Eve Ainsworth’s Jellybean is a sensitively crafted, deeply empathetic novella that tackles the complex and often misunderstood experience of school-related anxiety. When Ellie—nicknamed Jellybean—wakes up one morning overcome by an unexplainable fear of attending school, the story gently unfolds her emotional world. Ainsworth handles this delicate subject with clarity and compassion, allowing readers to feel Ellie’s isolation while maintaining a hopeful connection to the support that surrounds her .

True to Barrington Stoke’s mission, this short novel is highly accessible, with concise writing and well-spaced illustrations that enhance reading confidence without sacrificing emotional depth . The narrative’s simplicity is its strength, giving a clear emotional arc and a sense of realism for young readers who might relate to Ellie’s experience—or for those who know someone who does. The inclusion of practical resources and encouragement for both children and adults at the end is both thoughtful and empowering, expanding the book’s value beyond storytelling .

Where Jellybean truly shines is in its portrayal of anxiety—not as a dramatic event, but as a creeping, pervasive presence that reshapes Ellie’s day-to-day existence. The book doesn’t offer dramatic solutions, but instead fosters understanding. It doesn’t gloss over the difficulty, yet it avoids overwhelming the reader with complexity .

If there’s a minor drawback, it’s perhaps that the story’s resolution feels somewhat idealised. Ellie’s path to support and reconnection with school unfolds quite smoothly—an outcome that may feel far too neat compared to many real-life scenarios . Yet this “soft landing” also makes the book a gentle entry point for adolescents grappling with their own emotions, and for adults seeking to better understand and support them.

In conclusion, Jellybean is a tender, accessible, and emotionally honest portrayal of anxiety that resonates deeply. It’s an important and affirming read for young people—and an essential tool for educators, parents, and peers striving to cultivate empathy and support.

As a fictionally described emotional account of what it feels like to experience 'school refusal' or anxiety around attending school then this book does a very good job of it. The main character is sympathetic and the topic is described in a lot of detail. As someone who experienced this myself as a teenager (ok, a long time ago!) and someone who works with children who whom this is an issue I have to be honest though and say that it doesn't cover the amount of obstacles that you end up having to face if this is your reality. A lot of these obstacles arise from others who don't understand how it feels though, so I do think that ultimately books like this will help educate others, but the smoothness with which the main character got the right kind of help and the understanding of those around her are too often missing in the real world I fear. The writing was clear and concise. I'll definitely be getting this for my Library.

Jellybean gives us an insight into the feelings of a school refuser and is a very empathetic, informative read. The main protagonist struggles to enunciate what is stopping her from returning to school, she wants to go but the ever present inexplicable fear she feels every day is making it impossible for her. Eve Ainsworth has a way of getting lots of understanding in concise word counts , there is also information for adults and sources of help for kids included at the end of the story.

I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

Jellybean is a short novella sized children's book for any child who suffers from anxiety, depression and worries.
Ellie has started at high school and finds herself suddenly unable to get out of bed and make herself go to school. Ellie parents are obviously very confused and worried about her, and Ellie just can't explain how she feels as she doesn't fully understand it herself.
The book helps children understand their emotions and feelings, supports how they can start to move forward with different supports available, and above all leaves the reader feeling less misunderstood and alone.
As a parent of a child who suffers from severe anxiety and who's child really suffers from it in school (even more so since starting high school), I found this a very helpful and supportive book. The book is written for children aged 10-16 and very simple to understand. This is a book I'll be purchasing a physical copy for for my daughter as I do think this would really help her feel less alone.
The book has some great information and links to external resources that are useful and helpful, too.

This is a really great book about school avoidance and shows one of the many different reasons why someone might struggle to go to school. Jellybean is overwhelmed by everything at school and finally the anxiety takes over. It is difficult for others to understand how she is feeling and exactly WHY she cant go to school, but that doesnt mean it isnt valid and real.

Love the illustrations and how the sentences often reflect the anxiety Jellybean is feeling. Also love the inclusion of an open ending and the resources at the end!

While on the shorter side, it's definitely a helpful way for children to see themselves in Ellie. As someone that deals with anxiety, I could relate to her in the sense of sometimes you can't explain how you feel and that it doesn't always mean something has happened. Anxiety will just show up. If my child ever feels this way, I will definitely read this with them and hope it will help them be able to express how they are feeling.

What a wonderful book that can help children see themselves or understand others.

The book is beautifully illustrted by Theo Parish and follows Ellie as she finds herself unable to go to school due to struggling with her mental health.

The reading age for the book is 7, while the interest age is 11+ as Ellie is in her first year at secondary school. It is short and simple to tead and I think it makes the book incredibly accessible and a quick read for adults who may like an insight into how anxiety can affect older childen through a fictional tale.

The story takes us carefully through the different stages Ellie is going through as she tries to understand and manage her feelings.

The book ends with advice for adults and advice for children which is incredibly important as the book really hit me as a mum of an 11 year old about to start high school. I'll be buying a copy for my daughter as I believe even if she never suffers from these problems herself, someone in her life may well.

