Guts

by Raina Telgemeier

Status

Available

Call number

155.4

Tags

Transformation

Genres

Collections

Your library, Fiction

Publication

Publisher Unknown

Description

Raina wakes up one night with a terrible upset stomach. Her mom has one, too, so it's probably just a bug. Raina eventually returns to school, where she's dealing with the usual highs and lows: friends, not-friends, and classmates who think the school year is just one long gross-out session. It soon becomes clear that Raina's tummy trouble isn't going away... and it coincides with her worries about food, school, and changing friendships. What's going on?

Awards

Original publication date

2019-09

User reviews

LibraryThing member jmoncton
This story is slightly different than Telgemeier's other popular titles. Yes, it has the same amazing art and is targeted to the ever-growing middle school graphic novel fan group, but this book is really a memoir that describes Raina's eating and anxiety problems when she was 10. And maybe because
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 this story recounts a difficult period in Raina's life, it carries an extra punch that really expresses the trauma and angst that 10-year old Raina experienced. I'm glad that she is so hugely popular because this book will touch and help other children who have similar anxiety issues.
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18 more
LibraryThing member ewyatt
Raina is in fifth grade and she has the stomach flu. But after that she develops a fear of being sick, more stomach issues, more worries about food, friends, and school. Eventually her parents take her to a therapist to help her work through some of her fears and anxiety and find healthy ways to
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 cope.
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LibraryThing member foggidawn
In fifth grade, Raina struggles with anxiety-related stomach problems, plus teasing from another girl in her class.

I expect that readers who enjoy Telgemeier's other memoirs will like this one as well, though she's younger here, so readers new to her might benefit from starting with this one. I
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 liked it well enough, though I didn't relate as strongly as I had expected I would. I liked how the book normalized therapy and pointed out that a lot more people go to therapy than talk about it.
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LibraryThing member MaowangVater
Ever since Raina and her mother got sick and spent an uncomfortable night throwing up, Raina worries that she might throw up again. Sometimes she stays awake at night worrying about it. It’s so stressful so her parents decide she needs to go see a therapist. The start of fifth grade gives her
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 more things to worry about, friendships, mean girls, what she eats, puberty, and not telling anyone at schools that she sees a therapist. Her physician tells her that she has IBS, irritable bowel syndrome. “It means upset stomach…with no discernable cause.” The way to treat it is with rest, exercise, water, good food, “and most importantly don’t stress out too much.” How Raina learns to cope with her stress and becomes the subject of a demonstration she gives to her classmates.

Telgemeier delivers another true life memoir of growing up like her Eisner Award winning Smile, and Sisters.
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LibraryThing member amysueagnes
I loved this book. I had similar struggles with my guts growing up, and having a book liked this would have been such a help. I’m glad it’s here now!
LibraryThing member Salsabrarian
Relates Raina’s 4th and 5th grade years during which she developed stomach problems, panic attacks and extreme fears due to stress. Her parents take her to see a therapist. Raina learns techniques for managing her physical and emotional states. Raina feels alone in her suffering but learns that
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 other kids also have their worries including Michelle the bully. Readers will be reassured that their own feelings are not alien, that they are normal and there are ways to manage them.
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LibraryThing member TNAEWWF123
Telgemeier is an author I have heard about for quite some time now. Working as a page at my local library, I have seen firsthand how popular her books are with children and young adults. As much as I wanted to read the controversial Drama, I decided to check this one out since it is her latest
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 work. Not only is the art really appealing, but the story centering on anxiety is really well done. Even though the plot focuses on Telgemeier herself (something I did not realize until I was halfway through it), it never feels self-indulgent. One of my favorite images comes on page 120 where Telgemeier splits up the page into four interconnected panels that show how this anxiety stays on her mind from the time she gets up to the time she bathes and goes to bed. Although I still want to read Drama, I am glad I read this book because I can now see why her graphic novels continue to be as popular as they are.
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LibraryThing member DianaNewman1617
Raina does it again in this highly engaging graphic novel memoir. Everyone has dealt with some form of anxiety in their lives at some point. For Raina, she is dealing with the fear of throwing up again like she does at the beginning of the book. She avoids certain foods because of her anxiety with
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 throwing up and she also deals with other anxieties such as with talking in front of the class, bullies, going through puberty, and a lot that most kids deal with at some point. I like the fact that at the end of the book Raina ends up looking past her dislike of her "bully" realizing that she isn't so bad after all, especially since her best friend becomes friends with her too. Raina goes to therapy and does not want to tell her friends because she is embarrassed but when she finally does she realizes her other friend has gone as well.

