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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May 31, 2021
First published in Australia, this dual-voiced narrative follows two implied-white 12-year-old girls. Idiosyncratic Meg Kieran, friendless and anxious, spends time each day in the nurse’s office of Bayview East Elementary School, reading Anne of Green Gables and avoiding mean girls. Since her father’s sudden death, her mother’s depression and subsequent disability leave mean that Meg must fend for herself; she wears slippers to school and is frequently hungry, though the school nurse and her aunt ensure that she doesn’t starve. When classmate Riley Jackson, a friend of Meg’s main antagonist, has a type 1 diabetic episode, the girls share jelly beans in the nurse’s office and embark on a cautious friendship. Riley, who uses an insulin pump, chafes under the aggressively watchful eye of her psychologist mother and longs for the freedom she believes Meg relishes, while Meg yearns for a parent to look after her. While the lack of adult response to Meg’s obvious distress may feel jarring, her voice is spiky and appealing; Riley’s chapters, peppered with information about diabetic routine, provide drama around boys and friendship in this inconsistent but endearing novel. Ages 8–12. Agent: Allison Hellegers, Stimola Literary Studio.

Starred review from May 15, 2021
Grades 4-7 *Starred Review* Meg is navigating the end of sixth grade with as much grace as she can, but there's a lot on her plate. It's hard enough coping with awkward former friendships and an unwelcome graduation-speech assignment, but she also has to contend with a grieving, dysfunctional mother and her own despair after her father unexpectedly passes away. She spends her school days ducking questions and seeking refuge in the nurse's office, rereading Anne of Green Gables and wishing for a kindred spirit of her own. Then Riley crashes Meg's hideaway, dealing with an issue of her own: type 1 diabetes. Riley does her best to fit in, but it's hard with an insulin pump attached to her stomach and limits placed--by a caring but overbearing mother--on her food and activities. The two girls strike up a tentative friendship, though the unlikely pair will have to overcome a number of obstacles if their relationship is to flourish. Weetman tells the story from the girls' alternating viewpoints, and though they each have distinct personalities and challenges, both are easy to root for. While Meg, grappling with grief, provides insight, Riley details and demystifies aspects of living with diabetes while vying for body ownership. It's an engrossing story about the myth of normalcy, the depths of grief, and the power of friendship to help deal with it all.

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