Buzzing (A Graphic Novel)

by Samuel Sattin, Rye Hickman

Overview

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

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780316628419
Publisher:	Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication date:	07/18/2023
Pages:	224
Sales rank:	66,611
Product dimensions:	5.70(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.70(d)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Samuel Sattin is an author and coffee addict. He is the adapter of Cartoon Saloon's Academy Award Nominated Irish Folklore trilogy to graphic novel format, and is writing a reimagining of the Osamu Tezuka character, Unico, for a new manga series. His past work includes Bezkamp and The Silent End. He graduated with an MFA in Comics from California College of the Arts and a Creative Writing MFA from Mills College, and lives in Oakland, California.

Rye Hickman is a visual storyteller and a graduate of the Savannah College of Art and Design's Sequential Art program. Past work includes Lonely Receiver, TEST, Moth & Whisper, and more. They get really excited about dystopian fiction, good coffee, and drawing hands. You can find out more about Hickman at ryehickman.com, their Instagram @ryehickmandraws, and twitter @ryehickman.

Editorial Reviews

A 2024 ALA Notable Children's Book
A New York Public Library Best Book of 2023

"A sweet story that fans of Raina Telgemeier will enjoy."—School Library Journal

“A heartwarming, authentic middle-grade graphic novel…Buzzing blooms with insight, inspiration, and compassion.”

—Shelf Awareness, starred review

"A positive, sympathetic introduction to living with OCD."—Kirkus Reviews

"…a cleverly rendered interpretation of OCD embedded in a wholesome graphic novel drama."—Publishers Weekly

“There are lots of graphic novels about kids experiencing anxiety or intrusive thoughts, but not many featuring boys, which makes this stand out. Hand to kids who related to Lee Durfey-Lavoie and Veronica Agarwal's ‘Just Roll with It’ (2021) or Kathryn Ormsbee and Molly Brook's ‘Growing Pangs’ (2022).”—Booklist

“The power of a role-playing group can’t fix everything, but it goes a long way. Isaac is a teen with OCD [and] suffers from near-constant intrusive thoughts, cleverly visualized here as bees with mean voices. Over the story, he builds confidence and community by leaning into his love of fantasy and drawing; as a former fellow misfit teen artist, it was wonderful to watch him grow. This is a nuanced and diverse coming-of-age story. I’m so excited for all of the readers who will discover it and see themselves in it.”—Maia Kobabe, author of Gender Queer: A Memoir

“With Buzzing, Sattin and Hickman show that epic adventures hide in the most unlikely places. The story reads like an immersive role-playing game where colorful characters, lavish landscapes, and harrowing challenges await you at every turn. The brilliance of Buzzing is that it masterfully illustrates how stories and games have the power to transform our lives.”—David Gallaher, author of The Only Living Boy and The Only Living Girl

“Brilliant and timely, Buzzing uses tabletop role-playing games as a method to make your own choices with conviction and, in so doing, handles the idiosyncrasies of having OCD with both care and sincerity.”—Steenz, illustrator of Archival Quality and Heart of the City

From the Publisher

2023-04-24
A middle schooler with obsessive-compulsive disorder navigates family, friendship, and role-playing games.

Isaac, who has light brown skin and dark curly hair, was recently diagnosed with OCD. He constantly hears the metaphorical buzzing of his intrusive thoughts, depicted as cute but cruel cartoon bees. The artwork makes good use of color to bring readers into Isaac’s world. His bees are always brightly colored, as are the panels depicting positive experiences such as his art, the friends he is beginning to make, and the fantasy world of their Dungeons & Dragons–like role-playing game. In contrast, school and home are shown in drab, largely gray and beige tones. Isaac’s mom does her best to support and protect him, but her efforts slide into being overprotective and controlling. Over the course of the narrative, however, she learns to trust Isaac and support him as he figures out his own path. With their mom’s attention on Isaac, his sister, Miriam, feels ignored, and she takes this out on him. This is a sensitive depiction of an unfortunate reality: When one sibling has a difficult diagnosis, others often feel pushed aside. In this case, both siblings are ultimately able to support each other while expressing their needs to their mother. This book provides a positive, sympathetic introduction to living with OCD, with appeal for readers who have the same diagnosis as well as those who do not.

An original exploration of living with mental illness. (supplemental art) (Graphic fiction. 9-13)

Kirkus Reviews

06/26/2023

Because of the intrusive thoughts and compulsions—visually rendered as an ever-present swarm of bullying cartoon bees—that characterize his recently diagnosed obsessive-compulsive disorder, 12-year-old Isaac, portrayed with brown skin, has been feeling overwhelmed and isolated. So he’s delighted when classmates, impressed by his drawings of dragons and other mythical creatures, invite him to join their Swamps & Sorcery RPG group. Isaac finds that he loves the game and that hanging out with his intersectionally diverse new friends—and developing romantic feelings for white and freckled nonbinary peer Micah—helps reduce the frequency of his symptoms. But Isaac’s mother worries that these new experiences will have a negative effect on his mental health, and Isaac’s older sister Miriam feels ignored because of their mother’s focus on Isaac. Palette shifts between blue/gray tones and full-color sequences respectively depict Isaac’s everyday life managing his OCD alongside moments of joy and calm, such as interactions with his friends and fantastical scenes from the tweens’ RPG. Via Isaac’s nuanced relationships with classmates, family, and himself, collaborators Sattin and Hickman (Bezkamp, for adults) conceive a cleverly rendered interpretation of OCD embedded in a wholesome graphic novel drama. Ages 8–12. Agent: (for both) Dara Hyde, Hill Nadell Literary. (July)

Publishers Weekly