother and his sister, Caddie, earn points for trying to connect with him. His sister was easily embarrassed by Cooper’s behavior, but she did attempt to play with him. His mother was patient, but his father scared him. Whenever Cooper had an OCD episode, his family would refer to that side of him as “That Boy”. It was as if “That Boy” was a separate entity.
Cooper read people very well. That was another thing I loved about him. When this family went to the cabin for the summer, Cooper met a couple of teen boys on the beach. He immediately knew which kid was the foe. He had more courage than he realized.
The Notations of Cooper Cameron entertained me from beginning to end. I read it in one day because I just couldn’t put it down. I feel like I’m not doing the book justice, so I hope you just take a chance and read it. I’m going to end my review with a couple of Cooper’s journal entries.
”Sometimes you don’t know you have done something brave until it is behind you.”
”Sometimes you have to let go. And then you can use both hands to hang on for dear life.”
Jenny’s Book Bag | Facebook | Twitter
cheermio's review against another edition
4.0
that was trigger happy, people. but also super realistic and understanding? but also SO MANY TRIGGERS. if you have OCD or anxiety, beware.
i received an advance reader copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
it was really good and warm and i loved cooper, caddie and their mother. they were all trying so hard and cooper most of all to get over the death of grandfather and onset of mental illness in cooper and his father being not great at dealing with it and a summer at a cabin in the woods on a lake. it felt just like a summer vacation with time passing slowly and then sped up all at once. there was so much ice cream and sand castles and playing and numerous OCD triggers and warmth and family and trying. really lovely writing and interesting characters and growth.
i received an advance reader copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
it was really good and warm and i loved cooper, caddie and their mother. they were all trying so hard and cooper most of all to get over the death of grandfather and onset of mental illness in cooper and his father being not great at dealing with it and a summer at a cabin in the woods on a lake. it felt just like a summer vacation with time passing slowly and then sped up all at once. there was so much ice cream and sand castles and playing and numerous OCD triggers and warmth and family and trying. really lovely writing and interesting characters and growth.
michelleful's review against another edition
5.0
Excellent middle-grade fiction featuring a boy who develops OCD after the death of his grandfather and feels he needs to keep up various rituals to keep his family safe. I thought it was very illuminating and bittersweet and yet, ultimately, joyful.
kaylaphaneuf's review
5.0
I originally picked this one up cause I thought the cover looked really cool. I have never read an author describe OCD so well, especially in the format of a children’s novel. Cooper’s OCD ticks were genuinely so accurate it even slightly triggered some of my older OCD ticks that I’ve overcome in recent years. It describes the constant isolation so well and the fear of unknowing but the constant awareness at the same time. Really impressive.
I love that O’Reilly put Cooper’s OCD into a personified character called “That Boy.” It’s such a simple description of the constant shadow that steps in to take over the body even when you most want it to leave. That’s exactly how OCD feels. Telling your brain to stop unplugging appliances every night because they won’t actually catch on fire, but “That Boy” or “That Girl” does it anyway. Knowing you’ve locked every door and window but the whisper of “That Boy” making you double and triple check. OCD can be an extremely powerful hold if you can’t find freedom from it in different avenues.
While Cooper and I have wildly different coping mechanisms, I saw myself as a young person in him. I hope every young person struggling with OCD has the chance to read this book.
I love that O’Reilly put Cooper’s OCD into a personified character called “That Boy.” It’s such a simple description of the constant shadow that steps in to take over the body even when you most want it to leave. That’s exactly how OCD feels. Telling your brain to stop unplugging appliances every night because they won’t actually catch on fire, but “That Boy” or “That Girl” does it anyway. Knowing you’ve locked every door and window but the whisper of “That Boy” making you double and triple check. OCD can be an extremely powerful hold if you can’t find freedom from it in different avenues.
While Cooper and I have wildly different coping mechanisms, I saw myself as a young person in him. I hope every young person struggling with OCD has the chance to read this book.
camilaariasb's review
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
More...