Whaley, John C.
HIGHLY ILLOGICAL BEHAVIOR
New York: Dial, 2016.
IL YA
ISBN 0525428186


  (3 booktalks)

Booktalk #1

After an embarrassing breakdown that including being in his underwear in the school fountain, 16-year-old agoraphobic Solomon hasn’t left his house in a few years.  He enjoys his comfortable life with his loving parents, playing card games and reading comics. Lisa, a former classmate, has never stopped remembering the day Solomon went in the fountain.  In fact, he inspired her to pursue a scholarship to study psychology at a prestigious college program.  She must write an entrance essay detailing her experience with mental illness.  She decides Solomon is the perfect person for her to cure and write about.  She and her boyfriend Clark develop a genuine friendship with Solomon and things are starting to look up for him.  As their friendship grows, Solomon begins to have feelings for Clark and some uncomfortable truths come out.  (Oklahoma High School Sequoyah Award, 2018)

Booktalk #2

Do you sometimes wish that you could stay at home and never, ever, go out? For Solomon, the only way to control his agoraphobia is to stay inside and avoid any contact with “the outside.” But what happens if the outside comes in? Solomon’s carefully developed rational behavior will be put to a test when a very determined “outsider” enters his world and brings a friend and a hidden agenda. This book portrays both the difficulties and the life-changing effects of fighting for relationships that are worthy. (Florida Teens Read (FTR) 2017-2018)

Booktalk #3

When it is really cold outside, or really hot, I wish that I didn't have to leave the house. I think about how great it would be if I didn't have to go to school or work or run errands. Just stay home where it is safe. Of course most people feel like that at times but Solomon feels that way all the time. As a matter of fact, he hasn't left the house since middle school. That time his panic attack was so bad that he tore off his clothes and jumped into the school fountain.  He now lives with comic books, card  games and homeschooling. Therapy hasn't worked and his parents worry that he will never be able to leave the house without having a panic attack. When Lisa, a high school junior who used to be a classmate, contacts him and wants to visit, Sol has some big decisions to make.  Will he let the outside world in even if he can't go out? And why does Lisa want to see him? Will this be a good thing for Sol or put him further inside?