95. Guts

Guts. Raina Telgemeier. 2019. 144 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: Mom? What is it, honey? My stomach feels funny.

Premise/plot: Though it is not marketed as such, Guts is a prequel to Raina Telgemeier's autobiographical graphic novel SMILE. Guts covers her younger years--fourth and fifth grade. In this one, Telgemeier tackles the subject of anxiety, panic attacks, and GUT troubles (literally). Life at home and school are proving stressful--a little too stressful. Raina doesn't have (yet) the coping skills needed to thrive. In particular, she's struggling to have good, healthy friendships. There's some light bullying/teasing involved.

My thoughts: I liked this one. There were a few sequences/scenes that were oh-so-relatable. Sometimes feelings are so much bigger than words, and sometimes there are just no words to express them. Not as much happens in Guts as in the previous graphic novels. Mainly we have Raina's troubles at school and home. For example, Raina dreading/hating/fearing doing oral reports for school. Even with a partner, she struggles to find a confident voice ready to face her classmates. (So relatable!) Relationships with classmates do evolve and grow in this one. I think it is true to life, but it may not be as thrilling and memorable as Smile or Sisters.

 

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