Sara is a young girl who suffers from bipolar disorder, depression, schizophrenia, and anxiety. Instead of being “Psycho Sara,” she just wants to be normal like the other students at her school. Her friend, Erin, tries to convince her that maybe they are not meant to be normal.
I love how this book deals with real issues that children struggle with. Some of us may not know what it is like to have voices in our head and this book definitely helps us understand. I think this is a great book for educators.

more about Sara and Daniel. I have been a teacher for many years and have dealt with students suffering from anxiety disorders, depression, trichotillomania, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), and more. Wesley King explores several of these adversities through Sara’s perspective. The story is thoughtful and authentic as Sara tries to manage her thoughts and to achieve “normalcy.”

Unfortunately, there are not many middle grade books that deal with mental illness. I am so pleased to be able to share this book with my students. As a seventh grader, Sara attends public school, but is not mainstreamed due to her many issues. Most of the students refer to her as “Psycho Sara.” Sara wants nothing more than to be “normal.” She is medicated, attends weekly sessions with her psychiatrist, has supportive parents, and keeps a list of rules for being “normal.” She joins a weekly group therapy and makes a friend, Erin. Erin also suffers from anxiety disorders along with trichotillomania. While their friendship progresses, Sara gets to experience many life events including going to a birthday party, going to the movies with a friend, etc. Erin has a secret and Sara has to decide whether to risk their friendship by disclosing it and saving Erin…This book will resonate with many of my students and help them to understand and empathize with themselves and others.

Such a great story! Sara’s quest for “normal” houses so many interesting moments and so many truths! The friendships and relationships keep the reader invested, and the peer reactions to the mental health issues other students are facing are realistic and frustrating. It helps you get into the mindset of a couple different unique mental health situations and the stories and the experiences that those characters face.

As a thirty year old woman who's family passes down mental health issues like other families pass down recipes, I found myself flipping through these pages forgetting to breathe. I became apart of Sara's world where all she thought about was her mental state and hated her own mind for what it did. Her emotions suck you in so deep you feel her exhaustion. Sara's determination to be anyone else stops her from seeing the dependable friend and loving daughter she is. This is a must read for all children especially because the average American doesn't want to discuss this powerful topic.

This is the story of Sara who is seeking what many kids/teens do today and that is trying to find out "what is normal?" Sara has differing diagnoses that can lead to hallucinations or severe anxiety and panic attacks. She doesn't speak to anyone and has gotten a nickname of "Psycho Sara" at school. How will this lead to ever having any friends? She's got a list of all the things to do in order to "be normal" but will those things really work? When Sara begins group therapy not only does she begin to take a closer look at herself but also the world around her. This is the prequel to OCDaniel and was a fantastic upper middle grade book!

Sara And The Search For Normal is exactly that. A thirteen-year-old girl's search and attempts to become "normal". Sara suffers from anxiety and panic attacks and is desperately trying to "beat" her illness as she wants to live a normal life. This novel for teenagers comes from Canadian author Wesley King, who is also the author of OCDaniel, which is a coming-of-age story about a boy with OCD. However, you don't need to have read OCDaniel to read Sara And The Search For Normal!

Sara goes to group therapy which is where she becomes friends with the very talkative Erin. Sara has a list of rules that she tries to follow which she believes are what "normal" people do. Number 19 is "make a friend", so she goes with it. Erin understands Sara doesn't talk much and she is chatty enough to take the lead. At the same time, Sara decides to push her social boundaries more with a boy she meets in the park named James. She is also trying to get out of her special class lessons at school and go back into the main classroom. The book follows Sara's growing friendship with Erin, and the ups and downs as she tries to tick things off from her list. Throughout the story, Sara refers to her panic attacks, depressive symptoms, and schizophrenic episodes as games, because it gives the impression that she might "win". The way this is explained helps the reader understand exactly how she is feeling, and fellow anxiety suffers might relate.

The pace of the book is fair, I found it slow in some parts, but I am mindful that I am older than the main target audience. It does try to include a variety of different issues, such as mental health, along with a family member's drinking habits, and a young person dealing with bereavement. It also includes family arguments, separation, and abuse. I would perhaps say it's maybe too much too soon, or too much at once and perhaps some of these topics would lend themselves better to separate books where they could be explored more.

The message the book gives tries to be a positive one. Whilst Sara sometimes engages in behaviour that is not always "good" or "right", it comes from a place of trying to do the right thing. When a character is in danger, the book strongly reinforces the idea that a trusted adult should be involved. This is good for a book intended towards teens, as it shows that they do not have to suffer alone, it's okay to ask for help, and sometimes it is necessary to involve adults. It also explores the importance of friendship and forgiveness. I'm sure we have all felt the pain and conflicted emotions when we fall out or argue with a friend. The book shows how important it is to make up, but also stand your ground. Another uplifting message that you can take away from the story is self-acceptance. Sara wants so much to get "better" but she also needs to learn to love herself too.

