This was a really interesting and timely read. I think there may well be a need for a story about a child who has OCD. Cooper is a boy kids could relate to, he's bright, intelligent, personable, but has some quirks. Everyone does really. His just stand out a bit more. I was thinking he reminded me a lot of kids and adults I've known who have varying degrees of autism. But I've also know folks with OCD. So maybe there is some crossover between the two of symptoms. Anyway, both children with OCD and children who live with them , go to school with them, etc... may enjoy reading this story and maybe finding some understanding of the disorder. Good story, well told!

that was trigger happy, people. but also super realistic and understanding? but also SO MANY TRIGGERS. if you have OCD or anxiety, beware.

i received an advance reader copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

it was really good and warm and i loved cooper, caddie and their mother. they were all trying so hard and cooper most of all to get over the death of grandfather and onset of mental illness in cooper and his father being not great at dealing with it and a summer at a cabin in the woods on a lake. it felt just like a summer vacation with time passing slowly and then sped up all at once. there was so much ice cream and sand castles and playing and numerous OCD triggers and warmth and family and trying. really lovely writing and interesting characters and growth.

Cooper is a child who faces many obstacles in life: the need to repeat processes, the ability to be understood by his family, the loss of his grandfather, and building new friendships. Cooper's story grabs you by the heartstrings and doesn't let go. I rooted for him through every challenge and cheered for his successes.

The heartbeat of Cooper Cameron is to protect... protect his family... protect... always protect. After Cooper's grandfather died, Cooper developed a severe form of OCD which invades every aspect of his life. Cooper's heart is huge, his love for his family deep, and his ability to clearly see the beauty in life profound. This clarity isn't confined to the outside world, for in Cooper's eyes, if he could only cure himself, he could cure his whole family and make them whole again. Very few people understand Cooper, and even his family struggles to deal with his uniqueness. When Cooper's mother feels like her family's life is drifting too far into chaos, she whisks Cooper and her sister up to the family cabin for the summer where a myriad of fears await for Cooper to face.

The novel was beautifully written, portraying the heart of a boy who longed to love his family deeply and dearly. His struggle with OCD was delineated on the page; his many uncontrollable compulsions and his struggle with those compulsions brought to life by Jane O'Reily's pen. Not only does she bring to life his struggles, but she weaves in hope and light and goodness. Poignant and endearing, Cooper is brought to life on the page. By the end of the story I was quite attached to him, captured by his heart and not willing to close the book and say goodbye. An interesting tidbit: having a family member who dealt with severe OCD, Jane writes this book in honor of her beloved sister. This experience led to Jane writing a book that rings with authenticity and love. It is a great read for tweens and will definitely be a book on my classroom shelf. It can give younger reader's a chance to develop empathy for those who are different from them, especially classmates, friends, or family that might deal with OCD of any severity. That alone makes this book very valuable in my opinion.

Thank you to Lerner Publishing Group and NetGalley for an ARC of this book. All opinions above are my own.

The thing about OCD is we all have an idea of what it looks like, usually involving an inexplicable need to wash one's hands. So most portrayals are essentially the same. This one stands out because of the emotions. In particular, desperation. All of Cooper's actions have a desperate air about them. He's terribly unhappy but that mental stumbling block won't let go of him. Now, I will say Cooper is the only character that has much in the way of depth but that's okay in this case because it also reflects Cooper's increasing distance from those around him. It's not a comfortable book, certainly not one I'd recommend to an emotionally fragile child. But if you're willing to push yourself out of your comfort zone you're in for a treat.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced ecopy of this book. All opinions are my own.

THE NOTATIONS OF COOPER CAMERON is about an eleven year old boy named Cooper, who has been struggling with the onset of OCD. I love how the author has based this story on her own experiences with her sister, and that readers are given a very honest portrayal life for someone struggling with OCD. Cooper's symptoms have developed since the death of his grandfather, and his family are struggling in their own ways. Cooper's father (whom he calls The Father) is impatient and intolerant of these new behaviors. Cooper's mother is trying to run interference, and is dealing with the breakdown of her marriage. Cooper's sister is doing her best to be encouraging, but often gets frustrated and embarrassed by Cooper. Cooper very much wants to be able to control That Boy, the part of him that feels compelled to count things in threes, and perform other rituals. But most of all, Cooper wants to protect the people in his life, and tries to be a "normal" boy and act/say the things that others want of him.

