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Thank you to NetGalley for the advance copy of this book.
The plot: Freya is a Scottish teenager with an ileostomy bag. This has led to her being given quite an unfortunate nickname by her peers: Sh!t Bag. The book sees her navigate life and love whilst having this bag, seeing her come into her own when she goes to a camp for fellow young people with ileostomy and colostomy bags.
The positives: Books about young people with medical conditions that can educate, entertain and develop empathy are always a fantastic addition to the YA literary canon and I will always welcome them. This story was definitely original, with a charismatic and feisty narrative voice that definitely feels realistic to how young people speak and the title alone could definitely result in young people picking it up. I'd pitch it at Year 9 and above as it has a lot of swearing.
Why I gave three stars: Honestly at first the book had me feeling a little squeamish as it gets quite medically descriptive so that took me by surprise. The book took me a while to finish as well, I wasn't completely engrossed that I really wanted to finish it. I found the ending a little abrupt as well.
Conclusion: Again I can definitely see this book finding an audience, as books about illnesses like The Fault In Our Stars did, this could be the less depressing and more sassy alternative maybe? Xena Knox definitely is an exciting new YA author that could be one to watch!
The plot: Freya is a Scottish teenager with an ileostomy bag. This has led to her being given quite an unfortunate nickname by her peers: Sh!t Bag. The book sees her navigate life and love whilst having this bag, seeing her come into her own when she goes to a camp for fellow young people with ileostomy and colostomy bags.
The positives: Books about young people with medical conditions that can educate, entertain and develop empathy are always a fantastic addition to the YA literary canon and I will always welcome them. This story was definitely original, with a charismatic and feisty narrative voice that definitely feels realistic to how young people speak and the title alone could definitely result in young people picking it up. I'd pitch it at Year 9 and above as it has a lot of swearing.
Why I gave three stars: Honestly at first the book had me feeling a little squeamish as it gets quite medically descriptive so that took me by surprise. The book took me a while to finish as well, I wasn't completely engrossed that I really wanted to finish it. I found the ending a little abrupt as well.
Conclusion: Again I can definitely see this book finding an audience, as books about illnesses like The Fault In Our Stars did, this could be the less depressing and more sassy alternative maybe? Xena Knox definitely is an exciting new YA author that could be one to watch!
funny
hopeful
informative
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Teenager Freya collapses and wakes up in the hospital to a "Freya your large intestine will be removed and you will have a Ileostomy bag"
Freya is in high school, she is on the hockey team, their trip to Portugal is coming up, the school's formal dance, AND she is ON with her on and off again boyfriend Lockie - why is this happening?
Sadly for Freya, things can actually get worse... Someone starts calling her SHITBAG at school and sadly the nickname catches on...
Struggling, angry and frustrated Freya's parents enroll her in 'Poo camp' a camp where kids with similar experiences can bond and help each other through.
Freya spends 1 whole week at camp poo, and learns alot about herself, her choices and her situation
You honestly feel for Freya, as an adult this would be so hard to deal with, but as a teen who is pre-programmed to be MAD at the world with hormones and VERY STRONG emotions, this must feel a whole lot worse.
I could never relate to this, but you can actually feel her frustration through the pages, you could feel her resistance and anger towards this LIFE-CHANGING thing that has happened to her.
Freya's comical outlook and internal dialogue are just a riot and had me laughing out loud
Freya is in high school, she is on the hockey team, their trip to Portugal is coming up, the school's formal dance, AND she is ON with her on and off again boyfriend Lockie - why is this happening?
Sadly for Freya, things can actually get worse... Someone starts calling her SHITBAG at school and sadly the nickname catches on...
Struggling, angry and frustrated Freya's parents enroll her in 'Poo camp' a camp where kids with similar experiences can bond and help each other through.
Freya spends 1 whole week at camp poo, and learns alot about herself, her choices and her situation
You honestly feel for Freya, as an adult this would be so hard to deal with, but as a teen who is pre-programmed to be MAD at the world with hormones and VERY STRONG emotions, this must feel a whole lot worse.
I could never relate to this, but you can actually feel her frustration through the pages, you could feel her resistance and anger towards this LIFE-CHANGING thing that has happened to her.
Freya's comical outlook and internal dialogue are just a riot and had me laughing out loud
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Body shaming, Bullying, Excrement, Vomit, Medical content
funny
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A very readable teen drama that is bother entertaining and educational.
We follow Freya as she navigates her new life with a stoma bag and all that is entails. Her mental struggle feels real and I was really invested in how it would play out.
I don’t think I’ll be canyoning anytime soon though. Even without a bag.
We follow Freya as she navigates her new life with a stoma bag and all that is entails. Her mental struggle feels real and I was really invested in how it would play out.
I don’t think I’ll be canyoning anytime soon though. Even without a bag.
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
funny
inspiring
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings: bullying, ableism, medical content
When Freya collapses and wakes up with a temporary ileostomy bag, her summer plans are ruined. Now, instead of a training holiday abroad with her friends, she's spending a week camping with a group of other kids with bowel disease.
What an appropriate read for disability pride month! This was such an honest and transparent own voices book about living with a stoma bag and the journey to self acceptance for a teenager with a highly stigmatised disability. It's very clear that Knox is drawing from her own experiences and that really gives the book a very authentic feel. I've really never read anything with this kind of rep before, and there is such a real stigma around ileostomy bags which this book faces head on.
I'd say the target audience for this is probably on the younger side of YA, due to the writing style, and I'm very aware that I'm not that target audience, but the humour of this book definitely reminds me of the books I used to love reading as a preteen/young teenager. Even as an adult, I could really appreciate the nuances of Freya's character and her developing acceptance of her disability, which I think were handled really well. I'm definitely left feeling really glad that a book like this exists for kids who are in a similar boat to Freya.
A huge thank you to Hachette Children's Group for sending me a copy of Sh!t Bag in exchange for an honest review!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Bullying, Medical content
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
