One Square Inch

Publishers Weekly

Mills (How Oliver Olson Changed the World) delivers a compassionate story about life with a bipolar parent. Eleven-year-old Cooper and his younger sister, Carly, consider their life in Colorado "normal" until their widowed mother begins to sleep all day. After seeing a psychiatrist, she seems to get better, only to swing to the opposite end of the spectrum. Organized and perceptive, Cooper tries to ignore the unpaid bills, power outage, endless projects, and "unbelievable mess," but his mother's behavior embarrasses and angers him ("I started trying to clean up the kitchen.... If the house looked less crazy, it might make her be less crazy, too"). Not knowing where to turn, he and Carly find escape and comfort imagining a place called Inchland, inspired by their grandfather's collection of Quaker Oats deeds to land in the Yukon. Though Cooper's narration at times feels excessively sensitive ("She reached out and gave me a long, enfolding hug. I fought tears as I hugged her back"), the twist of his emotions and depth of his concern for his mother and sister are believable and deeply moving. Ages 10–14. (Sept.)

From the Publisher

“Believable and deeply moving” —Publishers Weekly

“Cooper’s narration is restrained yet heartfelt, credible in the toll that anxiety increasingly takes on him even as he attempts to reason himself out of it” —The Bulletin of the Center for Childrens Books

 “An expertly crafted, low-key alternative to Leslie Connor’s Waiting for Normal (2008).” —Booklist

Children's Literature - Barbara Wheatley

Sixth-grade Cooper and his younger sister Carly have lived alone with their mother in Colorado since the death of their father years ago in a car accident. Life as a family of three is fine until their mom begins sleeping all day, leaving Cooper and Carly alone to fend for themselves. While dealing with the normal middle school anxieties such as girls, new classes, and friends, Cooper also worries about his mother, wondering if she has cancer or another disease, and wishing life would go back to normal. Cooper also takes care of Carly when their mother neglects them and together they turn to Gran-Dan's gift from the summer; eight Quaker Oats deeds to land in the Yukon, each one a deed for one square inch of land. Here Carly and Cooper create the magical world of Inchland, where they escape their tumultuous real life; an imaginative land they wish they could visit as their mother becomes more difficult. After their mom visits a psychiatrist, her depression seems to go away, and the children think that life will become normal. Instead her moods swing drastically towards manic behavior—shopping binges, staying up all night, and promising more than she can do—which are more frightening and embarrassing than the depression and sleeping all day. While this book deceptively may appeal to younger readers; it is more appropriate for older readers since it realistically and sensitively portrays life with a bipolar mother through the eyes of the son, Cooper. Reviewer: Barbara Wheatley

Kirkus Reviews

In this poignant tale, two children try to cope with their mother's bewildering descent into bipolar disorder by retreating into their own imagined world of a miniature kingdom, Inchland. Sixth grader Cooper relates his account of his mother's disabling depression that is followed by a manic phase that causes her to shop relentlessly, take on projects she can't possibly handle, totally abandon housekeeping and finally neglect both children, especially second grader Carly. The children's concern for their mother—Cooper Googles various diseases trying to find one that matches her symptoms—followed by their embarrassment as her behavior becomes more bizarre are affecting and emotionally true. Less believable are some of his thoughts: "Shards of frost lay littered on the lawn like broken glass," or, "Ben with effortless strength and grace..." hardly seem like the voice of a sixth grader. Cooper's efforts to protect his sister by helping her develop Inchland, however, are both tender and at times pathetic. While engaging, it's difficult to imagine a large audience for this often painful story. (Fiction. 10 & up)