I love to see books that are bringing attention to disorders such as OCD, and this will be a valuable book to add to a middle grade collection.

Cooper Cameron is a brilliant eleven-year-old boy who has been struggling with severe OCD since the death of his beloved Grandfather. Cooper employs various compulsions to protect those he loves; he reads every word in his "good and famous books" three times, chews on each side of his mouth three times, all in an attempt to keep his family from going up in flames. With Cooper's frustrated father in the picture, Cooper's mother moves herself, Cooper and Caddie to her Dad's family cabin for the summer in hopes of bringing some relief to her son's condition.

One thing I think this book did really well was to convey the panic and uneasiness of OCD. I found myself becoming anxious along with Cooper as he tried to navigate new friendships and family dynamics. There wasn't much character development in any of the other characters, but I think that was both intentional and necessary. The point of the book is to follow Cooper's thoughts and see how debilitating his condition can become.

My only issue with the book is that as I was reading it from a 2017 perspective, it was hard to understand how more had not been explained about past efforts to treat Cooper. The father seemed almost too ignorant for how much awareness there is about mental health today. He seemed so uneducated and frustrated that it was like he had never been told what his son was dealing with. That being said, there are still people who refuse to get educated and so, I guess, lack the understanding needed in dealing with a child who is so different from themselves.

I think this book is an important one for kids who are suffering from extreme OCD and feel like they are alone in the world. I'll miss my enlightening journey with Cooper Cameron--he is one smart and empathetic young man.

There aren't many authors who can balance holding a middle grade students' interest with writing a deeply profound novel that impacts readers of every age. Yet, O'Reilly manages to do that with The Notations of Cooper Cameron. Touching on social issues such as divorce, death, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and peer pressure, this novel is for a readers experiencing life at multitude of ages and levels. Definitely one of my picks for 2017.

This was another wonderful story that I have read.

This is the story of Cooper - a boy with OCD (that seems to have been triggered from his grandfather's death, in my non-medical purely thinking of connections opinion) - who is struggling to protect his family and not mess things up.

While I have never had OCD - despite my siblings joking about it at times - I connect with Cooper (and his mother and his sister) so much. I connect with wanting to do anything to protect my family and I connect with the fear that comes from confronting something that doesn't seem to be able to be fixed.

This is a story of hope, friendship, and family. It is a story that will help others hopefully and will giver others the chance to see inside someone else's brain - if only for a little while. It is a wonderful story that I would definitely recommend to others.

I had been waiting for something like this for my classroom collection. Cooper Cameron is learning how to deal with his grief over his grandfather's death. Some of this grief manifest as obsessive ticks and these divide his family. In the course of the novel we get to see how Cooper and his family manage his newly manifested OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) .

I think many of my students will like this warm and heartfelt story about Cooper, an 11-year old boy who clearly has some habits linked to OCD and anxiety that he developed after his grandfather died while they were fishing together. Cooper's mother takes him and his older sister Caddie to their remote lake house for the summer to try to help Cooper feel better. Written from Cooper's perspective, this is a sad book with charming characters and funny moments. It has strong themes of family and friendship and how to love unconditionally and how it feels when family does and does not support you through hard times. I recommend this for the growing group of readers who like books about characters with neuro-diversities.

Ever since the death of his grandfather 2 years earlier Cooper has felt compulsions - read every word three times, count his chews, wash his hands, and protect the rest of his family any way he can. No one really seems to understand what is going on. His mom is supportive in a way but isn't really helping, his sister is in turns understanding and extremely frustrated, and his dad is downright awful. His mom, sister, and Cameron decide to spend the summer at the grandfather's cottage. There Cameron suffers mostly in silence - with some instances of happiness or friendship. Unfortunately, every time his father comes to visit things get worse. In time Cameron starts to work his own way through and by the ending there is hope that he is really getting better.

I get what the author was doing, especially after reading the author's note. I had a hard time reading the book though because I was so frustrated for Cameron and the lack of help and understanding he was receiving and his father's treatment was awful. I could see the hope by the end but overall the book was very sad for me.

