The Goldfish Boy by Lisa Thompson

Abstract

Reviewed by: The Goldfish Boy by Lisa Thompson Karen Coats Thompson, Lisa The Goldfish Boy. Scholastic, 2017 [320p] ISBN 978-1-338-05392-0 $16.99 Reviewed from galleys R Gr. 7-10 Before his baby brother was stillborn, Matty was able to hide his compulsions fairly well. When his neighbor got pregnant, however, Matt’s OCD kicked into overdrive, and he was unable to face the millions of germs lurking on every surface in the outside world, so he stopped going out. Now, stuck in his house, twelve-year-old Matty watches the neighbors through the windows, taking notes on their comings and goings, which is why he was the last person to see fifteen-month-old Teddy playing alone outside before he disappeared. Though determined to find out who took the toddler, he wants nothing to do with the two other kids in his neighborhood, Melody and Jake, but his anxiety about the outside world means he can’t sleuth on his own. Backstories are filled in steadily, revealing the progression of Matty’s condition, the history of his relationship with Jake (a bullied boy turned bully himself), the domestic tragedies of the neighbors, and the various relationships among them. It’s all gossip with a purpose, however, as Melody and Matty sift clues, dismiss red herrings, and finally, with Jake’s help, nab the culprits after Teddy’s safe return. Meanwhile, Matty himself offers hope and empathy for sufferers of OCD as he tests and transcends his limits until he’s able to imagine a future for himself where he masters his compulsions enough to live, however imperfectly, among his imperfect neighbors. Copyright © 2017 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois