Jamie grins and talks with his mouth full of egg. "You've got something weird and new that they haven't figured out yet?" I think this book is such a powerful and a must read because it portrays such a powerful and heartfelt message that could really change the world some day. In this story of hope and endurance, we follow a scientist and her team during their search for the elusive 'Giant Arctic Jellyfish'. Olive was kinda an unreliable main character because of her illness she has pretty erratic behavior through out the story. But i managed to related to her struggle so many times; her self hate and bad thoughts.... The depictions of the various mental illnesses was well done, I was able to identify Olive's illness almost immediately without being explicitly told what it was. I think it's good for people who don't have these issues to be exposed to them, as it helps fight mental health stigma which is still a huge problem in society.

Anyway, then I was there [in the greenhouse] and the storm was there and I realized just how not normal it was that I'd run out into the garden. And my head felt like it was burning and screaming and full of insects that were exploding one by one behind my eyes..." Another tear bubbles up and jumps down my cheek. "And I realized that I'm not very well again," I gasp, needing more air. "And I'm not sure I can go through that again."' (p17)* She is in pieces, and really struggles to deal with discovering this possible diagnosis... but she's also really annoyed that it's only a possible diagnosis, and not a definite one, that they're still uncertain what she's dealing with. The first half of the book is great and I enjoyed the characters, their dialogue, and the usual Holly Bourne humor and sarcasm. I even kept pausing to take note of quotable passages. But as soon as the characters (led by Olive, our main character) came up with their pseudo-superhero group which they call "Prime Numbers" to spread the "kindness" virus, it kind of went downhill from there. It was like the author was planning to write one thing and then ended up writing something else. I felt like it wasn't the direction she was shooting for but decided just to go through with it. While at camp Olive notices her surroundings a lot and her fellow "campers". The conclusion she reaches is that maybe its the world that needs fixing and not them. That its the world that something is wrong with. They reach this conclusion:What also annoyed me was the fact that the author kept writing "I could feel the oxygen on my skin". Girl, I would be seriously impressed if you could separate the feeling of oxygen from all the other components of the air. You can't feel the oxygen separately! Air is made up mostly of nitrogen, so if you want to sound scientific use nitrogen. I know that this is not something very important that should alter my opinion of a book, but my little nerdy brain can't take someone seriously if they don't seem to be scientifically correct. The characters themselves were interesting, however I do wish they had of been explored a bit more and their progress, as it would have given a positive look into what treatment can do when done right! David Almond introduces his new picture book, A Way to the Stars, a story about perseverance and finding a way to make dreams come true.

If your mental illness is linked to an excessive amount of empathy or if you're easily triggered by description of depression or mania, think twice if you're in the right mindset to read the book.In terms of characters, where do I even start? Olive is such a likeable but also dislikable character and I really guess it depends how you see her. I liked her a lot whereas some people who may not be very familiar with her illness probably think she’s a bit of a bitch due to her actions. I like her a lot because I get tha I really loved the message of the book overall about kindness and, most importantly, being kinder to yourself. It’s a message that really hit home for me and my own mental health issues and I really appreciated that the author highlighted that. It’s such an important message. I’m not going to go through every character but two who stood out, and I think were meant to stand out, are Jamie and Lewis. Jamie is the typical guy you’re supposed to like, all charming and boyish, whereas Lewis is the typical awkward, never-been-kissed type of guy and I have to admit, I didn’t like him to begin with. He did eventually grow on me, and Olive’s and his friendship was sweet, but personally I will always prefer Jamie. The Nottinghill Carnival takes central stage in this story about families, memories and the power of dance and festivals. Author Yaba Badoe tells... Because of this, I feel it's kind of more respectful to Olive not to discuss what she is dealing with. Saying that, knowing a bit more about mental illnesses through the reading I've done, I did have a theory about what she might have, which was partly confirmed. More on that later. Even though she doesn't want to know exactly what it is she has, she definitely has some thoughts about it. During a Core Beliefs class, the teens are given a sheet of paper listed with negative core beliefs, and they are asked to circle two they feel applies to them. The idea is that they then reword it to say "I would prefer it if I was not..." and rework it into something more positive. This was actually really interesting, and something I think everybody could do with thinking about - whether you have a mental illness or not, we all, at times, suffer from self-doubt, low self-esteem, or negative thoughts about ourselves, and I found it really interesting. Anyway, Olive is looking through the list, after circling one, trying to decide on another, because there are several that she thinks.

