Fast Friday Review: The Nest: Middle-Grade Mental Health

The Nest
by Kennet Oppel
Hardcover, 256 pages
Simon & Schuster for Young Adults, October 6, 2015
3 stars

Steven is an anxiety-ridden young boy whose coping mechanisms have developed into OCD rituals - saying prayers twice, making lists, and repeatedly washing his hands. When his parents bring home a new baby brother with severe disabilities and chronic health issues, the whole household becomes a sad and worrisome place. Steven's anxiety worsens and he begins to have repeated dreams again, this time of a fairy-like creature this offers a solution to all of his problems.

                      ********************

I didn't mean to read this book. I meant to read the other book by the same title that everyone has been raving about. That being said, I'm glad I took the time to give this middle-grade book a quick read. I liked the way it touched on issues of mental health in a way that I think children could relate to, with an overall message of "nothing is perfect." Steven's gradual shift during the story from not wanting to refer to his brother by name to his final embrace of his new brother as a part of their family was touching and believable. 

That being said, there were time when the plot dragged and the story got repetitive. Steve would dream, wake up, be upset, go to bed, and the whole cycle would repeat. It was written in a simple, direct writing style that I liked, especially alongside Klassen's beautifully stark illustrations. Overall, I'm still not into middle-grade books, but this one was well-done.

Pair this book with a cold glass of lemonade - just lemonade. It's a kid's book, after all.