Seventh grade is off to a rough start for Al: She’s just been diagnosed with Crohn’s disease. This explains the stomach pain she’s been having, but it doesn’t make it any less embarrassing to leave class every time she needs to use the bathroom—or worse, has an accident at school. Though she’s initially reluctant to attend, Al (white and Jewish) finds unexpected friendships and solidarity in a support group for kids with Crohn’s or ulcerative colitis; to her surprise, the kids there talk openly about, and even find humor in, their symptoms. These new friendships are especially welcome since Al’s best friend, Leo (Filipino American, Jewish), hardly has time for her now that he’s been cast in the school play. And at home, Al’s relationship with her single mom—who constantly questions Al’s food choices and recently started dating a woman—is strained. Al, too, has started dating a girl from her support group, but now she feels she can’t come out. What if everyone thinks she’s just copying her mom? While it does not shy away from describing the physical and emotional toll of chronic illness, this well-balanced novel shows that chronically ill children can thrive when provided with the right support system and a space to talk about their experiences without shame. (Ages 8–12)