Guts
by Raina Telgemeier
★ Top 5 book of 2019 · #4 on Best Books of 2019
Raina's nightly stomachache refuses to go away, and it becomes tangled up with worries about food, school and shifting friendships. This true story of growing up mixes humor and warmth as she works to face her fears.
Best for: Middle-grade readers who like funny, honest true stories about growing up and anxiety
Guts is #4 on BookWard's Best Books of 2019, out of 84 2019 books that cleared our data bar.
What Guts is about
Raina wakes up one night with a terrible stomachache, and her mom is sick too. Back at school, she is trying to keep up with friends, not-quite-friends, and classmates who treat the whole year as one long gross-out contest. Her stomach trouble does not go away, and it gets tangled up with her worries about food, school, and friendships that are changing around her.
Told as a true story from Raina Telgemeier, who also illustrated it, with color by Braden Lamb, this graphic memoir looks at anxiety and growing up with honesty and warmth. Critics praised it for making mental health struggles feel ordinary, and it won two Eisner Awards. It will suit younger readers who feel nervous or out of step, and the parents and teachers who want to understand them.
Guts on the Best Books of 2019
Guts came out in 2019. Of the 84 books first published in 2019 that met BookWard's data bar, it ranks #4 on our Best Books of 2019 list.
Why it made the list: 711 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 4.4 out of 5 (47 ratings); 35 are reading it right now. The list ranks each year’s books on how many readers have picked them up, how highly readers rate them, and how many are reading them right now.
It earns Reader favorite and being read right now.
Nearby on the 2019 list
- A Good Girl's Guide to Murder Holly Jackson, #2
- Heartstopper, Volume 2 Alice Oseman, #3
- The Silent Patient Alex Michaelides, #5
- The Wicked King Holly Black, #6
See all Best Books of 2019 Best books by year
More years: Best Books of 2018 Best Books of 2020.
The numbers behind it
- Readers: 637 want to read it, 35 are reading it now and 39 have read it, according to Open Library.
- Ratings: 4.4 out of 5 from 47 Open Library ratings.
| Signal | This book (0 to 100) | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Reach | 89 | 55% |
| Reader love | 94 | 25% |
| Being read right now | 92 | 20% |
Questions about Guts
When was Guts published?
Guts by Raina Telgemeier was first published in 2019.
Was Guts one of the best books of 2019?
Guts is #4 on BookWard's Best Books of 2019, out of 84 2019 books that cleared our data bar. 711 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 4.4 out of 5 (47 ratings); 35 are reading it right now.
Why is Guts on the Best Books of 2019 list?
711 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 4.4 out of 5 (47 ratings); 35 are reading it right now.
More of the best books of 2019
- Red, White & Royal Blue Casey McQuiston, #1
- A Good Girl's Guide to Murder Holly Jackson, #2
- Heartstopper, Volume 2 Alice Oseman, #3
- The Silent Patient Alex Michaelides, #5
- The Wicked King Holly Black, #6
- Into the Pit (Five Nights at Freddy’s Scott Cawthon, #7
See the full Best Books of 2019, the Top 100, or new books on Rising.
How we know
This page uses public data: Open Library reader counts and ratings, and Wikipedia page views for recent years. The description is paraphrased from real source text. Rankings reflect reading interest, not quality or sales, and can be affected by data gaps. Lists update monthly.
Find your own best books
Add what you have read, rate it, and BookWard will recommend what to read next.
Free while in beta. No credit card needed.