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My Name is Zelah Green and I’m a cleanaholic.

I spend most of my life running away from germs. And dirt. And people. And I’m just about doing OK and then my stepmother packs me off to some kind of hospital to live with a load of strangers. It’s stuck in the middle of nowhere. Great. There’s Alice who’s anorexic. Caro who cuts herself. Silent Sol who has the cutest smile. And then there’s me.

Good reads

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Comments on: "Zelah Green – Vanessa Curtis" (38)

  1. Chloe Rees said:

    This book is so creative and brilliant well written book by Vanessa Curtis. This book highlights Zelah’s battle with OCD and the things she has to do to get better at managing it. Her step mother has had enough and after being left all by herself with Zelah, she sends her to a hospital to help with her OCD. Zelah’s mother recently died from cancer and her dad strangely left (to get his own help). She is confused and mad but she begins her journey to becoming a better person. I love the ending and how everything starts sorting itself out but the last few pages leave you on a bit of a cliffhanger. I would rate this book a 8/10 and recommend this book because you really learn so much as well as it is a very good story.

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  2. Evelyn said:

    The book keeps on giving us more and more exciting events, even if they aren’t major climax’s in the book, they still give the book lots of interesting things to keep you hooked. If I were in this strange place, I think I’d be shocked to the core and I would have no idea what to do next. Zelah scared me when she asked Caro about her parents for her birthday. I was nervous for her because her and Caro had somewhat just started to get along and then there was one of those small exciting or more nerve – wracking turn of events. Most of the characters in the book are so nice to Zelah and this book is amazing and when I start reading I just can’t stop, because as soon as I start feeling like nothing’s happening, something happens!

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  3. Alicia said:

    I had to read this book for lit circles and i really enjoyed it. I do not personally relate to Zelah but it was interesting to see how she lives her daily life with OCD and being a clean freak. This book always had something interesting going on, but there was not to much at a time. It was easy to follow and a good amount of characters. I really enjoyed this book.

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  4. Bonnie said:

    A really powerful and emotional story, which so teenagers experience.
    Although this isn’t one of my favourite novels, I did end up reading it for Lit circles and I certainly did enjoy our groups own discussion and analysis on it all.
    This book certainly contains elements of drama, and can be perhaps a novel of hope for those going through the similar issues of Zelah and some of her friends at the hospital.
    This isn’t a book I would necessarily recommend, but if your’e looking for something different, why not give it a go!

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  5. Matilda said:

    This is an amazing book. It is a story about a young girl who suffers really badly from OCD and she does not cope well with germs at all. She really struggles from OCD a lot and has to go to a mental hospital. Zelah is the main character from this story she has to make sure that everything in her life is perfect. i would 10/10 recommend this book i give it a 9/10

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  6. I read Zelah Green for lit circles and I am so glad I did.
    It’s a book about Zelah Green a girl who has some serious OCD. Zelah thinks it’s not such a big deal but her stepmother disagrees. So she sends Zelah to a home for other freaks like her. A girl who won’t eat, a boy who won’t talk, a girl who cuts herself and another girl who she can’t figure out what’s wrong with her are the people she must now live with. I love the characters in this book. They are all so different and have such incredible stories . Zelah is definitely my favourite character in this book. She pushes through when things get tough and she doesn’t let her OCD stop her. She is super persistent. The character I can relate the most to would be Zelah as well because I have a little bits of OCD as well but nothing as bad as Zelahs. I would change the book a bit by making it not as dark. I recommend this book to 10+ and I would rate it a 8/10.

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  7. WOW that is the only way I can really describe this book because it is full of surprises!

    Im very happy for their family because now they will live a happy life and they will know that Zelah’s mum will be happy with the choice Zelah’s dad has made by dating Heather.

    Zelah has gone through a pretty hectic life which makes me very grateful for the life that I live in and for my family.

    At the start when I first got this book I wasn’t very excited because I didn’t think I would like it but now that I have finished it I have changed my mind and I liked the book A LOT because every page you turn there is another surprise.

    This is a really fun book to read and i definitely recommend it.

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  8. Madeleine said:

    Every time I picked up Zelah Green, I couldn’t seem to stop thinking about it!

