The Unlikely Hero of Room 13B by Teresa Toten

I had no expectation when I started reading this book, but within pages, I knew I had something very special in my hands.

Adam Spencer Ross is a young man with issues, he counts everything obsessively.  One week, while attending his OCD group therapy session, a new member walks in and almost immediately Adam knows that their fates are linked, that he could love her.  This prompts him to work harder at making changes in his life that have far reaching impacts he couldn't have imagined.  His personal changes starts ripples throughout the members of his group.

I love this book. I love Adam, there is something about him that calls out to me.  He seems so earnest in wanting to improve himself.  I particularly like how he helps his little step-brother deal with his anxiety.    Even though I am not a boy and no longer a teen, his behaviour seems right on.

I find Adam to be an inspiring character.  He shows that personal growth is quite possible even through small, seemingly inconsequential improvements.  And the super hero angle, it shows that each of us is capable of huge acts if only we can shed the baggage we carry around that is stopping us.

Author Teresa Toten won the Governor General Award for Children's Literature for this book in 2013 along with a number of other important awards.

Cover image courtesy Penguin RandomHouse Canada.

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