Thank you to Lerner and Carolrhoda books, along with Netgalley, for the chance to read an advance e-ARC of this book. It definitely helps this librarian plan, purchase, and promote!

4/5 stars for this quietly nuanced tale about a boy's struggle with OCD. Cooper hasn't been the same since his grandfather's death. In fact, now he knows that he must follow precise rituals to keep the rest of his family alive. The Father does not believe in this, and as a result Cooper accompanies his mother and sister to his grandfather's lake cabin for the summer. His mother hopes the time away will heal Cooper, but he isn't sure he can be "fixed".

The author does a fantastic job of illustrating Cooper's internal struggle with OCD. The story moves quietly, like a long summer day on a lake, and has an open yet hopeful ending. This will be a great title to share rig upper elementary and younger middle school readers.

It was a little difficult to me to get into this book, but I am glad I stuck it out and continued giving it a chance.
I requested this book due to having OCD myself. While, it's certainly not as advanced as Cooper Camerons, it's there.
Cooper is a sweet boy, who follows rituals to protect the people he loves.
Cooper wants to heal himself especially when he sees that his behavior starts affecting his family members - each in their own way.
The book was written in third-person, but you could still hear the thoughts of someone with OCD coming through.
I was not disappointed with this book, and will be recommending it!

The Notations of Cooper Cameron was not what I was expecting, but I liked it.

Cooper Cameron's counting and repetition felt so familiar to me. I grew up with a family member who had and still has severe OCD. O'Reilly manages to capture just enough of Cooper's compulsions to make you feel the bit of irritation but not enough to make the book hard to read.

There are so many elements here that Cooper is dealing with...grief over Grandpa's death, concern for his sister Caddie, fear of his father, fear of That Boy, the weight of responsibility of keeping everyone safe...For the entire book, I was right there with Cooper, feeling his feelings but also understanding why they were wrong, in many cases. Why his desire to do good would only result in bad things.

This isn't a single-goal, plot-heavy book. As Cooper struggles with his OCD during a summer spent away from his father, with just his sister and mom, he faces many small struggles. And I usually like plot-heavy books. But there's plenty of tension and fear (on Cooper's behalf) here, and I couldn't put this down. In fact, I wish I had had this book as a kid, dealing with my own sibling with OCD (which didn't even have a name back then--you were just assumed to be "crazy").

The only problem I had with the book was that it was unclear to me how much had been done to try to treat Cooper's problems. I wasn't 100% sure whether his OCD had come on just since his Grandpa's death, and I couldn't tell whether real medical help had been attempted or not. So that made it a little hard for me to find me footing at times. But other that that, this is a beautiful, sensitive, engaging book. We need diverse books like this!

Readers will fall in love with Cooper, his sister, and his mom during this insightful tale chronicling their summer of change. Told from Cooper's perspective as he struggles with OCD, the novel is insightful and endearing.

The Notations of Cooper Cameron was a very interesting and eye opening book. I have read a few other books where the main character is struggling with some form of OCD, but with this book, I really felt Cooper's constant struggle. I felt like I was struggling right along with him. There were numerous times when I wanted to dry wash my hands right along with him, or jump into the book and tell him that it's not his fault and that it's not up to him to keep everyone safe.
I think this is an important book for the middle grade classroom. It will help kids to understand what it is like to live with OCD and it will also help those kids who have it to realize that it's ok and that there isn't something "wrong" wth them. I imagine it will also help them to realize that they should talk about it with the people that they love.

Jane O'Reilly has written an engaging and empowering novel that will help its readers explore a subject that is often either not discussed at all or merely a footnote to a story. The writing is strong with authentic characterization and absorbing plotting. This novel would be an excellent choice for beginning powerful conversations with tween readers.

After witnessing his grandfather's death Cooper sinks into a world of guilt and fears. He is driven by OCD rituals in an effort to protect those he loves. Returning to his grandfather's summer cabin, the scene of his death, Cooper is forced to confront his fears. As he struggles to become the person he knows his family wants him to be, he desperately tries to break the OCD cycle and end his isolation. With great courage and the love of his mother and sister as well as unexpected friends, Cooper finds a strength within himself.