Tough Beans

Bates, Betty

ISBN 10: 0823407225 ISBN 13: 9780823407224

Publisher: Holiday House, 1988

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With the help of his best friend Cassie, fourth-grader Nat comes to terms with his diabetes and a bully named Jasper

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From School Library Journal:

Grade 3-5 When fourth-grader Nat Berger is diagnosed with diabetes, his entire life changes. He must adjust to insulin injections, blood sugar tests, and a strict diet. In addition he also has the usual problems that nine year olds cope with, including his best friend Cassie's move out of state and dealing with a bully, Jasper Denletter. Basically this is a medical novel, and as such it succeeds. Bates relies rather heavily on coincidence to tie up various threads of the story (Nat's teacher is also a diabetic, and the ``dog man'' that Nat and Cassie befriend just happens to be Jasper's grandfather). This book is similar to Willo Davis Robert's excellent Sugar Isn't Everything (Atheneum, 1987), which has a slightly older female protagonist. Two other similar titles are V. T. Dacquino's Kiss the Candy Days Goodbye (Delacorte, 1982) and Ron Roy's Where's Buddy? (Clarion, 1982). Both have male main characters and are well written, but the information about urine testing makes them dated. Kathryn Weisman, Willowbrook School, Glenview, Ill.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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