Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a free advanced copy of this book to read and review.

Give this title to readers who enjoy friendship stories--especially unlikely friendships. A good read for those who read for character.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Two girls, Meg and Riley, meet in the nurse's office. Meg struggles with coping with life, and Riley struggles with coping with her Type 1 Diabetes. They don't quite understand why the other girl is in the nurse's office. They are from two opposite social circles at school, however they begin to connect and befriend each other.

I love the multiple perspectives in this book. As you get to read the story from each of their perspectives, you see how each girl learns how to face bullies, face their issues and ask for help while also establishing their independence. I definitely think upper elementary and middle school students could relate to this book. I absolutely adored this, and cannot wait to add it to my classroom library.

Thank you Netgalley and Simon Kids for the gifted book!

Two girls, Meg and Riley, meet in the nurse's office. Meg struggles with coping with life, and Riley struggles with coping with her Type 1 Diabetes. They don't realize why the other is there at first, and they aren't the same social status. Riley is friends with the most popular girl in their class and Meg, because of her life circumstances wears the same shirt almost every day and has to wear slippers to school because her shoes no longer fit. But the are kindred spirits, and they are drawn into friendship with one another. As you get to read the story from each of their perspectives, you see how they both learn to face bullies, face their issues and learn to ask for help while also establishing their independence. I thought this was a sensitive and charming novel.

Content Warning: Mental Illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Death of a parent, Bullying, Chronic Illness

I really enjoyed this multiple perspective book. I love that two seemingly very different girls make the connection and befriend each other. I learned a ton about diabetes and it gives me sympathy for people that have it. Great book. I will definitely be ordering for my library.

I can see the point this one is trying to make. And there are things I like about it. Neither girl's life is magically fixed. They address the issues without completely fixing them. It moves a bit slowly for a middle grade audience, though.

It All Begins with Jelly Beans is a sensitive middle grade book about unlikely friendships, living with Type 1 Diabetes, and coping with the loss of a parent. Set in Australia, this book also features a main character with anxiety, tackles bullying, and is written from the perspective of two narrators. This heartwarming story of connection and finding one’s voice makes for a satisfying read.

With thanks to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing for an early copy in return for an honest review.

There are not nearly enough Middle Grade books with MC's who have diabetes for the number of kids who are managing this on a daily basis. I thought this book did a great job of showing Riley's struggles with diabetes and just wanting to be a kid who could do everything her friends did. I think this story is also a good reminder about how it's not enough to just not be the bully, we need to actively speak up for those who are being bullied.

I did struggle a bit with how the school reacted, or more accurately how they didn't react, to Meg's situation. If a student only wore one shirt, came to school in slippers and was always hungry I think more action would be taken.

It All Begins With Jelly Beans by Nova Weetman was a charming novel about two dissimilar girls who through unlikely circumstances become friends. Meg and Riley meet by chance in the school nurse's office. Meg escapes there when life gets a little to hard to handle. Her father has recently died and her mother is suffering sever depression from the overwhelming grief. Meg is bearing the brunt of having an absent mother and suffers from frequent panic attacks, thus the frequent trips to the nurses office. Riley, a new student, is a diabetic who is struggling with managing her disease and her new friend set doesn't seem to take her disease seriously. At first the girls don't get along very well, but as the year progresses, they learn more about each other and more about themselves leading to a more true friendship than either has had before.

Riley and Meg are two unlikely friends but spend lots of time in the nurse's office together where they become friends. This has good information about diabetes and anxiety/panic attacks. Middle school can be awful and I'm glad Meg and Riley found each other through all the muck.

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC! I think a lot of middle schoolers will be able to relate.

It All Begins with Jelly Beans by Nova Weetman is a middle grade book about two unlikely friends who meet in the nurse's office at school. Riley has recently moved to the area, and spends time in the nurse’s office to help manage her diabetes, much to her chagrin. Meg spends a lot of time in the nurse’s office because it is a safe space for her to relax, eat something, and not feel the anxiety that is with her most of the time.

Both girls have troubles with their parents. Riley’s parents are overprotective and have a lot of fear about her health and diabetes management, which Riley is not the greatest at. Meg’s dad passed away about a year ago and her mom is not handling it well, which leads to Meg mostly fending for herself with the help of her aunt who keeps her in laundered clothes and a weekly meal.

Meg feels like she has no real friends, and Riley has several friends who make questionable choices. This book does a great job exploring the balance between trying to maintain a healthy social life, and doing what you know is right. I also loved the representation and discussion of both mental and physical illness, and the concept of “normal”. I would suggest this book to all upper elementary or lower middle school readers, or anyone that works with that age group.

Meg struggles with panic attacks and hangs out in the nurse’s office where one day a new girl, Riley, comes in to check her sugar level because she has diabetes. They don’t really hit it off, and Riley becomes friends with the popular mean girls. Meg’s mom struggles with depression since her husband died and so Meg has to see her dad’s sister to get some food and laundry done. As time passes, Riley realizes the mean girls aren’t her true friends and she wonders if she and Meg can become friends. Great information and details about diabetes.