September 1, 2026 by Penguin Workshop
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
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After coming to terms with his Crohn's disease and reaching an understanding with Norm, the monster-like embodiment of it, JJ Sugar is a bit thrown by the fact that his doctor is moving away, and he will have to work with Dr. Maneesh instead. His mother, who also has the condition as well as her own monster, Francie, understands, and works with him to get things under control. We hear from Norm, as well, who meets another invisible monster at a support group. When he finds out that Seymour has no place to be, Norm invites him to live at the Sugars' house, even though he is unsure what disease Seymour represents. There are other things going on in JJ's world; his younger brother is involved in theater productions, and he gets a summer job working at an animation studio, which he absolutely loves. His work is often interrupted by his health issues, but when Seymour turns out to be stage four throat cancer for Mr. Sugar, JJ misses even more work as his father has to get treatment. The stress of dealing with this causes JJ to spiral, and before long he passes out at work and ends up having to have surgery. Will the monsters continue to terrorize the Sugar household, or will the family's health eventually return?
Strengths: There are plenty of health issues that aren't readily apparent, and it's always good to see representation of them in middle grade literature. Crohn's would most likely be especially hard for middle school students, and this is a fairly positive portrayal of navigating doctors, treatments, lifestyle changes, and surgeries that could be helpful. This is a humorous book, and the illustrations are appealing.
Weaknesses: I imagine that the father's cancer might have been something with which Soren's family struggled, since this is a semi autobiographical book, but it was handled in a rather odd way. There's lots of information about the treatment, but the seriousness of the diagnosis, and its effect on the family, seems at odds with the way it is portrayed. The monsters might work for younger readers, but JJ is in 8th grade and has a summer job. Older readers might not go for this portrayal.
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who want a more humorous treatment of Crohn's disease than is offered in the excellent Will on the Inside by Eliopolous, or who want a highly illustrated, Daniel Pinkwater-esque approach to dealing with the disease. I will probably not purchase, since the lighthearted, almost flippant, approach seems at odds to the seriousness of the problems the family is facing.
Strengths: There are plenty of health issues that aren't readily apparent, and it's always good to see representation of them in middle grade literature. Crohn's would most likely be especially hard for middle school students, and this is a fairly positive portrayal of navigating doctors, treatments, lifestyle changes, and surgeries that could be helpful. This is a humorous book, and the illustrations are appealing.
Weaknesses: I imagine that the father's cancer might have been something with which Soren's family struggled, since this is a semi autobiographical book, but it was handled in a rather odd way. There's lots of information about the treatment, but the seriousness of the diagnosis, and its effect on the family, seems at odds with the way it is portrayed. The monsters might work for younger readers, but JJ is in 8th grade and has a summer job. Older readers might not go for this portrayal.
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who want a more humorous treatment of Crohn's disease than is offered in the excellent Will on the Inside by Eliopolous, or who want a highly illustrated, Daniel Pinkwater-esque approach to dealing with the disease. I will probably not purchase, since the lighthearted, almost flippant, approach seems at odds to the seriousness of the problems the family is facing.
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