Description
Sometimes life turns up the heat ...
Andrew 's just trying to get through school photo day with one aim: a photo of him which his mum will like. But today of all days, the world seems out to get him. There's a bully, the science experiment gone wrong, scary news about his grandmother, and someone else's juice snot (don't ask). Andrew struggles with anxiety, and the little kernel of worry in his stomach is getting hotter and hotter... Can he make it through the day without popping?
A heartfelt and laugh-out-loud-funny story about letting go of control and accepting help, interspersed with Rob Harrell's amazing spot art and comic panels that depict the real, difficult feelings of anxiety and OCD, as well as real tips for coping.
Review
Andrew lives with his mum and his grandmother, who has Alzheimer’s disease. It’s school photo day and his mum has bought him a new shirt which he is trying to keep clean. Andrew also has anxiety, so school photo day is a little stressful anyway.
Today, however, his stress levels are going through the roof! First, he has a run in with the school bully, Gene, over a maths test, when Andrew wouldn’t let him copy. This causes Gene to have a fight with him - he rips the collar of Andrew’s shirt and sabotages his science experiment so purple goo ends up all over him. Then he gets a black eye from PE when a basketball hits him in the face, and he has an argument with his best friend, Jonesy. And to top it all off his grandmother is missing and no one knows where she has gone.
As his anxiety keeps building, can he keep it together? Or will a full-blown panic attack (which is his worst nightmare) finish off his day?
This is a wonderful story about a difficult subject. Andrew doesn’t hide his anxiety from himself (he is the narrator of the story) but he does try to keep it hidden from everyone else. Told with lots of humour and cartoons, this is a fantastic book with lots of coping strategies scattered throughout. It also has themes of the importance of family and friends, and accepting help when you need it.
A perfect book for all students in lower secondary and upper primary who love a great story told with compassion and humour.
