The Story

Emily has stomachaches. Lots of them! With Max’s help, Emily investigates the top three causes of stomachaches: lactose intolerance, constipation, and stress. With a mix of facts and humor, Max puts Emily on the right track towards feeling better. Extra fun activities and a Q&A section written for parents is at the end of the book.

“With a casual question-and-answer format and colorful cartoon illustrations, the title follows Max’s explanations to Emily — and the reader — about how digestion takes place and the three main causes of a stomachache: lactose intolerance, stress, and constipation…kids will enjoy learning about basic body functions, which are references in a diagram that traces the route of the digestive tract ‘from start to rather gross finish.’ A final section ‘Just for Parents’ adds more.” — Booklist

“The book handles clinical information with a dose of humor, and includes related activities and a Q&A. Bennett doesn’t shy away from talking about ‘farts, poop and other icky stuff,’ topics that some kids — and plenty of adults — just aren’t comfortable talking about. It’s not hard to imagine parents using the kid detective’s tips to explain their own recurring stomachaches.” — The Washington Post

“Kids are naturally curious about the human body, and this book is a great way to introduce them to happenings that might seem mysterious. The tone of the book is reminiscent of Nate the Great, and the medical information is presented visually as well as textually, to give kids the context they need to understand complicated bodily functions. This book would certainly be helpful to children who have stomachaches, but even ones who don’t will enjoy following Max’s diagnostic process. Though it might not seem believable to an adult that Max would know all of this information, kids like learning from kids their own age, even fictional ones.” —Katie Fitzgerald, Internet blogger for children’s and teen fiction