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Reviewed by Anne-Marie Reynolds for Readers' Favorite
The Hungry Hearts Club by Julie Hodgson follows Jude, an eleven-year-old boy living with Prader-Willi syndrome, meaning every meal has to be measured out, the cupboards at home stay locked, and Jude spends a lot of time silently counting backwards just to quiet the constant thoughts about food. Then Jude and his twin sister Nina head off to Camp Evergreen, where Jude meets other children who understand exactly what it feels like to be watched and managed all the time. Together they form the Hungry Hearts Club, a secret little group where nobody has to hide the hard parts of themselves. As Jude begins to open up, he also has to face the feelings Nina has been quietly hiding to protect him.
The Hungry Hearts Club by Julie Hodgson is such a moving read, and I really appreciated how honestly it deals with something as complex as Prader-Willi syndrome without ever feeling clinical or heavy-handed. Jude is a sympathetic character, and you feel every bit of his relief as he slowly learns he doesn't have to hide behind his counting anymore, not when he's surrounded by kids who actually understand him. Nina gets just as much attention here, and it's refreshing to see a book acknowledge how hard it can be to be the sibling who's always expected to just cope. This sibling perspective is touchingly reinforced by the hand-drawn journal pages from Nina’s 'Brave Book' that open each chapter, where her raw pencil sketches and candid scribbles offer a beautiful, visual window into the thoughts she tries so hard to keep hidden. The camp friendships feel genuine too, each child dealing with their own private struggles, and there's a lot of warmth in how they end up looking out for one another. It's a book that opens the door for some really important conversations between parents and kids about empathy, trust, and what it actually means to feel safe.
