Allergic by Megan Wagner Lloyd is ADORABLE! Highly-recommended for all elementary libraries, and it should be considered for middle school libraries. I especially loved the range of emotions for protagonist Maggie, the realistic friendship drama, the gentle parenting style, and the shout-out to animal shelters. Well done.
AUTHOR: Megan Wagner Lloyd
ILLUSTRATOR: Michelle Mee Nutter
SERIES: none
PUBLISHER: Graphix
PUBLICATION DATE: March 2, 2021
PAGES: 240
GENRE: graphic novel, realistic fiction
SETTING: home, school, doctor’s office, pet store, pet shelter, aquarium, beach, hospital
GIVE IT TO: ES, MS
AWARDS AND KUDOS
- Kirkus starred
- Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards Nominee for Best Publication for Kids (ages 9-12) (2022)
PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY
At home, Maggie is the odd one out. Her parents are preoccupied with getting ready for a new baby, and her younger brothers are twins and always in their own world. Maggie loves animals and thinks a new puppy to call her own 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 uses inspiration from her own experiences with allergies to tell a heartfelt story of family, friendship, and finding a place to belong.
THE SHORT VERSION
Loved it! No complaints from me.
WHAT I LIKED ABOUT ALLERGIC
Maggie is a relatable protagonist with emotional depth. Maggie is in fifth grade, and she runs through so many emotions in the story. She’s elated to be able to get a puppy for her 10th birthday. She’s impatient while waiting for her parents to cook breakfast and take her to the animal shelter. She’s gutted to find out she cannot get a puppy due to her allergies. She’s both hopeful and apprehensive about the allergy shots. Her two little brothers are twins, and it seems Maggie feels a envious of their closeness. There’s frustration, love, anger, resignation, and so much more.
Maggie’s new friendship with Claire is not perfect. Though Maggie hasn’t moved, she has been re-zoned into a new school. None of her old friends go to her new school, but she soon meets next-door neighbor and fellow new kid, Claire. Maggie and Claire hit it off immediately, but they do have a couple of spats in the story. I loved their friendship and found it believable for this age (Grade 5 for Maggie and Grade 6 for Claire).
Maggie’s family is adorable! Her parents are kind and empathetic. They let their three children – with one on the way – explore their world in a gentle, encouraging way. Poor Maggie is unable to get a new puppy due to her allergies, but the parents really try to help her. They take her immediately to an allergist and sign Maggie up to get allergy shots. They adopt a lizard and a fish for Maggie. Unfortunately, neither works out, but the parents really do try to help Maggie have a pet.
When Maggie’s younger twin brothers discover Maggie is keeping a secret furry pet in her room, they tell their parents. Maggie is furious with her brothers, but the parents remain calm and steady. They remove the furry culprit to Maggie’s allergies, but they are never angry with Maggie. They do not punish her or yell at her. Everything is done gently, calmly, and with love.
Both parents are equally involved with Maggie and her brothers and later, the care of the new baby. I absolutely LOVED the inclusion of gentle parents. So many children live in violatile, stressful home situations; we need more books for kids and teens that show this parenting style.
And can I just shout-out the use of an animal shelter instead of a puppy breeder? Yes, there is a pet store for small animals, but the puppy is going to come from a shelter. I’m a big fan of rescuing dogs, not breeding them, so KUDOS to Megan Wagner Lloyd and Michelle Mee Nutter for that illustration choice.
I even read some of this in Spanish with my 18-year old son (estamos aprendiendo), and he liked it, too!
WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE ABOUT ALLERGIC
Ooof, that teacher who brought in the class pet guinea pig without bothering to check for student allergies. It’s a major misstep that causes Maggie to feel guilty for something that isn’t her fault. It even causes her some peer ostracization since both her class and the other class that gets the guinea pig know it’s Maggie’s allergies that caused the loss of the class pet.
I’ve been teaching a very long time – teachers absolutely are cognizant of student allergies and would check for this. At least, I’d hope we are. I guess maybe new teachers might not think of that? It seems very unlikely that that would happen in any school I’ve worked in. Student allergies are serious business in schools.
DIVERSITY
Maggie, her brothers, and her mother have dark hair and tan skin. Maggie’s father is white with dark hair and glasses. New friend Claire is Asian, and another new friend (Sebastian) is white with reddish hair.
ARTWORK/ILLUSTRATIONS
Warm palatte with lots of peach, olive green, aqua, and mauve. Expressive faces! Maggie’s devastation after she cannot get the puppy is palpabale.
THEMES
allergies, siblings, friendship, feeling left out, jealousy, gentle parenting, pets, new baby in the family, pregnant mothers, keeping secrets
LIBRARIANS WILL WANT TO KNOW
Would adults like this book? Adults who enjoy middle grade graphic novels will enjoy this one.
Would I buy this for my high school library? No–it’s too young for high school.
Would I buy this for my middle school library? 100% YES! My main concern for middle school is that Maggie is in 5th grade. I’d still buy this for middle school though. Graphic novels are huge in middle school, even if they are written for younger students. Sunny Side Up (Holm) features a 5th grade protagonist, and that book is still popular with middle schoolers. Plenty of students will also identify with Maggie’s frustration with her allergies.
Would I buy this for my elementary school library? 100% YES! No concerns at all for elementary schools.
MATURE CONTENT
Language: none
Sexuality: none
Violence: none
Drugs/Alcohol: none
Other: Maggie does adopt a furry animal on her own and keeps it a secret from her parents. She gets caught eventually, and her parents handle it well.
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