    There were so many ups and downs in this book, I feel like Zelah Green is one of those books were you don’t think that it would be very fun in the beginning but as you continue reading, it just gets better and better!

    My favourite character in this book was definitely Erin, although she wasn’t featured very much in the book, she shows us that she has a warm and honest heart and she helps Zelah throughout her journey so much!

    I was really surprised when Zelah had suddenly moved back with her dad, and her dad’s arrival, I wasn’t expecting her dad to just turn up and tell Zelah about how he was ‘suffering from his own problems.’ I wasn’t expecting Heather to be behind most of it either! Although, I am really happy that Zelah got her nice ending.

    I think it would’ve been really cool to see the book feature the other characters’ sides of the stories because I think that would’ve been a crucial thing to include so we can see their personalities! I loved how the story constantly reminded me that everyone is dealing with their own problems, and we need to show empathy to everyone.

    This book was quite a fun read! I would 100% recommend this book to next years year 7’s because it can remind everyone that people do go threw there own stuff and not everyone is perfect.

    I really enjoyed this book and I hope the next readers do as well!

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  9. The book I recommend is Zelah green.
    I really enjoyed this book and sure others would as well.
    I thought the story was engaging and the characters almost immediately likeable.
    The only thing I thought was a bit extreme was Zelah’s showdown with her step-mother it all seemed a bit extreme. But I loved it!
    At the age of 14 Zelah Green goes through a lot.
    She has a step mother she never gets along with but all of a sudden she doesn’t have to put up with her step mother since she put zelah in a random hospital with no-one she knows!!!
    I give this book a 8/10

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  10. Jessica said:

    I loved this book, I read through it so quickly ! This books about a girl who started having OCD after her mum passed away, who dad remarried, a while after that her dad disappeared and while Zelah’s dad was gone her step mum sent her away to get treatment for her OCD, She meets all kinds of different people while she’s away she get so used to life in the treatment house she doesn’t want to leave to go back to her step mum, but she has no choice they cant afford to have her in there any longer. This book documents Zelah’s journey with OCD, and is a really inspirational eye opening book, I highly recommend it. I would rate this book an 8/10 and I would recommend this book for anyone thats a mature reader.

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  11. I would recommend the book Zelah Green. I actually read this book in lit circles and didn’t really think I would like it. I was actually a bit disappointed that I didn’t get my first preference. Once I started reading I realised how good this book was and suddenly I couldn’t wait to read it. Every week I would look forward to reading Zelah Green, desperate to find out what happened next.

    This book is about a girl called Zelah. Zelah has a condition called (oops spoiler alert, I won’t tell so I don’t ruin it for you). This condition changes her whole life and it’s pretty hard to handle sometimes. Living with only her step mum after her Dad disappeared, Zelah’s pretty miserable. Her step Mum is awful to Zelah and sends her away to an unknown place. Who will be there and will they be nicer than her step mum or worse….????

    This book gets a 10/10. Everything was so unexpected and made you want to read on till the book was finished……….. then read it all over again! I personally think that girls would like this book more than boys but some boys may enjoy it just as much as girls. The only thing I would change was the ending and make it with even moe twists. Read this book to see what happens to Zelah after her life changes, all thanks to her step mum.

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  12. I could really relate to her. I would rate this a 10 out of 10 as I’m the same age as her, I can feel her emotion. I would say that year 7 and up can read this as younger reader may not get the story.

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  13. Kasey said:

    Zelah Green is an awesome book. I couldn’t put the book down and I was at the edge of my seat. My favourite part of the book was when Heather drove Zelah to the mental hospital for girls, I loved how Zelah didn’t know where she was going. I found that the book went fast and it was very enjoyable. I am not usually very interested in books, but Zelah Green has me totally hooked.I give this book a 9.5/10 and it is aged between 12 and 16

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  14. OMG i am reading this book for lit circles and i’m in loveeee. the book Zelah Green is written by such a talented author Vanessa Curtis and has made this book so heart warming, sad at times and very exiting. this book is about a young amazing girl called Zelah Green who suffers from OCD. Zelah’s mum has died of cancer and she doesn’t know her dad. she has an awful step mother who sent her to a hospital and her life is about to change.my favourite character would have to be DOC (which you meet half way through the book) because she’s so nice and really caring and she helps zelah a-lot with her mental problem i rate this amazing book a 10/10 and i would recommend it for 12 years and older.