4’2/5 ⭐️ First of all, thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for an arc of “Jellybean”. I requested an arc of this book because the art style reminded me a lot of Heartstopper. I really enjoy that type of art style so i really liked the art in Jellybean. The story of Ellie’s experience regarding her feelings towards going to school and the anxiety it gives her is a very compelling and informative way of giving visibility to this kinds of feelings a lot of people struggle with. A very quick, informative read with beautiful art illustrations.

This is short but deftly covers the main points of school avoidance. Ellie (Jellybean) is the main character and the story starts with her making her way to school for the first time in a long period. It then flashes back to when she started avoiding school, covering her feelings, how it affects her and others and what strategies are tried.
All experiences of EBSA are individual and Eve does manage to make Ellie’s story general enough that there are lots of common elements for children to relate to without it being maybe too different from their own story.
My daughter is EBSA and I asked her to read it too. She felt it resonated with her experiences.
The ending is open, which normally I dislike, but I think for this story, leaving the reader to make up their own mind on how it ends is important.

I really liked Jellybean by Eve Ainsworth. It’s about a girl named Ellie who feels really anxious about going to school, but she doesn’t know how to explain it. Her parents think something must be wrong, but it’s not what they expect. Ellie just feels… off, and it’s hard for her to talk about it.

My favorite part was when Ellie had a sleepover—it was fun and made me happy while reading. I liked seeing her have a good moment with friends.

I gave it 4 stars because it was a really good story, and it helps kids understand that it’s okay to feel anxious sometimes. I wish there were a few more fun parts, but I still really enjoyed it.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced reader copy!

A empathetic portrayal of school based anxiety told through the eyes of Ellie, a young girl who wakes up and is so overcome with anxiety that she cannot attend school, and continues to not attend for a large period of time. As a teacher, this short story hit home. It reflects how absence is not always rooted in bullying or academic pressure. A powerful read.

Picked this up for the gorgeous cover and because I've always enjoyed Eve Ainsworth's work, and it did not disappoint.

I am impressed at how the book covers nearly all bases despite its short length and how comprehensive it is. Not only does it dive into what it's like to live with anxiety, this novella also shows the importance of a good support system and availability of resources. Ellie's feelings and struggles were realistic and well-explored.

A great read about understanding anxiety.

This is gentle and honest. A young girl struggling with anxiety and not going to school. I really appreciated how this was told, and the few explanations of how you can get help at the end was a wonderful touch. I loved the illustrations throughout too.

Eve Ainsworth's Jellybean is the sort of book that I am always absolutely thrilled to see out there in the world. Not only is this one of those books that meets struggling readers where they're at, but it discusses a topic that often takes those who experience it by surprise, resulting in a litany of negative feelings about themselves that they have no idea how to navigate. I do genuinely believe that having access to books that delve into these themes will create the opportunity for young minds to learn about and have empathy for others who are struggling, but also for those with similar experiences to not only recognize it in themselves, but be a step ahead in finding the right support for themselves.

Though advertised as a graphic novel, Jellybean does feel more like one of those hi-lo books for teens that includes a decent number of illustrations. One day, seemingly out of nowhere, Ellie wakes up and finds herself incapable of returning to school—overcome with a crippling anxiety that is centered fully around simply being at school, the book details Ellie's journey alongside her family to get the support she needs with the hope that it will one day allow her to face those struggles without experiencing the high level of stress that has been preventing her from returning to school.

I deeply appreciated so much about this book; from the subject matter to the accessibility of the text. The plot is somewhat simple, though certainly reminiscent of what an average teen struggling with this circumstance might be going through. I also think it was important that the story depicted the main character going through therapy, having understanding friends, and how her parents experienced difficulty with the illness as well. A situation like this won't necessarily have a quick or easy resolution, and though the story does seem to bring things to a close in a very positive manner, it's not without struggles.

Thank you so much to Barrington Stoke and Netgalley for the ebook to read and review.

Ellie wakes up one day and is so overcome with anxiety she cannot go school, her anxiety keeps growing and growing, making life difficult for her and her family, and she’s missing everything at school. She wants to go back, but how she can she doesn’t know.

This was really well done, anxiety is such a horrible thing, it’s so overwhelming and can appear out of nowhere. It’s not something the recipient wants to have happen or to be feeling at all. This book really helped to explain it, to let the reader understand what it is, how I happens and what it can cause. Ellie has to go through and miss so much she wants to be part of within the book, she misses her friends, she misses learning and being top of her class. With guidance from professionals she uses her art to start expressing herself and hoping to find a way to get back to her regular life.

I really liked the way everything was shown and depicted, it was delicately done but very detailed. It shared what resources are available for children struggling with this and how to get them to find ways to battle against the struggles and the anxiety. This is a wonderful book for young readers, so many go through similar struggles and don’t know how to express what they are feeling, this book is one way they can figure out how.

