Zelah Green

January 1, 2012

Gr 7-9-Ever since her mother died from cancer, 14-year-old Zelah's rituals have started taking over her life: 128 jumps before she can go downstairs in the morning, washing her hands 31 times, etc. While she has normalized her OCD, her stepmother is fed up and plans to send Zelah to a mental hospital, but a neighbor takes her to Forest Hill House, a small facility treating several other teens with mental illnesses, instead. With the help of therapy sessions, Zelah's condition improves dramatically, but it's her friendships with her fellow patients, especially Sol, a quiet boy who is scarred by his mother's death, that demonstrate her real growth as she opens up about her family and pain. Curtis's novel provides a relatively light treatment of a serious subject while acknowledging the realities of OCD. Unfortunately, some of the character development is stilted and seems to rely on stereotypes (does a troubled teen really need to listen to Marilyn Manson?), and some of the British slang may be lost on American readers. Still, this is a highly accessible story with appeal for reluctant readers.-Jennifer Barnes, Malden Public Library, MA

Copyright 2012 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 15, 2011
Grades 7-10 My name is Zelah Green and I'm a Cleanaholic, begins the British 14-year-old who is constantly on Germ and Dirt Alert, fears being touched, and must perform rituals, such as washing her hands exactly 31 times, to keep her anxiety at bay. Since Zelah's father's disappearance weeks earlier, her narcissistic stepmother can't deal with Zelah's little problem on her own. As a result, the teen is shipped off to Forest Hill House, where a physician wife and her husband team up to treat a range of adolescent disorders from anorexia to cutting. As Zelah discovers the impetus of her obsessive-compulsive disorder and practices coping mechanisms, she also decides that daring to touch her cute fellow resident, Sol, may not be so bad. Although this quick read only scratches the surface with character development and resolves some of Zelah's issues too hastily, reluctant readers will enjoy Zelah's conversational style, which keeps serious issues on the lighter side. Pair with Crissa-Jean Chappell's Total Constant Order (2007) for another look at this debilitating disorder.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)