From Publishers Weekly
Obsessive-compulsive disorder is the subject of this clever first-person novel from the author of Tru Confessions. Teenage Monica obsesses "98.762 percent" of the time. She invents little rituals to ward off bad luck; she can't bear it when things aren't neat and even; she plays endless word games in her head. Trying to stop the mental processes that she knows are killing her spirit, she invents a multiple choice game to relieve her of some of her compulsive behaviors. She gives herself four choices for a given situation (A through D), then draws a Scrabble tile out of a pouch which determines the course of action. But while at times the choices liberate her and uncover her creativity, at other times they call for her to act unkind and irresponsible. She finds she cannot stop the game, loses her best friend and puts a child's life in danger. Help is on the way in the form of a free-spirit guidance counselor, and Monica learns to share her feelings with friends and family. Even better than the satisfying conclusion, though, is the delicious fun of Monica's magical thinking and wordplay. Her brainy creations start each chapter: "TROUBI'MLE/ (I'm in trouble)," she writes. Anagrams are her specialty: "I PITCH MOLECULE/ becomes/ UPHILL ICE COMET/ becomes/ MULTIPLE CHOICE." Less intense than Terry Hesser Spencer's Kissing Doorknobs, this energetic, enjoyable problem novel is a must-read for wordsmiths. Ages 10-14. (June)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
Grade 6-9-Monica Devon is a perfectionist and a worrywart. Fellow students find her eccentric, and her mother is driven to despair by her excessively fastidious behavior, such as her need to transfer Styrofoam beads from one beanbag chair to another so that the chairs are evenly balanced. She chants the mantra "This does not count" to negate mistakes, and in times of stress, she constructs anagrams in her head. To shift her focus from daily worries, the 14-year-old creates a game called Multiple Choice, in which she fabricates a task for herself with four options to complete it. This self-destructive game takes over her life, causing her to lose her best friend and climaxing when the child for whom she is baby-sitting falls from a window and nearly loses his eye. Finally, in the wake of the near tragedy, her parents hear her cries for help. The history of Monica's problems is glossed over with brief mentions of her making herself ill studying for exams the previous year and spinning her lock three times before opening her locker. Monica's parents and teachers seem to accept or ignore her erratic and unusual behavior until disaster strikes. Anagrams and word games interrupt the flow of the narrative. Readers who are themselves compulsive may relate to Monica's dilemma. Those looking for a more realistic, detailed portrait of obsessive-compulsive behavior should read Terry Spencer Hesser's Kissing Doorknobs (Delacorte, 1998).
Alice Casey Smith, Sayreville War Memorial High School, NJ Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
