Book Talk Script: Guts

Book Talk for GUTS

Hi, and welcome to “YA LitChat”. I’m Ms. Van Ness, the young adult librarian here at Kobe Public Library.

GUTS is a graphic novel that has everything!

Panic attacks, puberty and puking!

Friendship, foibles and farts!

Do you ever get nervous in social situations? Have you ever felt butterflies in your stomach? Well, you’re in good company.

This is a story about a girl called Raina who is going into 5th grade. Raina faces all kinds of stressors in her life: she shares a small apartment with her younger sister, toddler brother, and her parents. She has no privacy! (Except…when she’s in the bathroom). There’s a bully at school called Michelle who teases her and to make matters worse, there’s the dreaded LDI that must be given every week in Mr. Abrams class. (You can find out more about the fearsome LDI when you read the book!)

Raina experiences her stress in all sorts of ways that make her feel sick.

She asks us: “Is it possible to be sick even if you’re not sick?

And can you be healthy even if you hurt?”

GUTS is based on a TRUE STORY by Raina Telgemeier, the author and artist for this book.

Do you have what it takes to survive in school?

Read this graphic YA memoir to find out.

Read GUTS to find out how Raina will survive.

Available at a Library near you!