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  15. I loved the book Zelah Green. I have just finished reading it for lit circles and I enjoyed it very much. It is about a girl who has a bad case of OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) Her Mum dies and then her Dad runs away and she is left with the mean stepmother who her Dad was drawn to after her mum died. Her stepmother sends her away and Zelah ends up at a house with others who have problems. I liked Sol because of his gentle personality and how he connects to Zelah and also Lib because she was always so happy and jolly. I loved Zelah because of her mostly overcoming her problems even though Vanessa Curtis described how hard it was for her to do it. I learned a lot about OCD and now I understand how hard it would be for people who have it. I really enjoyed reading it and I rate it a 8/10. I recommend it to people over the age of 13.

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  16. where do i start! i am only half way through this book but i already love this! its has so much heart and cosy feelings but still keeping you on your toes. it has lots of twists and turns and i just love it, but i would recommend this to over 13 because it dose have some confronting times. happy reading!

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  17. nyajal said:

    The book zelah green is a great book. Zelah green is about a young girl who has ODC. She goes to a hospital where others like her go to.She has to go through a journey and it had a mixture of different emotions throughout the book. I think that it is a great book. This book tells us to be brave . I would really recommend this book it is a good read

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  18. Paniz said:

    The book of Zelah Green included a mixture of everything you like to see in a book, from adventure, journeys and then a hint of romance, this book has it all. When I first started reading this book I was really intrigued by all the characters and how step by step I got the chance to find out about them and where they come from. The stepmother was really horrible and she treated Zelah very unfairly, I really hated her. I’ve only got one word to describe Fran…..Careless, at least thats how she acted towards the end of the book. Zelah Green had to overcome a lot of problems in her Journey and she was very courageous, I really liked the way Zelah faced her challenges strongly. I didn’t really like the ending of this book and I think the Author, Vanessa Curtis didn’t really think about it that well, I guess it was because there was a sequel but I was still disappointed. I really couldn’t put down this book, I was really interested to find out what would happen next. I think I would give the book Zelah Green a 8/10 because it was really good but it could have been slightly better.

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  19. Trinity said:

    I enjoyed every bit of Zelah Green! I loved how all the different characters had completely different personalities but they all tied together. Zelah is the main character of this book, and it is all about her having OCD. When I read this book I was going on a journey with Zelah. Romance was also included in this book and I could relate to how Zelah was feeling. My favourite part was when Fran, an old friend of Zelahs came to visit her. I loved the conflict and I struggled to put the book down! The characters really brought the story to life and the book was cleverly written. I strongly recommend reading Zelah green, it was so good I ended up reading the second one too!

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  20. Zelah Green is a great book, and I am so glad that I read this for Year 8 lit circles. This book, written by Vanessa Curtis, is about a girl named Zelah who is a cleanaholic who gets sent to mental hospital. At this hospital, she meets different people who are in a similar situation to her. This book is great because it dealt with serious topics in a different light and showed us what others go through. I really loved this book and I rate it 4.5 stars out of 5. I also recommend this to 12+ because of the themes in the book, but other than that, it’s a good quick read.

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  21. Vincenza said:

    This book is amazing and creative! I loved this book purely because it was nothing like I had ever read before. The whole storyline alone was interesting to read about and each characters mindset was different and unique in their own way. I really liked that the book wasn’t a block of pages and was a good size which meant that it was a really easy book to read even though there was so many things going on in it. My favourite part was definitely where the reader got a more in depth view of what was going on in all of their minds while in the house because I got a really good outlook on what and how they were feeling so I could sort of wonder what it would be like for them. I don’t know if I can relate to any characters, although I know that OCD and the other illnesses would be tough to live with as well as the internal pain they would be suffering secretly. For me the least favourite part of the book would probably be the ending, since it was personally fairly anti climatic, I thought more would have happened. I thought this because of all the event that led up to it just made me assume the end was going to be dramatic and big. I don’t know what I would change in the book apart from the fact that some of it was somewhat unclear, an example could be I don’t now if I missed something but to me I wasn’t given a clear statement of why Lib was there. I guess it just would have been nice to know. I definitely recommend this book to anyone who thinks they don’t like to read because that was me until I read this. I thought I hated books because for me the beginning of every book was always boring so this book changed that.

