Naked Mole Rat Saves the World is a very deep middle grade book that dives into anxiety and how it affects us all.

I didn't expect such a delightfully titled book to be so... potentially dark? There's a lot of anxiety in it, and I kind of expected the naked mole rat to actually save the world and be a superpower somehow, instead of just being a tiny plot device at the end of the book. Regardless of how the book was presented, it brought a lot of tough topics to light. Anxiety, being scared of the world, traumatic events, panic attacks, anxiety attacks, loss of friendship, SO MANY DEEP AND DARK TOPICS. It does it well though, but felt like a book for more of a thirteen year old than a younger middle grader. It definitely could be read by that age group, but it felt... too tough subject wise.

I am impressed by this book even if I wasn't 100% connected to it. It would be a great book for school to help introduce topics about mental health and mental illness to a younger crowd.

Three out of five stars. ( )