When I See Blue: An inspiring story of OCD, friendship and bravery
As seen:
By Lily Bailey
avg rating
5 reviews
A Read for Empathy Collection Choice, chosen by EmpathyLab
New town, new school, but the bully is in Ben’s head …
There are 4 things you should know about Ben:
1. He’s 12 years old
2. He’s the new kid at school
3. His special number is 4
4. He has a bully in his brain
Sometimes Ben’s brain makes him count to 4 to prevent bad things happening. Sometimes it makes him tap or blink in 4s. Mostly it makes the smallest things feel impossible. And with a new school, a moody big brother, an absent dad and a mum battling her own demons, Ben feels more out of control than ever. But then he meets April, and with his new friend, Ben might finally figure out how to stand up to the bully in his brain, once and for all.
An authentic and affecting #ownvoices story about living life with OCD, from the inspiring author and mental health activist, Lily Bailey. Perfect for readers of A Kind of Spark and Wonder.
WINNER of the LEWISHAM BOOK AWARD***
*WINNER of the READING RAMPAGE AWARD*
*WINNER of the COVENTRY INSPIRATION BOOK AWARDS*
*WINNER of the WARWICKSHIRE SECONDARY BOOK AWARD*
‘With characters you will take to your heart and never want to leave, this is a heart-warming and joyous read about the importance of empathy and understanding.’ The Scotsman
‘This book deserves to sit alongside Wonder as a modern classic.’ Read and Reviewed blog
‘What Wonder does for people with physical deformity – When I see Blue will, without doubt, do for those with OCD … this is a story of hope.’ Sue Chambers, Waterstones bookseller
TweetReviews
Thoughtfully written. This book provides a look at what it is like to live with OCD and how it affects the day-to-day life of that person and the lives of those around them. It also looks at the issue of family breakdown and the effects of parental alcohol misuse.
Recommended by Empathy Lab, this is not just a great story but also tackles issues of family break up, alcoholism, anxiety, and OCD all with a great sense of humour and a heart-warming friendship.
Perfect for year 6-7 transitioning students all the way through to older students who may need help understanding anxiety and other mental health issues. There are also fantastic resources listed at the back to direct readers where to get help and support if they feel they need it.
This was a wonderful story of Ben who has a very noisy head. He has to do special routines otherwise he feels that something bad will happen. Ben has OCD. The story shows how hard it is for people with OCD to do regular daily activities. Ben's family have separated and his mum is battling her own demons but we follow Ben's story and his new friendship with April, who has her own problems to deal with.
This sad and entertaining novel really shows how life can be for sonne people and is written in first person perfectly.
Think we should be stocking this in our Reading Well section, a fantastic description of life with OCD but also the consequences of bullying all told from a child’s perspective and easy to follow. You sympathise with the main characters so much and it neatly summarises how much children are impacted by parents decisions. Really enjoyed it