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  22. Priscilla C said:

    Zelah Green by Vanessa Curtis is an enjoyable novel for 12+. It can be lighthearted and funny but there are also some more serious themes such as the kids at forest hill having mental disorders and goes into quite a bit of depth. Both books are thoroughly entertaining with great characters and settings. Overall this was an engaging read that I really loved reading. I would rate this a 6/10.

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  23. Grace said:

    This is a truly amazing book, and I really enjoyed reading it. It is very creative, but it also covers some serious things, because the characters all face some kind of mental disorder, and live in a hospital to help them overcome these . The book is fantastic to read, and I really liked following Zelah’s life, through the tough sad times and when she overcame something. There a many different emotions you will feel while reading this book. You will feel sad as Zelah face’s some tough challenges, and triumph as she gets over some of the challenges! In some parts of the story you will be forced to laugh and smile, while in others you will frown and cry for Zelah and other characters. The other characters in the book are just as amazing and deep as Zelah and you will fall in love with them. I give this book a 9/10. But I would only recommend this to people age 13+ as there are some serious scenes that are quite disturbing and could be scary to young people, and also take maturity to understand.

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  24. Chloe said:

    This a very interesting and fantastic book! It is about a young girl named Zelah Green who suffers from OCD. This book really connected me and others with the book, knowing that we all have our germ and OCD fears and frets. This book captured the lives of what others in the world are dealing with, both ups and downs. The book is written perfectly, easy to read and understand and definitely an eye catching and addictive book. I would rate it 10/10 to anyone over the age of 13!

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  25. Anabelle said:

    Wow this book that I have just read is incredible, whilst reading this book you become captivated and immersed into the storyline of young Zelah Green, this book is focused on a young teenage girl who has OCD a disorder, I don’t want to give away the rest of the fantastic events and drama that goes on throughout the book so I will let you read it yourself.
    Throughout this book we have been introduced to so many new and interesting characters that all obtain a different personalities. Young kids with disorders, mean stepmothers, kind neighbours and mysterious friends keep you on the edge of you seat the whole way through.During the four weeks of Lit circles I have been tossing up between certain characters to pick truly which one is my favourite but in the end it has to be Zelah when you first meet her she appears as a bubbly, happy and exciting young girl, you not only see this side of her but once you read about her life and what she lives with you seem to meat a whole other new girl, anxious, cautious of all, protective and even insecure. The way she handles tasks and challenges astound me her confidence and bravery shine out but also hide behind her OCD. A close first but my second favourite character would be Heather as she is so supportive and assuring of Zelah when nobody else seems to care. The way that she is described is so exact as I would picture her, the actions she takes towards Zelah are so generous and heartwarming to witness.
    I believe that the author has gone into great depth and has approached this topic and story with great precision, she understands and acknowledges the different disorders and displays them throughout the characters very well. All the events and scenes that occurred during this book were jam-packed full of drama, sadness, happiness, joy and even makes you a little anxious is to what’s going to happen next.
    My overall opinion of this book is that is a outstanding novel that I enjoyed very much to read, it keeps me on the edge of my seat and feeling different emotions and various times. I enjoyed this book so much that I would love to begin reading the sequel and continue the story and see what happens next. As a lit circles book I would definitely say that it was a great choice as it was a great read but also it was enjoyable to reflect on the book into the activity as there was never a dull moment. Zeal Green was a great read and I would definitely recommend this novel to anyone who is interested in a little bit of drama and a insight of the disorder of OCD.
    Author – Vanesser Curtis
    Rating 10 / 10

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  26. WOW, I really, really loved this book because it is so interesting and is really hard to put down the book. My favorite part of the book is when Sol finally talks to Zelah. I really like this part because it is when Sol gains his trust for Zelah. My favourite charter changed all through the book. At the start of the book it was Fran. I liked Fran because she really understood Zelah and what she was going through. My feelings changed when She came and saw Zelah in forest hill. At the end of the book my favourite charter would have to be Zelah, I really liked how she tried to control her OCD and at the end she dropped some of her rituals. I also really liked how she was helping her dad with his little problem. I don’t think I would want change anything about this book because i love it so much. I would decently recommend this book to anyone who likes an exiting and very interesting book. I can’t wait to read the 2nd one.

