Ariel Crashes a Train by Olivia A. Cole
on March 12, 2024
ISBN: 0593644662
Genres: Realistic Fiction
Format: Fiction, Young Adult
Goodreads

With her best friend Leah taking off for the summer and her sister Mandy away at college, Ariel is left alone spending another summer working at Wildwood carnival feeling trapped in her own body and with her religious and emotionally detached parents.  Ariel is also trying to keep “the crocodile” at bay–the voice that compells her to push the old lady into traffic at the bus stop and to send the children’s train ride straight off its tracks. While she tries to hide her intrusive thoughts and odd behavior from her new friends and colleagues, Ariel reaches a tipping point and learns that the crocodile is really OCD and that it doesn’t have to control her life.

This novel in verse is a raw and gripping portrayl of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Being privy to Ariel’s inner turmoil is jarring at times but it is also honest which will speak to teen readers. In addition to mental illness, discussions of gender, religion, and race are interwoven into the story. It is ultimately about the journey to self-love, self-acceptance, and allowing yourself to find happiness. 

Grades 9-12

Recommended for Cream of the Crop

Kerrie Lattari, York Middle School, York