This would be a great book for fifth grade through eighth grade students who are dealing with a lot of changes physically and emotionally.
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LibraryThing member villemezbrown
Telgemeier shares her struggles with anxieties and phobias and their effect on her digestive system. The book contains a great message for kids even if it isn't Telgemeier's most captivating work.

I admit I may be holding this book at a little distance as I have people in my life who struggle with
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 similar problems.
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LibraryThing member sweetiegherkin
In a very open and honest look at her childhood, Telgemeier relays her issues as a a 4th and 5th grader with anxiety, which often manifested itself through stomach-aches. Along the way, she also deals with friends and enemies, school assignments, and family dynamics.

This book, which just published
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 this week, is already extremely popular with tweens who devoured Telgemeier's previous titles. I like that she talks about anxiety, explaining through the plot how all kids have secret issues that others may not know or understand, and the importance of therapy in helping out with these problems.

Her typical style of very animated illustrations fit the story well.
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LibraryThing member lflareads
Guts is a graphic novel that may help children who suffer from panic attacks and anxiety. Guts is based on Raina Telgemeier’s own experiences. She brings acceptance to feeling stressed and seeking help. Excellent read!
LibraryThing member mojomomma
Raina deals with stress and anxiety that causes her stomach problems and an aversion to food. She seeks therapy and learns how to deal with it. Wish I had this when my daughters were this age!
LibraryThing member Bill.Bradford
The Epigraph to Guts reads “For anyone who is afraid." Anxiety and stress were common in kids when the book was published, after the past year and half most kids are feeling extreme levels of anxiety and stress – almost every kid is afraid at some level. As the afterwards makes clear, the
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 author has dealt frankly with her anxiety and panic attacks connected to her IBS, and reading this is a great way to help kids with these issues, and open up communication. The book also gives a couple of techniques to handle anxiety. I read this in one sitting and highly recommend it.
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LibraryThing member jennybeast
Great memoir of 4th and 5th grade anxieties and physical reactions to them -- as always, a very good portrayal of school microcosm and the stress of relationships within it. I appreciated the author's note at the end, which talks more about her personal experience.
LibraryThing member acargile
As someone who struggles with stomach issues, I liked Guts. I also like how Raina reflects the average person. A person who has anxiety. With her, she has physical responses to her stresses. I would assume that's pretty common. I do. Overall, it's a nice look at how we are all normal and our bodies
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 can create problems due to the stresses in our heads.
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LibraryThing member LVStrongPuff
This is a great book that helps the reader understand about growing up, therapy, and how people cope with different things. A great book for 5th and 6th graders
LibraryThing member LiteraryFeline
Guts is the third book in the author's Smile series (the second being Sisters). The series is actually a graphic memoir, based on the author's real life. In this particular installment, Raina is struggling with school issues, worries about food and friendships, and oncoming puberty. Things many of
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 us can relate to. I could see my daughter in the pages of the book, which makes sense given they are of a similar age (I think Raina is slightly younger in this memoir).

Guts also touches on mental health concerns, anxiety in particular. Something just about everyone deals with at some point in their life to one degree or another. Raina has suffered with anxiety most of her life. This book was a good opportunity for me to talk with my daughter about our personal struggles with anxiety, and how well we could relate to Raina. I appreciated the way the author normalized getting help for anxiety, including seeing a therapist. Something that I wish more books for children would do. Little Raina is such a sweetheart and I wanted to give her a hug more than once. I have great admiration for the author and am grateful she is sharing her story with young readers (and us older ones too).
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LibraryThing member alanna1122
As good as everything Telgemeier has written. She does a wonderful job of creating characters that are relatable and easy to empathize with. Because this book tackles a very vivid account of living with anxiety I believe it could be triggering to people who have been struggling with anxiety.
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 Telgemeier is my favorite graphic novelist and this fits right in with her other works.
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LibraryThing member Sean191
Guts is a graphic novel that details the author's childhood challenges with anxiety, germaphobia and some of the consequences of those stresses. It also goes into her steps and work she took to overcome or learn to live with those issues. The book is funny, well-written, and pleasantly drawn. The
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 message is a good one that could help tweens who are struggling.
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