Sara and the Search for Normal by Wesley King

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. It was released June 2nd 2020 by Simon Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books.

Sara is a teenager who wants, more than anything, to be normal. She has a long checklist of things to achieve in order to get there. The thing is, Sara has never been normal, and no matter how hard she tries, never will be. When she was seven she did her best to behave while on a dress shopping expedition with her mother, but when she tried to tell her mother she had had enough, no one listened to her and she had a breakdown.

She is an only child who lives with both her parents. Her mother has become more accepting and supporting of Sara since the dress incident. She is very close to her father, but he is volatile and drinks to excess. I couldn't help but wonder if he didn't have his own mental health issues. 

Sara is gifted academically, but has multiple mental health diagnoses. She calls these her games. They include: False Alarms (panic attacks), the Lead Ball (depressive symptoms) and The Danger Game (schizophrenic episodes.) She can't handle being integrated into a regular classroom so she has her own teacher's aid. Sometimes the two of them have lunch with the rest of the school. Unfortunately, many of the students at the school call her names - Psycho Sara being the most enduring. 

Sara sees a therapist, Dr Ring, once a week. At the park one afternoon she meets James, a boy her age who she first met at Dr Ring's office. James is dealing with anxiety following the death of his older brother. Sara is able to help and reassure him that he will get better. He is so ashamed of having these issues that he doesn't want to be around her when other people might see them. 

Dr Ring convinces Sara to join a weekly group therapy session. At the group Sara meets Erin who becomes her first real friend. It's her friendship with Erin that saves Sara and helps her give up on her goal of being normal, and accept and love who she is. In turn, when Sara discovers why Erin has bruises all the time, she does what is necessary to save her, no matter the cost. 

There are a number of plot lines in this prequel to OCDaniel, Wesley King's first book about a teen with mental health issues. Yet for me, this book is primarily about character. Sara is someone I took into my heart from the first page. She is so authentic it's obvious this is an own voices title. In spite of all her challenges, Sara is courageous and strong. She's generous and smart. She's a kid you never want to give up on. Even though she's a fictional character, I found myself wondering how she will get on as she gets older. 

This is a book about the power of friendship. It's about learning to love and accept yourself for who you are. These are important lessons for all of us. Hopefully this book will be a mirror for people like Sara with mental health issues and a window for others so that we can also learn to accept each other just as we are.