Anna Kerz

I got a copy of this book through the LibraryThing Early Reviewer’s program. I’m really happy I did, because it might not have been something that would have immediately caught my eye in the bookstore with all the other childrens and YA books I have on my TBR list.

The Mealworm Diaries is about Jeremy, a young boy who moves with his mother from Nova Scotia to Toronto after a horrible accident that kills Jeremy’s father. Starting any school is hard, but it’s especially hard for Jeremy show more who still hasn’t completely recovered from his father’s death. He was also involved in the accident – his leg isn’t completely healed from it, and he’s now suffering from nightmares. Things at school aren’t as bad as they could have been – Jeremy’s made a couple of friends, and there’s a cute girl he likes, but he’s been partnered with Aaron to study mealworms. And Jeremy thinks Aaron is one annoying kid – he is constantly bouncing around, has no attention span, and very few social skills. But soon Jeremy realizes that there is a lot more that he can learn from Aaron than he expected.

I sat down with this book to dinner last night. I didn’t move from the table until two hours later when I finished the last page. I devoured this book, and enjoyed every second of it.

It deals with some heavy issues, but does so in a way that is very relatable. It doesn’t make a big deal out of these issues, just treats them like everyday, normal things. Which is awesome. For example, Aaron – his mother had cancer, and was given radiation treatment before doctors realized she was pregnant with Aaron. The radiation DID have a huge effect on Aaron, and he has some disabilities as a result. While this is evident, it’s not something that is outright spoken about. It goes into kids picking on other kids with disabilities because they don’t know what’s going on, and does it in a way that lets the reader know that it’s not a cool thing to do without sounding preachy. Other tough subjects it mentions include bed wetting and the recent death of a parent. But, as I said, it was done in an awesome way that kids will be able to understand and relate to, even if they didn’t go through those situations themselves.

But it wasn’t just a book that talked about serious stuff – I actually care for the characters as well, and what they were going through, and was impressed that (even though these heavier topics were covered) it was such a light, easy and entertaining read.

Does anyone know, has Anna Kerz written other books? Her bio in the back of the book just mentions that this was her first book with Orca Book Publishers, and I can’t find any info of her online. If she has written more stuff, I want to read it… if she hasn’t, then I’ll definitely be keeping my eye out for her in the future.

I definitely recommend this book. It was thoroughly enjoyable and it will be something I will, no doubt, return to. show less

I got this book from the Early Reviewers program and I'm glad I did! While not something I would have picked up on my own, I enjoyed The Mealworm Diaries much more than I expected to based on the synopsis and cover. I expected to read a boring, juvenile, and trite story written for third graders, but instead I found an insightful, interesting book that, while readable for third graders, still held my attention for the two hours or so it took to read it. While not my favorite book I've ever show more read, as it still retained a bit of that cutesy feel, I definitely enjoyed The Mealworm Diaries and I will probably recommend it to the younger people in my life. show less

This novel by Kerz has lots of elements that I appreciated (strong characters, conflict) but I felt it lacking something, perhaps humor or adventure. There was certainly opportunity given Gran and Aaron's personalities It just needed something more for me.

After the death of his father, Jeremy and his mom move away from their home in rural Nova Scotia to live with an aunt in Toronto. Jeremy's adjusting to the move just fine--making friends, doing okay in school--but the memories (and guilt) about the accident that killed his father haunt him, particularly in his dreams. School is mostly okay, though--until he gets paired up with the most annoying boy in the class for the mealworm project. Aaron is such a pain and so hard to deal with that show more Jeremy almost can't help being mean to him, and that goes double when he finds out that Aaron considers Jeremy his best friend.

There's a lot of boy-appeal here, despite its tendency toward the sentimental. Themes of grief and loss, friendship, identity, and acceptance are all present and balanced against each other; no particular theme is superimposed too obviously over the others. While the author never talks down to children, her word choices are occasionally a little elderly. Still, a worthwhile book even just for not treating Jeremy's nightmare-induced bedwetting as shameful.

(Upper-elementary, maybe grades 4-6?) show less