Book Review: GUTS, by Raina Telgemeier

I knew as soon as I finished Guts by Raina Telgemeier that I needed to write about it. It was a highly anticipated book, partly due to the success of her other graphic novels. Now you may have been like me, where you are excited for kids to want to read any book, but you had no intention of reading it yourself.  However, once I saw just how popular it was, I decided I needed to read it myself, and I’m so glad I did.

Guts is a memoir about a 5th grade girl, Raina, who is going through your average friend drama, but is also dealing with her own personal issues with anxiety. She is very lucky in that she’s got parents that are very supportive and try to get her the help that she needs. Raina also discovers that being honest with friends can be helpful in dealing with those sorts of issues, because sometimes you realize you’re not the only one dealing with stuff.

The thing that got me so excited about this graphic novel that centers on what anxiety can look like is that you actually get to see what anxiety looks like, and for young people this is so important. Just being able to give feelings like that a name is something that many 5th graders may not be able to do. I know there are other wonderful Middle Grade books that deal with the same or similar topics, but there is something about the graphic novel format that makes the anxiety in this book so much more accessible for so many more kids, and that makes my heart so happy.

I myself am a strong believer in kids reading graphic novels, and this story is a great example of why. So if you haven’t read Guts, hopefully I have given you some motivation to do so, or at least some motivation to recommend this book to a child you think might need it.

Deana Metzke, in addition to being a wife and mother of two, spent many years as a Literacy Coach, and is now an Elementary Teacher Instructional Leader for Literacy and Social Studies for her school district. In addition to occasionally sharing her thoughts here at MG Book Village, you can read more of her thoughts about kid lit and trying to raise children who are readers at raisingreaders.site or follow her on Twitter @DMetzke. She is also a member of #bookexcursion.