Starred Review ALA Booklist (Thu Aug 04 00:00:00 CDT 2022)

Starred Review Katie and Kasey are BFFs to the max ey both love musicals, they read the same books, they even share a special best friend necklace that's not like anyone else's. It's when they both go away to summer camp that the trouble begins. Kasey is not amused when Katie begins making new friends. And Katie begins to hear buzzing noises in her head that manifest when she's anxious. Signified by bees buzzing around her head, the anxiety only dissipates if she taps her fingers, unties and reties her shoelaces, or does what the bees otherwise tell her to do. Compounding the anxiety she feels at her changing relationship with Kasey is worry about getting braces, landing a part in a play, and an upcoming operation. When people begin to notice her tics, her fear of being called a weirdo only makes things worse. This thoughtfully told semi-autobiographical account never trivializes obsessive compulsive disorder, nor does it make mental illness into a bogeyman. The story stays true to this child's experience, and the art, with its many levels of perspective, gives equal attention to the high points of Katie's life while skillfully depicting her lows. An excellent companion to Raina Telgemeier's Guts (2017) and Shannon Hale and LeUyen Pham's Real Friends series.

Horn Book (Mon Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2022)

Rising sixth graders Katie and Kacey, both homeschooled during the year, head to summer camp. Though Katie loves being with her best friend, she frets about feeling homesick. She's also self-conscious about being "different," with her red hair, freckles, and crooked teeth. At camp, she makes a confident new friend who "cusses" ("Backstreet Boys suck"), and Kacey seethes with jealousy and drifts away. Back home, Katie begins engaging in compulsive behaviors in an effort to "push the buzzing thoughts [depicted as a bee that won't leave her alone] away." Katie's father, who eventually guides her to a professional, helps her understand that "our thoughts aren't us. They're just our thoughts." This sensitive, deeply felt graphic novel, divided into four seasons of the year, is one that will resonate with many readers, particularly those living with OCD. The story also captures in detail a realistic homeschooling experience, including stereotypes about it: "I didn't feel like the weirdo homeschooled kid when Kacey and I hung out." Katie ultimately finds joy in theater, undergoes a scary lingual frenectomy, and learns that "maybe I could have best friends and good friends. I didn't have to choose." Best of all, she learns that many people are hounded by worries, with Brooks depicting various creatures nagging others as Katie's bee nags her. Both author and illustrator share their own childhood OCD experiences in appended notes, with Ormsbee explaining that the story is a fictionalized version of her own youth. Julie Danielson

Kirkus Reviews (Wed Nov 30 00:00:00 CST 2022)

Rising sixth grader Katie is different from other kids, what with her freckles, being home-schooled, and the worries constantly buzzing in her head.Katie is excited to start the summer at her first sleep-away camp with Kacey, her best friend from her home-school co-op. However, as she gets closer to Delaney, a cool, self-assured girl at Camp Aldridge, Kacey becomes distant and resentful. Traversing the beginning of middle school and her evolving relationships and mental health just makes the buzzing in Katie's head get louder and more persistent. Ormsbee captures the nuances of friendships and the feelings of loneliness a person can experience from being singled out as different. Stereotypes surrounding home schooling are also addressed. The graphic novel unfolds over the course of a year, and the representation is informed by the author's and illustrator's own childhood journeys of coping with obsessive-compulsive disorder. OCD is explored in accurate detail throughout Katie's arc, and the illustrations enhance the depiction, with bees flying around her head whose buzzing increases and decreases in intensity to match the franticness of her thoughts. The varied panels and dynamic, colorful art maintain visual interest. Katie and other main characters read as White; the supporting cast is racially diverse.A poignant account of journeying through life while navigating mental health and friendships. (author's note, artist's note) (Graphic fiction. 8-12)

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

Rising sixth grader Katie can sometimes feel like a -weirdo homeschooled kid,- except when with best friend Kacey, with whom she attends a homeschool co-op and shares a love of Annie. But when the pals leave for sleepaway camp, Katie experiences increasingly anxious thoughts and a heightened -buzzing feeling in my brain,- conveyed visually as a large bee that compels her to complete tasks: -You gotta make your worries stop. Move that zipper.- Ormsbee (Candidly Cline) juggles competing plot threads that contribute to Katie-s intrusive concerns: new friendships that awaken misgivings and joy in Katie and jealousy in Kacey, fears about a potential tongue surgery, and an awareness of her adolescent appearance, including pimples and a new haircut. In thick, angular brushstrokes, Brooks (the Sanity & Tallulah series) renders the white protagonists with simplified features and a warm palette. Tracing Katie-s earnest tack to navigating friendships old and new, her growing interest in the theater, and a burgeoning understanding of her obsessive compulsive disorder-detailed respectfully throughout-the creators lend flashback-level realism to a story of one child-s world growing larger with age and experience. Secondary characters are racially diverse; back matter discusses Ormsbee-s and Brooks-s experiences growing up with OCD. Ages 8-12. Author-s agent: Beth Phelan, Gallt & Zacker Literary. Illustrator-s agent: Sara Crowe, Pippin Properties. (May)

School Library Journal (Wed Jun 01 00:00:00 CDT 2022)

Gr 36 Katie, who struggles with anxiety and obsessive-compulsive tendencies, heads to summer camp with her best friend Kacey. While Katie branches out and begins meeting new friends, both at camp and afterwards at her homeschool co-op, Kacey has a hard time coping with the changes in their relationship, and the two grow apart. Meanwhile, Katie continues to struggle with severe anxiety and OCD until eventually she is able to get help. This tweenage story of growing up is based on Ormsbee's own preteen and teen years struggling with similar issues. Katie's character is relatable, and young readers will connect with the symbolism of a buzzing bee to represent her anxiety. The struggles Katie faces with her friend Kacey will be familiar to many readers as well. Unfortunately, there are a few too many plot lines woven throughout the story, and they all feel a bit stunted. Brooks's artwork shines throughout and helps the story come to life. Her realistic, full-color scenes pair well with the story of early teenage struggles, and fans of other slice-of-life graphic novels will be drawn to this title. VERDICT Although it has too many subplots, this colorful graphic novel has a lot to grab the attention of many young readers. Fans of Raina Telgemeier and Kayla Miller are sure to enjoy it. Recommended for most collections. Ellen Conlin