It All Begins with Jelly Beans

May 1, 2021
Two 12-year-olds from different worlds find themselves needing each other. Meg Kieran and Riley Jackson meet in the nurse's office of their Australian elementary school--and each is curious about why the other is there. Since her father's death, Meg has been anxious and having panic attacks; her severely depressed mother can't work, and money is tight. Now, when life gets overwhelming, Meg escapes to the nurse's office, where she can have a snack and read her favorite book, Anne of Green Gables. Riley, on the other hand, craves freedom and autonomy in managing her Type 1 diabetes. Struggling to fit in at her new school--especially since her overprotective mother doesn't allow her many social activities--she's uncomfortable discussing her diabetes. Though their paths continue to cross, the girls are slow to warm to one another. But if they can get past their preconceived notions, maybe they'll find they have more in common than the emergency jelly beans Riley shares with Meg. Told in alternating first-person chapters, this narrative sensitively portrays a young person learning to manage a chronic health condition as well as the struggles of a tween forced by a parent's mental health issues to grow up too quickly. The author also seamlessly weaves in typical school dramas rather than solely making this about Meg's and Riley's challenges. Both girls read as White. An emotionally honest portrayal that is empowering to those seen as different. (Fiction. 8-12)

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