OCDaniel by Wesley King
Daniel is the backup kicker for his school’s football team, which means he doesn’t play that often. While the rest of his team is busy practicing, he will perfectly arrange water cups, and hope no one notices. Daniel figures he has a lot of strange habits – like flipping light switches on and off and repeating actions until he reaches a number that contain a 1 or a 2, but never a 4. He figures he must be crazy but is hoping his best friend Max doesn’t find out, or his crush, Raya.
One day Daniel finds a note in his backpack that reads “I need your help” and is signed by Fellow Star Child. This mystery takes him on a path that changes his life forever.
OCDaniel has won multiple awards including:
- Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Mystery
- Bank Street Best for Book of the Year
- Silver Birch Award Winner
- A Toronto Public Library First & Best
- Maine Student Book Award Reading List
Wesley King was born and grew up in Ontario. He graduated with a degree in Journalism from Carleton University. At first, he wanted to be a Jedi when he grew up, which he found to be unrealistic, so he opted to become an author instead. OCDaniel can be viewed as slightly autobiographical in that Wesley grew up with OCD so severe, he would sometimes spend up to 5 hours just trying to go to sleep. His hope is that anyone struggling with mental illness reading this realizes that they are not alone.
Helpful links from Wesley King:
The International OCD Foundation: information on OCD and support groups in your area
Canadian Mental Health Association: National charity that helps to maintain and improve mental health for Canadians
