All The Things That Could Go Wrong

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I don’t think reading for pleasure instils empathy, but as your question suggest, it develops what is already there. I thought that Alex’s OCD was portrayed compassionately, sensitively and without stereotyping and I came away with an increased awareness of some of the possible nuances of living with OCD. We have a very complex family dynamic going on for both protagonists which completely juxtapose each other. Nothing has been the same since his big brother left, and he's taking it out on the nearest and weakest target: Alex.

It was such a pleasure to meet you both, and I really appreciated how smoothly and professionally you ran everything.I liked how they were described but I could imagine how annoying it would be, having your parents constantly tell you how good it would be to be friends with people you just don't want to be friends with. With a forward plot through the two main characters' perspectives, the stories in this book try to explore how pre-teens face life's problems that they have to find solutions for on their own. And we know in depth about how Alex feels when his OCD begins to get the better of him, and when being bullied mingles with that. I occasionally wonder if US teenage fiction has a tendency to be a few strides ahead of UK teenage fiction in terms of how it handles difficult subjects in a really readable way.

Dan is a bully and he bullies Alex who has difficulties with stuff, like not wanting to touch stuff unless he has his gloves on. The idea of their friendship blossoming from the raft Shooting Star was such a good symbol of the novel. I had to get into the story a little, as it is very different from what I usually read, but it was such a moving story! Then the boys' mums arrange for them to meet up and finish building the raft that Dan started with his brother. Oftentimes, it is easier for us to sympathize with the victims of bullying at school, but have we ever thought about what was going on in the bully's mind that caused them to take antagonistic actions as a form of their defensive shield.It was very hard at first, but that was because I was concentrating on the awful things he was doing, and not on what type of kid he was. Don't get me wrong, I did find myself getting rather angry at what he was doing, but because it's told from the Bully's perspective as well as the victim, you really get an insight into what's going on in his life, which made me feel conflicted about Dan, in a good way, since one second I would be so angry at him and everything he's doing to Alex, and the next I would be feeling sorry for him. I'm not a huge fan of Star Wars, but if you are then, you 're in for a treat, since this book is practical filled with Stars Wars (though not to an extent where it's boring to those who don't like Star Wars.