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  27. Alice said:

    WOW, this book is incredible!!! I have enjoyed reading this book so much and think that it is a very touching story with some adventure and a tad of romance all in one amazing book. The book teaches us about what OCD is and what it can do to peoples lives!! This book is very suitable for teenagers as it explains some metal issues that some teenagers would go through in life. I think this book was very interesting and the writer has done an amazing job with creating strange and very different characters. I would recommend reading this book because it is so intriguing and every chapter just gets better and better.
    I LOVE THIS BOOK!!!!!

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  28. Eleanor said:

    This was the most amazing book I have ever read the author really want you to feel what Zelah feels when she has to pick up every thing with a tissue of scrub her face 32 times as well as her hands. Zelah has multiple problems and the names them there is germ alert, and Dirt alert as well as other things too. After Zelahs mum dies every thing around her family goes out of whack her dad starts drink the disappears and poor Zelah gets diagnosed with OCD and her step mother shipped her off to a mental institution for troubled teenagers where she meets her some lovely and harsh friends. I love this book and if I had to rate it out of 10 I would give it 11!

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  29. Eleanor said:

    Zelah Green has to be my favourite book it is such a fantastic read and pulls you in right at the start. My favourite person has to be Zelah even through she is the main person in the story she is so focused on making everything perfect that she hasn’t noticed that she is different I really like this book and would recommend this to anyone from 12 to 30 it is such a great book and I am going to rate with a 9/10.

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  30. caitlin said:

    WOW… Zelah Green ended. After a month of thinking, reading, predicting and talking about this book it’s over.
    It ended; nothing exciting or exhilarating happened, no action, I o like books with action in it but I understand why there was no action in Zelah Green; the author wanted it to seem realistic. Would I have liked the book more if there was action? Probably YES, maybe there could have been a criminal or thief at Forest Hill House.

    Yet, the book just ended; as all books do. But what’s important is how I feel about the book once it has ended. I always wonder what happens after I finish a book and often read the sequels/prequels. I (as always!) have a thirst to know what happens next! So with that in mind I am planning to read the next book in the series (One More Little Problem).

    Zelah Green was a good book to read but doing the activities and writing journal entries has been challenging. There was no real climax or surprise, which I think the author could have done, whilst still keeping the story realistic. I think that this is a good book to read but maybe not the best for Lit circles.

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  31. Zelah Green was a fantastic book and I really enjoyed reading it! It is about a teenage girl (Zelah Green) living with a mental health condition of OCD. The author Vanessa Curtis has taken us on a journey through the life of a person living with OCD from their own perspective. Zelah has such a beautiful personality in my opinion and I really like her character! She meets many new people when she goes to live at a mental home for all different people with different issues and becomes friends with all of them. My favourite character in this book was probably Zelah but I might have changed my mind had I known more about the other characters. I read this book as a part of Lit Circles and all the girls in my group agreed that we would like to know more about the other featured characters. This made the book seem really entertaining and mysterious! I would highly recommend this book for readers aged 14+ and I rate it a 8.5/10!

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  32. Alyssa said:

    Wow, what a journey I have been on, riding the roller-coaster that is Zelah Green. The characters have opened up a whole new world to me, and have made me more aware of the severity of mental illnesses. I can smell a good book before I even open the cover, so I knew this would be both an enjoyable and educational read. The way the author of Zelah Green, Vanessa Curtis has written the book has given insight into not only Zelah, but other characters in the book. They have such a variety of personalities, from the silent yet handsome Sol to the aggressive likes of Caro.
    Even so, some of the themes in this book are confronting. As a reader it was hard for me to continue reading, because I was either feeling so sorry for what the characters, especially Zelah, were going through or I was wanting to throw my book on the ground in disgust in regards to the way The Doc treated Zelah. Although, I have to admit, The Doc’s methods did help reduce Zelah’s rituals, so she isn’t all that bad.
    I think my absolute favourite part of the book was when Zelah first laid eyes on Sol, her reaction was priceless! After stating that Josh (whom she thought was good looking) was a bearded old man compared to the flawless Sol, I have continued to cannot stress enough how much my heart melted.
    The ending was fairly anti-climatic though, I would like to have seen some long-lost secrets revealed, or explanations on why Lib is the way she is. I just felt like the author rushed the ending. After reading it, I realised what a lack of emotion it had! I would have liked to see more of a dramatic, emotional reunion between Zelah and her father, or a bit more romance between Zelah and Sol. But this may be because I usually read books packed with action.
    I have to be honest, when I first started reading the book, lets just say that the glue that usually refuses to part me from books wasn’t working. But as the storyline progressed, I began to appreciate the characters, which began to motivate me to read further.
    I highly recommend this book for mature readers who like a book that doesn’t contain too much suspense or action, and rate it an 8.5/10

