Megan Wagner Lloyd

A semiautobiographical coming-of-age middle-grade graphic novel featuring a girl with severe allergies who just wants to find the perfect pet At home, Maggie is the odd one out. Her parents are preoccupied with the new baby they're expecting, and her younger brothers are twins and always in their own world. Maggie thinks a new puppy is the answer, but when she goes to select one on her birthday, she breaks out in hives and rashes. She's severely allergic to anything with fur Can Maggie outsmart her allergies and find the perfect pet? With illustrations by Michelle Mee Nutter, Megan Wagner Lloyd draws on her own childhood to tell a heartfelt story of family, friendship, and finding a place to belong.

Allergic

Kim Tyo-Dickerson

Digital Review Copy provided by Edelweiss+ and Scholastic Graphix publishers.

There are so many things out of a kid's control. Sometimes, it's hard to know where you belong and how you fit into your family. Maggie's dream of getting a puppy for her birthday is the one thing she knows will make her feel better, giving her a friend and ally in her busy home and a way to manage and control the loneliness she feels as the oldest sibling with younger twin brothers who are focused on each other and parents who were focused on a new baby on the way. Maggie worries, what if the baby is another girl? Will she be special anymore? And a puppy is absolutely the best thing to help Maggie feel better about the re-districting that has separated her from her friends and is forcing her to go to a new elementary school in the fall where she doesn't know anyone.

Finding the perfect puppy at the shelter is as magical as she dreamed. Maggie's love of animals has been a huge part of her identity and she wants to be a vet when she grows up. She loves holding her new puppy...until her eyes start to water, she begins sneezing, and her arms are suddenly covered in hives. An emergency trip to the doctor confirms her worst fears, Maggie is severely allergic of anything with "fur or feathers," and immediately begins a course of shots to help her body manage her multiple allergies. Some might wonder why parents would promise a puppy but not find ways to have their child meet and play with other puppies beforehand, when the stakes aren't so high as a birthday trip to a shelter unprepared. Even so, from complete and total happiness to the devastating depths of despair, how will Maggie find the perfect pet to bring her comfort while everything else in her life is up in the air?

Maggie's story gives every child, allergic or not, a window into managing change and dealing with realities that don't line up with their dreams. Essential for every elementary and middle school library, a sure and immediate hit for graphic novel fans of Raina Telgemeier and Victoria Jamieson's books. This is also a great title for talking about empathy for others, as so many children have allergies that impact their classrooms, cafeterias and playgrounds. There's even a student Maggie meets at her new school who tells her about the EpiPen he has to carry with him at all times, helping Maggie see that there is a continuum of challenges when it comes to allergies. 

Get multiple copies as soon as this comes out 2 March 2021, you'll need them.

Caroline Lewicki

This book makes me want to make a Goodreads shelf labeled “fills a niche that needs filling.” I’ve never read a book that so perfectly touches on how frustrating it can be to struggle with allergies. It’s told in such a perfect way and encompasses the struggle of feeling left out in an expanding family as well. This is a great one for kids struggling with allergies or for school aged kids whose family dynamic is changing.

Allergic

Reviews