Buzzing

A powerful story about one middle schooler’s experience with OCD.

Isaac Itkin is a middle schooler who’s going through it all--navigating complicated family relationships, making friends, stepping out of his comfort zone, and dealing with his debilitating OCD. His intrusive thoughts are represented by bees buzzing relentlessly in his ear. When he makes new friends who introduce him to a D&D-esque roleplaying game, the bees quiet and even leave him alone. With this newfound passion and the support of a therapist, he begins to learn different techniques for managing his OCD. 

This book makes such great and thoughtful use of its graphic novel format. In addition to the visual metaphor of the bees, the colors are very powerful in reflecting his emotional state.