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  33. I really enjoyed reading Zelah Green because since now I have finished it I can really relate to something that happened to Zelah. My favourite part of the book was when Zelah was with Sol in the bedroom and Sol did something that he hadn’t done since a terrible situation occurred in his life, l liked this part because I thought Sol was a great person and him and Zelah would be a great couple. I can sort of relate to Zelah because I have some rituals but not as full on as Zelah. My least favourite part of the book was when Zelah left her home and the step mother didn’t have the decency to wave goodbye or even drive her there. If I could change something I think I would change that her mum didn’t die her parents just got divorced.I would defiantly recommend this book to others it is such a romantic comedy that is a bit sad at times but is a great movie. I rate this book 9 out of 10, this book was really good.

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  34. pandaqueen19 said:

    Love this book
    It’s such a great read

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  35. Devon W said:

    ZELAH GREEN Author: VANESSA CURTIS

    I enjoyed every bit of Zelah Green. It consumed me into her weird but awesome story about her trying to get rid of her problem. Zelah’s mother suffered from cancer, her father left her for about 3 or 2 months and her HORRIBLE step mother booted her out of her OWN house ! Its my favourite book EVER ! Zelah Green is 14 and a clean-a-holic. I recommend this book to a person who loves a bit of mystery and lots and lots of drama. Out of all the books I read I rate this 5 out of 5 stars, BEST BOOK EVER ! The books blurb is describing Zelah SO WELL ! The other characters are so different to Zelah they’re the same but different in every way, so confusing isn’t it! The last page leaves you on a cliff hanger that makes you want to read this book till the end of time! I WANT TO READ MORE!!! Vanessa Curtis (the author and creator of Zelah and the others) makes the best books! The story tells you that YOU can do anything if you put your mind to it and if you have supporting family/friends then it will help WAY more than you thought would EVER happen. I hope you consider this gorgeous book and make it your all time favourite! Hope you read more of Vanessa Curtis’s books!

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  36. (sighs loudly) This book was awesome!! It really made me think about other peoples life. Its great how we get to explain whats going on in the book, and explaining how it would affect our busy, busy life. I was a little disappointed on the ending of the story as I don’t think the author over thought how the ending was because they just ‘popped’ the dad in. But the condition was well explained thoughtout the book as I really had no idea what OCD meant… this is a really good learning book. The book had it’s ups and downs and so did I, at some point in the book I loved it and i didn’t want to put it down. As an example the part where Fran got a little angry… it made me think how will the next part go.

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  37. Zelah Green – I enjoyed the book Zelah Green because it was easy to read and I got a lot out of it. My favourite character in the whole book would have to be Sol because I like his gentle personality. I like how Sol and Zelah connect and relate to each other. I don’t like how Lib at the end of the book disappears and spends lots of time and I’m not sure what problem she has. Overall I Zelah Green was one of those books that I just couldn’t put down and I would give it a rating of 8 out of 10.

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  38. This is a fantastic book, creatively written by Vanessa Curtis.It is a stoy of a young girl called Zelah Green who suffers from OCD. When Zelah is sent to a hospital by her mean stepmother Zelah Green finds that her life is now going to change dramatically. My favourite character is Zelah’s stepmother because she reminds me of the story Cinderella. I really enjoyed read the crazy life of Zelah Green and would rate it a 9/10. At the hospital there are some disturbing scence so i would recommend it to people over the age of 14.

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