Book Review - Zelah Green: One More Little Problem

Synopsis
My name is Zelah Green and I'm a Cleanaholic. It's the summer hols and I'm on major Flirt Alert. I've joined mysortaspace.com and ever since I've been getting emails from loads of boys. Boys are Dirt Alert AND Germ Alert. Don't even talk to me about kissing...The rest of my life's a bit rubbish too. That's because: my dad is moping about the house missing his girlfriend; my ex-best friend still isn't speaking to me; my grumpy weirdo Satanist friend has turned up to stay; my cleaning rituals are are taking up way too much time; and, most importantly, the guy I really like, Sol, has disappeared off the face of the earth... 


My Review
Zelah Green suffers from severe OCD, i read the first book in this series sometime last year in which she goes to a sort of rehab to get help for her 'rituals'. At the start of this book, Zelah has her summer planned, her OCD isn't as bad as it was, she has a list of things to do and is looking optimistic, but that doesn't last. Caro, a girl she met in the first book turns up on her door and asks to stay, Zelah doesn't really like Caro but can't really say no. She needs to help her, but this will cause major problems to her, Caro doesn't seem to understand her need for cleanliness at all times. What with Caro staying, her Dad's girlfriend going out of the country, and her dad pottering about in the garden like a hippy, Zelah's stress levels begin to rise, causing her OCD to escalate into epic proportions.
I found these books quite interesting, not many books tackle the issues of OCD and similar problems that a lot of people suffer from. I don't know much about it, but these books help you to understand what others are going through. Zelah clearly doesn't like her life being controlled by what she calls 'Dirt and Germ alert', her constant need for cleanliness and having to do star jumps at the top and bottom of the stairs every time she goes up or down them, in reality drives her mad, but she can't help it. It's wired in her brain.
I think this book should be read by all, maybe even added to some school syllabus, as it's useful for sufferers to read about others who share their illness, and for people that don't suffer from it, will gain a new level of understanding and hopefully respect. There is a lot to learn from this book, but don't get me wrong, it's not just one big lesson, the story is captivating and exciting, and the characters really come to life. It is well written and flows nicely.

My Rating
I would give this book 7.5/10, you should definitely give it a go, you might learn something, and if not, you've still read a good story.