By: George Harrar Publisher: Graphia Average Rating: Binding: Paperback Label: Graphia Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 240 Publication Date: October 25, 2004 Reading Level: Ages 9-12
Product Description: Devon Brown won't eat in the school caf (a germ swamp). He covers his hands before opening doors, eats things in groups of four (his lucky number), and hangs up his shirts (with all their buttons buttoned) by color. Some kids say Devon's crazy, but he knows better—these are the tricks that keep bad things from happening, and he can't imagine giving them up. Devon calls it "controlling things." His doctor calls it obsessive-compulsive disorder. When Devon starts at a new school, his compulsions start to get him in trouble, and before long he realizes that his only choice is to confront his behaviors and the events that trigger them. In a compelling story of growing up different, George Harrar introduces us to a boy who just might change the way we think about "crazy."
Great book! I am in 8th grade, and I read this for a free-read book report. It was a really good book. It is about a boy who has odd obsessions, and does everything oddly. He moves to a new city, and makes two new friends. One of them does something really bad at school, and he gets the blame! He gets 2 weeks of suspension at school and a TON of trouble with his parents. No one knows to believe him or not. He has to fix the problem, but he doesn't want to rat his friend out. What does he do!?!? Read the book to find out!
Good novel with a few minor flaws. A very well written book, moves very quickly, and portrays OCD realistically and yet manages to be pretty funny in some parts. As a sufferer of OCD, I could really relate to alot of Devon's feelings. The therapist was a bit unrealistic, however and it took him awhile to catch on to an obvious OCD diagnosis. But overall a great book!
A New Definition For Crazy I thought this was an excellent book, really getting inside the mind of a kid that's considered "different" at first glance. Devon became more real to me when I understood why he could or couldn't control what he was doing, rather than being just a kid with a OCD. This book changed my definition of crazy; being "crazy" has a lot more to it than we all think.
Funny and clever I chuckled often reading this book. This book is very cleverly written; it manages to use a light, humourous tone without trivializing the serious and emotional issues that come up. It will help teenagers understand and deal with having a psychological disorder without scaring them off and making them feel horrible and doomed. A sense of humour is vital for healing! This book also works well as an entertaining story that any teenager who feel like their life is getting out of control (and who doesn't at that age?) could enjoy and relate to. A criticism is that the charactor of Tanya could have used more development to explain her interest in Devon. It also seemed odd to me that it would take Devon's psychologists so long to diagnose his disorder when he was clearly a textbook case.
Not as Crazy as I Seem This book was truly amazing! It gives you a different view on the way people think. I started reading the book and just couldn't put it down. I recomend this book to people young and old.
Anything Goes Trivia
Megaton Man
Trevor
