Gut Reaction

Gr 3-7–Debut author Wyatt joins her mom, award-winning author Kirby Larson, to present the story of Tess Medina as she navigates life with a chronic illness. Tess, who has recently started eighth grade at a new school, is still grieving the death of her father, who owned a bakery. A talented and committed baker herself, Tess wants to follow in father’s footsteps. After initially struggling, Tess makes new friends, who are a tad quirky, as she is. When she starts having extreme gastrointestinal issues (she describes it as a woodpecker pecking at her gut, or ‘The Knife’), she hides what is happening from her friends and her mom. After all, explosive diarrhea is nothing teenagers feel like sharing. Tess wants desperately to compete in a national bakeoff, but she lacks funds, and worries about her stomach issues getting in the way. After she passes out at school, Tess is diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease, which makes her feel like a freak. She continues trying to push people away until her secrets become too big to hide, but she finds community and support in the process. Fast-paced and adept at finding humor in decidedly unfunny situations, this novel will pull readers into Tess’s journey and emotions. Wyatt herself is a Crohn’s sufferer, and wrote this book with her mom to bring awareness to the disease. In their author’s note they describe their memories of Wyatt’s teenage years trying to get diagnosed, and her how her life was affected.