Marvelous Middle Grade Monday
Gut Reaction (Scholastic Press, 2024) by Kirby Larson and Quinn Wyatt was an inspirational read.
After the loss of her father, 8th grader Tess Medina is starting a new school and when she gets her new schedule, it shows a SEL class. What’s that? The counselor explains it is “Social Emotional Learning. Talking about feelings and stuff.” No way is she going to share feelings with strangers! Especially how baking is what still ties her to her dad. Or that she’s got this pain in her stomach that makes her rush for the bathroom. She has a goal of winning the Jubilee Flour Junior Baker West Coast competition, but how is she going to raise the money for the entry fees?
This is Quinn’s debut book, written with her mom, Kirby, and inspired by her own experience with Crohn’s disease. Read this interview about how the book nearly didn’t happen. This is Kirby’s first contemporary middle grade book. Read about the award winning author here and check out all her other books here.
This is the book’s website.