If I had to make one slightly critical comment, it would be the author's perception of young teenage girls. Both girls are portrayed as starting to show romantic interest in boys. This is fine, but Erin and Sara seem to talk a lot about boys, fawn over Ryan Gosling movies, and wear makeup to go to the cinema to watch romance movies. When I was 13, boys were not even on myself or my friends' agenda, let alone would we want to go to the cinema, or watch movies just to ogle some much older actor. I am just speaking on behalf of my own experience here. I feel it would have been nicer to see less of a stereotypical "girly" hobby. Girls can be "normal" and form relationships and spend time with each other and hang out doing things other than discussing boys.

Overall, this is a good book for teenagers, it explains mental health in a way that's easy to understand. People that struggle with mental health like Sara does will relate to it and feel understood. Those that don't personally experience mental health issues will be able to get a glimpse of what life is like for those that do. We need books like Sara And The Search For Normal. They are good at starting conversations about mental health and I hope they would lead to younger teenagers being able to treat each other with a little more compassion.

Also, there is a handful of Harry Potter references for those that are Harry Potter fans!

Sara wants to be cured of her mental illnesses and be “normal” like other kids so she makes rules for herself. Among other diagnoses, Sara is bipolar for which she blames herself. She hates her out of control brain and feels like nobody can help. Meanwhile she begins group therapy where she makes a friend; a friend who is covered in hidden bruises. Sara and Erin think of themselves as Star Children, kids alien DNA. It’s profoundly sad to witness Sara’s self loathing yet her still hoping for a better tomorrow. Sara begins to realize she wants to change her inner dialogue and accept herself. For readers, it’s a valuable opportunity to see inside Sara’s mind and how painful it is to have an invisible disease. It won’t make you think like her but will give you compassion.

As it stands sadly I think this was an overly simplified version of mental illness. I personally think that kids can handle more and understand. I also think that the side characters fall flat and leave a lot to be desired. I might read a more mature book of this authors and see if they give a better portrayal in that, but it wasn't for me.

4.5 stars. This is a good one. I appreciated that Sara dealt with difficult issues such as severe anxiety, selective mutism, and panic attacks. I liked that the book helped "normalize" therapy and that Sara was able to stand up for herself in the end. She realized that she will always be who she is but she is able to like herself regardless, which is an important lesson.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for a digital advanced reader copy. In the hands of the right reader, this book could be priceless. Kids who experience bipolar disorder or schizophrenia do not see themselves represented enough in books. I do not see it appealing to a broader audience, though, because it just has too much tough stuff going on--an alcoholic, violent-tempered parent, a parent having an affair, physical abuse of a child, bullying, hair-pulling disorder and more--and only a small amount of hope to balance it out. I enjoyed OCDaniel and felt it was accessible to those who have never experienced OCD, but I did not feel the same about this one.

I read this book in an entire sitting! I ran the gamut of emotions during this book--empathy, sadness, anger, happiness, pride. This was a powerful story that all MG and YA should read. I felt like I was actually living the main character's life. This is definitely on my purchase list for my classroom!

Painful but affirming, tragic but joyful. This book manages to cover a difficult with empathy and avoids ever making Sara and her fellows (all of whom deal with severe mental illness) the objects of pity. It was genuinely remarkable. It does appear that this book is connected to another novel (or series?) and might be a sort of late-arrival backstory for Sara who, I am guessing, is not the main character it whatever work preceded it. While this does make the epilogue a bit confusing, familiarity with King's other works is not necessary.

Sara, a character from OCDaniel, struggles with daily life. She just wants to be "normal", but has panic attacks, often chooses not to speak, and despite medication and therapy, doesn't feel at all what she imagines normal to be. She is in a special class and has an aide who helps her. When she goes to group therapy, she meets Erin, who has struggles of her own, pulling out her hair and eyebrows among them. She is also very talkative and respectful of Sara's difficulties, even though she is a bit pushy when it comes to being friends. This turns out to be something that works for quiet, withdrawn Sara, who is glad to be able to do "normal" friend things. Sara has other worries as well; her parents are constantly bickering, often over Sara's behavior and treatment, and Sara is also worried about the bruises that constantly appear on her new friend. Eventually, she suspects that Erin's father is harming her, and uncovers the truth with some spy methods. Will Sara be able to help her friend without losing her and deal with her parents problems as well as her own?
Strengths: It's good to see an #ownvoices writer address issues of mental health, and this is certainly on trend in that respect. Sara's difficulties are palpable; the writing really puts us inside her head. I love that she has a friend for the first time, and Erin's difficulties are also well portrayed. The fact that Sara tries to help Erin is heart warming.
Weaknesses: I couldn't remember how Sara fit into OCDaniel, but it's not necessary to read these books together. This did have a similar YA feel to the pacing, which is understandable given the topic.
What I really think: OCDaniel has circulated better than I expected, so I will probably purchase this. It struck me as sort of a Lisa, Bright and Dark for the New Millenium.

Even though this is a prequel, I haven't yet OCDaniel. But after reading Sara and the Search for Normal, I'm picking it up right away.
This book was so well written, had fantastic characters, and wonderful mental health representation. I could tell that the author wrote this book with care and thoughtfulness. I appreciated, what I felt as, accurate mental health representation and I was able to relate to the main character a lot.
I really don't have much to say critically about this book because I enjoyed it so much and even read it in two sittings.