Home › Books for Ages 9–12 › Buzzing (a Graphic Novel)
  • Buzzing (a Graphic Novel) by Samuel Sattin book cover
  • Buzzing (a Graphic Novel) by Samuel Sattin book cover
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Buzzing (a Graphic Novel)

by Samuel Sattin

Friendship, identity, and OCD in graphic-novel form

$14.00 USD
$23.34 USD $14.00 USD
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Awards & Recognition

  • Award recognition

    2024 Eisner Award nominee for Best Publication for Kids

    Nominated for Best Publication for Kids in 2024.

  • Editorial selection

    2025 ALA Rainbow Book List pick

    Selected for the 2025 Rainbow Book List.

  • Critical praise

    Starred review from Shelf Awareness: “Heartwarming [and] authentic”

    Starred review describing the book as “Heartwarming [and] authentic.”

AlbakiReads Editorial

Friendship, identity, and OCD in graphic-novel form

Twelve-year-old Isaac lives with OCD, and everyday tasks can become difficult as intrusive thoughts crowd his attention. An invitation to join an after-school role-playing game opens up a new connection, while disagreements at home about therapy, gaming, and school put that friendship in tension with family expectations. The graphic-novel format frames Isaac’s experience through the themes of belonging and self-acceptance, with disability and mental health central to the story. The description presents the game as a source of connection, not as a substitute for professional care.

Good fit for readers who enjoy

  • Middle-grade readers interested in stories about OCD and disability
  • Readers who enjoy graphic novels about friendship and belonging
  • Young readers drawn to role-playing games as part of a story

Themes

OCD and mental healthFriendshipBelongingSelf-acceptanceFamily expectations

Based on publisher information and book metadata.

Book overview

A moving middle grade graphic novel about friendship, belonging, and learning to love yourself despite the voices in your head.

Isaac Itkin can't get away from his thoughts.

As a lonely twelve-year-old kid with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), everything from studying to looking in the mirror becomes a battle between him and a swarm of unhelpful thoughts.

The strict therapy his mother insists on doesn't seem to be working, but when a group of friends invites him to join their after-school role-playing game, the thoughts feel a little less loud, and the world feels a little brighter.

But Isaac's therapist says that exposure to games can have negative effects on kids with OCD, and when his grades slip, his helicopter mother won't let him play anymore. Now Isaac needs to find a way to prove to himself, to his mother, and to the world that the way to quiet the noise in his head may have been inside him all along.

ALA 2025 Rainbow Book List Pick - 2024 Eisner-Nominated for Best Publication for Kids - A 2024 ALA Notable Children's Book - New York Public Library Best Book of 2023

? "Heartwarming [and] authentic" --Shelf Awareness, starred review
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