'The Goldfish Boy' by Lisa Thompson

Goldfish boy is, at its heart, a mystery-detective story, with the slant that 12-year-old Matthew, the narrator, has OCD. While his condition is a complete mystery to everyone around him, the author has done such a good job of getting inside his head, that his behaviour makes complete sense to us, the readers.

Matthew spends all his time in his highly-disinfectanted bedroom, watching the outside world go by. So, when 15-month-old Teddy Dawson goes missing from the garden next door, Matthew is the perfect person to work out what happened to him. Matthew knows the quirks and habits of all his neighbours so well that he has a good idea of who might have taken Teddy. There's just one problem - several of the neighbours could've done it. And, as Matthew hates leaving his sterile room, he is forced to rely on the slightly weird Melody Bird to do his footwork in the outside world. As the story progresses, reclusive Matthew is forced to reconsider his ideas about friendship and to face up to his guilty secret that is at the heart of his fear of germs.

I loved the mystery element of this book but, even more, I loved the empathetic portrayal of a boy with OCD. Getting under his skin was fascinating and gave me new insight into the condition. This would be a great book for anyone who loves a good mystery (eg fans of Robin Stevens, Sophie Cleverly etc) but also a brilliant read for anyone wanting a better understanding of mental health conditions.