Max is Daniel’s best friend, who doesn’t judge Daniel for his odd behavior. They both play on the Erie Hills Elephants football team, where Daniel is the backup punter and he says is basically the glorified water boy. He spends time stacking cups during practice, never expecting to actually be needed on the field. One day, he was actually used to kick and he scored the winning touchdown for his team. Things didn’t change for him until he receives a letter and becomes friends with a girl known by the school as “Psycho Sara.” She asked Daniel to go on a journey with her to find her father. Daniel looks up to his own father, so he decides to help Sara.

 

After discovering that Sara’s mother’s boyfriend did not kill her father, they find out that he committed suicide by overdosing. This leads Sara to get personal with Daniel, telling her about her struggled with depression and OCD. She gives Daniel a book about OCD and tells him that it might be what he has. Daniel realizes that he is not alone with his disorder and he begins to feel normal. Daniel and Sara become close friends after their journey together and she helps him work through his struggles.

 

I really liked this book because it showed me an inside view of what it can be like to live with OCD. Daniel hid it mostly, so a lot of people didn’t know he actually had it. It saddens me to know that some people feel like they have to hide their disorders and they get bullied for being different. Despite his struggles, Daniel was able to find a friend who was just like him. I am happy that he met Sara and they shared that connection with OCD. I think it is important that people who are struggling with a disorder are able to turn to someone like them or someone who is nonjudgmental, like his friend Max.