I personally related to Ellie reading this, I actually struggled a lot with this when I was at a school, though I would be always going home through the day as I couldn’t cope anymore. Anxiety really affects you, makes your school work suffer, makes you start declining mentally in other ways. I didn’t have anything like this to help me, I actually didn’t have anything to help me in anyway to get through it, it would have been nice having books on mental health like this, so I’m really happy for young readers today that get these books to help them.

Jellybean is Ellie Bean's nickname as well as her favourite sweet. The book starts with her walking somewhere she doesn't want to go and hasn't been to for a while - school. This isn't because Ellie has a big exam or is experiencing bullying, it's because she has developed extreme anxiety about going to school and this is her first day back after being unable to go for so long.

We then flashback to when Ellie first felt this way and follow the story from there, back up to the present day.

Firstly, I'd say that there isn't really much of a story here. It's more like a fictional account of a child's experience with Emotionally Based School Avoidance, albeit a pretty idealistic one. Nothing really happens - Ellie is unable to go to school, she stops going, professionals get involved and then a few months later, she gives it another go.

Secondly, I felt that this was pretty unrealistic and I appreciate that it is only a short book, but it describes a system that is far more functional than it is. Ellie gets an appointment with her GP almost instantly and is immediately referred to CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services). Her doctor also suggests a private counsellor, which her parents are fortunate to be able to afford. The mother has a job that she can suddenly do from home. Ellie is visited by the EWO (Educational Welfare Officer), who has time for multiple visits. I wish my own experiences of working in a school as well as personal experience, were reflected in this book but they aren't. It is far harder to get external support and there is a lot of blame on parents and attendance related consequences/fines, as well as months of distress from the child being forced into school.

I am pleased to see this topic being addressed in fiction - this can only be a step in the right direction - but I feel that fiction plays a huge part in helping people realise they're not alone in difficult situations and I'm not sure this book would do that for many. The information at the back of the book is useful and there are websites that we have used before, recommended by professionals, which have been good so it's nice to see these being promoted.

I wanted to like this book more than I actually did. The start was very good and I know, as someone who used to get panic attacks at school, that this isn't a rare feeling for kids. Anxiety around school especially is so hard to handle when you don't even have the words. I didn't like that the ending was SO open I didn't need to see Ellie have a whole day at school but even finishing with "she took the last step forward" or something, because kids who relate to this will want to know that they CAN overcome their fears. It is possible.

After reading this I'm a bit confused that this is considered as a graphic novel. It's a pretty short book with mainly text and around 10 pictures throughout the story. I thought it would be more the other way around when I started it. It was still a good book.

One day Ellie wakes up and struggles to go to school. What started with a few days not going to school, ended up being a year. Ellie can't explain what's going on, even if she tried to explain.

The story mostly focuses on Ellie and her struggle. The chapters are short and have some time jumps. The writing style is easy to follow and nice to read.

This book can be a good help for children who also struggle with anxiety. I really liked that the last pages had a lot of information for parents/teachers/etc. about different ways to help and sources to look into.

Thank you to Negtalley and Barrington Stoke for this EARC!

Once again Barrington Stoke publishes another excellent book ; this time Jellybean by Eve Ainsworth.

As ever, the texts are pitch perfect for older readers who are reluctant readers or have a slightly lower reading age

This is the story of Ellie ( nicked named Jellybean by close friends )who finds that she cannot go to school due to anxiety.- the book covers the situation with understanding and compassion guiding the reader through the stages of Ellie’s emotions and the support process.

Eve Ainsworth has written a book that can be a standalone read for 10-13 year old or a book that could be used in upper key stage 2 with a class, small groups or individuals or key:stage 3 pastoral care sessions.

An important read in a time when more young people are struggling in so many ways like never before

The short review: Enjoyable, easy read for young and old. Ellie is struggling with anxiety, and she can’t find words to explain. Her friends and parents really do want to help. I liked the ending being left up to the reader to decide what comes next for Ellie.
The longer review: What a wonderful, and really accessible book on so many levels. This story is enjoyable. It is easy to enter into and share Ellie’s life and feelings. The artwork is perfectly matched to the story, and aids accessibility. I see so many pupils in school who should be able to understand and relate to Ellie.
A good book is a good book! Lower reading age brings accessibility for more readers, it is not an indicator of how much we will enjoy the book. As I’ve already said, this is an enjoyable read.
The story raises a number of issues which can be a problem in a young person’s life. But doesn’t try to deal with too many as far as Ellie is concerned. These issues may lead to anxiety, which can be so debilitating for children.
This book may provide opportunities for children, parents, teachers and support staff/agencies to start needed conversations. It provides some possible positive ways to move forwards. Especially since CAHMS is in such high demand, yet its resources are very limited and stretched Country wide.
Well done to Barrington Stoke for their efforts to publish books which have a wider reading age but a context which older children should enjoy because it is part of their own experience. Thank you to Barrington Stoke and NetGalley for the ARC. The views expressed are all mine, freely given.