Finding Perfect
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
To twelve-year-old Molly Nathans, perfect is:
—The number four
—The tip of a newly sharpened No. 2 pencil
—A crisp white pad of paper
—Her neatly aligned glass animal figurines
What’s not perfect is Molly’s mother leaving the family to take a faraway job with the promise to return in one year. Molly knows that promises are sometimes broken, so she hatches a plan to bring her mother home: Win the Lakeville Middle School Poetry Slam Contest. The winner is honored at a fancy banquet with white tablecloths. Molly is sure her mother would never miss that. Right…?
But as time passes, writing and reciting slam poetry become harder. Actually, everything becomes harder as new habits appear, and counting, cleaning, and organizing are not enough to keep Molly's world from spinning out of control. In this fresh-voiced debut novel, one girl learns there is no such thing as perfect.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
First-time author Swartz creates a clear, moving portrayal of obsessive-compulsive disorder through the authentic voice of middle schooler Molly Nathans. Molly has always been a neat freak, but after her mother is forced to spend a year in Toronto for work, keeping things orderly becomes Molly's primary concern. Her colored pencils need to be arranged in rainbow order, her glass figurines need to be perfectly aligned, and numbers always need to be even or, she believes, something terrible will happen. When Molly's anxieties (fueled by her sister's declaration that their mother won't come back) collide with concerns about her younger brother's health and an upcoming poetry slam contest, her obsessions spin out of control. Getting an insider's view of Molly's downward spiral is both painful and enlightening. Readers need not be familiar with the psychological terms to recognize the damaging effects of Molly's thinking and how it is wreaking havoc on her relationships. While Molly's situation becomes quite dire, her courageous decision to communicate her fears and seek help pave the way for a comforting resolution. Ages 8 12.
