Genre: Mystery, children’s fiction
Key Stage: Year 6+
Overall Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Goldfish Boy by Lisa Thompson (2017)
The Goldfish Boy centres on a boy named Matthew who has Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). His parents are worried because his condition is getting worse, and he doesn’t interact with them as much. But Matthew doesn’t have time to worry about his parents; he has to worry about germs. He’s frightened of them – they could come out of any crack in his room or, worse, his pet cat Nigel. Nigel is disgusting and rolls around in hairballs. But when all seems bleak, Matthew befriends a girl named Melody. Together, they go on a mission to find their neighbour’s grandson, Teddy who’s gone missing.
I enjoyed lots of things about this book namely, it felt like I was reading so many books in one: it had adventure and mystery but was educational in its depiction of struggling with mental health. I loved the suspense at the end when the author revealed who committed the crime and stole Teddy. I would recommend this to people want to raise awareness about mental health.
Reviewer: Sahra, Year 7