Popcorn by Rob Harrell
Seventh grader Andrew’s anxiety feels like popcorn in his belly, and the more he heats up with anxiety, the more they pop. He’s been to therapy before, but his mother couldn’t afford it, so he does his best to practice what he learned while there. And he’s going to need those management skills on picture day because it feels like everything that can go wrong is going wrong: encounters with bullies, spills on his brand new shirt, and, worst yet, his grandmother with Alzheimer’s goes missing. His anxiety and OCD quickly spiral into a full-blown panic attack. This is based on the author’s experiences with anxiety and OCD.