Guts

Guts
Raina Telgemeier
Scholastic, September, 2019, 213 pages
Grades 4-Up
Graphic Novel

The undisputed guru of graphic novels for kids, Telgemeier delves back into her childhood to offer another autobiographical story. Fourth grade Raina get hit hard with a stomach virus. After that encounter, she begins to develop chronic stomach aches and a constant fear of vomiting, which makes her stomach hurt even more. The pain and urgency of being near a bathroom has forced Raina to miss school and affects her social life. After a cycle of doctor visits, a diagnosis of IBS is determined and Raina begins work with a therapist to try to relieve some of her stress and anxiety. Meanwhile, fifth grade begins--and with it social interactions become even more complicated. Now puberty is rearing its ugly head and some girls are developing faster than others, leaving late bloomers, like Raina, behind. When her best friend finds out that her family is moving and befriends the class Queen Bee, Raina feels more alone than ever. How can she learn to cope in the tricky school social environment? And what if her classmates find out the truth about her medical condition and therapy?

Raina Telgemeier pioneered the current trend of graphic memoirs for young people, which has revolutionized the complete children's publishing industry. A new offering from Telgemeier is a big deal and with this new installment, fans will not be disappointed. Going back to her own childhood, Telgemeier talks about her struggles with IBS, anxiety, and digestion with an author's note at the end lending authenticity to the story. Many of today's young people, including one who lives in my house, suffer from anxiety and it manifests itself in many ways. Stomach problems and IBS are shared with many members of my family and it is a common problem. Guts will reassure readers that they are not alone and, perhaps, give them the courage to talk about it, instead of trying to hide. Warning to parents of younger readers: this book gets into puberty and talks about girls developing and getting their periods. At my library kids as young as six and seven read Telgemeier's books. If you are not ready to get into this discussion with your kids, you may want to put this book off for a while. That said, it is perfect for the target age group of older tweens and is reminiscent of the honesty of Are You There God Its Me Margaret and other titles by Judy Blume. The illustrations are, as always, spot-on, the full color is vibrant and eye-catching, and the simply designed panels easy to scan. A high-quality, personal story of which we come to expect from the author/illustrator.