Mock Newbery 2026 discussion

Good character development. Comments I read concerning OCD indicated that the author was on target with the portrayal of Matthew and his mental illness.
OCD was the central theme of the book and the mystery of the toddler being kidnapped keeps the reader engaged.
I'm not Newbery savvy enough to predict, but I do feel it is a good addition to a middle school collection end that students will enjoy reading this.

I believe in was not originally published in the states, which means it is not eligible.

Well pooh!
That makes sense. The story takes place, I believe, in London and the mother of the children is in the US when Teddy is kidnapped.
Thank you Jordan.

Kidnapped

Goldfish Boy reminded me of The Nest by Kenneth Oppel, Canadian so also not eligible. Not exactly sure why but mostly because of style of the writing. I liked Goldfish Boy better but felt it was very British in the approach to a lost child and the kind of bullying. I'm glad to find a book that so well present OCD, although I believe that the genesis is often not as obvious as in this book. I think this book may work well as a group read to generate lots of discussion in Intermediate and MS classes.