YA Book Prize for teen fiction winner announced". Future News - Media Planner. 3 May 2018 . Retrieved 8 May 2018. Young Adult fiction takes over the Edinburgh International Book Festival 2018". Edinburgh Festival. 12 July 2018 . Retrieved 3 September 2018. I didn't like some of the characters; I mean, the cool guy who plays in a band, smokes too much weed and sleeps with all of the girls and then the shy virgin maths boy? A little bit stereotypical. And Sophie didn't have any character traits aside from her mental illness.There is this huge theme of kindness running throughout the story. Like its the main big thing/message of the whole book and to be honest i am obsessed with that! The author doesn’t take any precaution in this book and throws us right into the main character’s mind, an experience that was raw, emotional and intense. As we slowly get to know her and her issues, as we see her slowly but certainly unravelling, in both positives and negative ways, it’s hard to look away. But there comes a point when things really don't go very well. Her psychologist, Dr. Jones is worried about her and thinks there needs to be a change in her meds, she has Dr. Bowers, a psychiatrist, to sit in on their one-on-one therapy session, to discuss alternative medication, and he completely puts his foot in it. As a mental health nurse in training, I have to say that I am so impressed with the way Holly has managed to portray Olive’s illness in this book. I managed to recognise her illness only a few chapters in as the book doesn’t actually specify Olive’s illness until quite far into the book as she doesn’t actually want to know what her diagnosis is. I thought this was such a great little addition to the book as there are people living with a mental illness who don’t necessarily want to put a label on their behaviour and it actually really interested me that Holly chose to take this approach. That's when the top blows off his volcano. "BECAUSE I'M IN A BAND!" he shouts and Sophie squeals. "I'm not traumatised or poor or abused, okay? I just smoked a shit ton of weed because I'm in a band and that's what people in bands do. I'm just a selfish idiot addict. How are you going to save the world from selfish idiots? Because I'll tell you what..." his voice lowers to almost a growl. "I don't think absolving myself of all responsibility for the bad decisions I've made in my life is going to make the world a better place. In fact I think it's going to make it a worse one. Yeah shit happens, yadda yadda. But I'm the reason I'm here. I'm the reason I'm like this. And I'm the reason the moment I'm out of here I'll probably go straight to my dealer and buy an ounce, smoke it and probably start tripping out again. Letting people off is not the answer."' (p254-255)*

Recently, our understanding of mental illness has begun to move away from purely biological models and towards one that considers the individual experience. Instead of asking, “What’s wrong with you?” we are finally asking, “What happened to you?” More people feel brave enough to share their stories and this should only be encouraged, never ridiculed. I’m inclined to wonder what happened to Liddle, to make him someone who sneers at those fighting to make the world a kinder, safer place for young people. But it’ll take someone braver than me to find compassion for him. I’m going to continue fighting for young snowflakes, and empowering them to share their stories. Together, we can create an avalanche and, hopefully, a world that doesn’t make people ill. I don’t think that’s such a crazy thought. The part with the kindness virus was pretty ridiculous to me, to be honest. I thought the idea itself was not well thought out by itself, plus I doubt people in that situation are so easily convinced to take time from their free therapy that normally is incredibly expensive and that a bunch of teens wouldn't use social media for that kind of project, which would have a far wider reach. Are We All Lemmings and Snowflakes? reminds me a lot of Am I Normal Yet?. Bourne is a master at talking about mental health for sure. I love how compassionate, how tender this book is in so many ways. I do wish that we had learned more about Olive’s life before coming to this camp—we only barely meet her best friend, Ally, and only hear superficially about stresses she experienced in the past school year. I understand the focus is on her experience at camp, yet I don’t really feel like I got to know Olive as well as I could.

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At Camp Reset, she meets a diverse bunch of teens displaying varying degrees of fragility. Cannabis psychosis, sexual abuse, self-harm, the heaviest of burdens. The febrile environment produces fiery disputes, sexual risk-taking, and at times blank despair, as these young people edge closer towards a tentative friendship. Their questions would test the wisdom of Solomon. Is mental illness preventable? What if the problem is not them but the world itself? Maybe the world needs to be fixed, and Olive is a girl with a plan. This book is about Olive, a teenager who has a hard time coping in this world..... "Being normal". Her doctor suggest a solution in terms of Camp Reset, a place where she might have a chance of finding normality. And during a conversation with Lewis - a maths genius who is helping out with her idea to save the world - she uses a maths metaphor to explain how people with mental illness are seen and treated: It just so much more than a book, it kinda gives out to you a much better, healthier and a positive way of living with people around you and even yourself.