“Guts” is an honest book about growing up with anxiety

I would definitely recommend Guts to any young teen looking for a short fun story to read!

Raina Telegemier’s newest book Guts is about ten-year-old Raina, who recently just started getting stomach issues and was always feeling nauseous due to her anxiety. Raina is a shy girl who hates to present in front of her class. She just started fifth grade and it just so happens that the girl she hates is in her class. Not only that but her best friend suddenly has to move soon as well. Raina feels like there’s nothing in her life she can control and feels even worse starting to wonder what’s wrong with her and why does she feel the way she does even though she’s perfectly healthy.

Throughout the story we learn about her school life and friend drama and how her mental health begins to affect her. Many readers who may be in a similar spot will relate to her and see how Raina grows and overcomes her fears and anxiety.

Guts Is a must read for graphic novel lovers. The art is great and depicts Raina’s anxiety really well with scenes that have spirals and are green showing how queasy and out of control she feels. You’ll also love Guts If you have ever read and liked any of Telegemier’s previous books like Smile, Drama, Sisters, Ghosts,or her series The Babysitter’s Club. 

I loved Guts and seeing Raina’s character grow and gather the courage to overcome her fears was really nice. The book was really honest and did a great job at showing the struggles of growing up with anxiety and phobias. Raina’s character was also very relatable and anyone who has ever felt a little nervous even for something small will relate to her. 

The book was really interesting and Telegemier never fails to disappoint with any of her graphic novels! I also was able to finish the book in one sitting. And that is why I would recommend it to anyone and everyone: because it’s such a fast and interesting read!