By Xena Knox (author)
"A fresh, funny and honest story about what happens when one girl’s life literally turns to sh!t"
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July 2023 Debut of the Month
After collapsing during her exams and waking with a temporary ileostomy bag, Freya is angry. She’s meant to be enjoying the summer of her life before she starts sixth form. But instead of hot summer holidays abroad with her best friends and fit boyfriend, she’s at a midge-infested “Poo Camp” for young people with bowel problems.
Unable to accept that her life has irreversibly changed and sickened by her own body, Freya is resentful, miserable, and self-absorbed. Slowly though, new friends and a potential new love interest help her see that her future may be different, but it can still be hopeful.
This is a sharp book full of dark humour, that doesn’t shy away from the truth about an often-taboo subject: poo. When Freya returns to school not everybody reacts with kindness, instead she must deal with cruel bullies and a deceitful ex. She does so with strength and an impressive level of sass.
With authentic disability representation, Sh!t Bag highlights a subject rarely covered in YA and is a refreshing read, perfect for empathy building. Full of embarrassing moments to make you cringe, Freya’s journey is far from easy, but it’s definitely worth travelling with her. A fresh, fierce book about self-acceptance that older teens will love.
A fresh, fierce and sharply funny YA debut about when life literally goes to sh!t.
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A taboo-breaking novel perfect for fans of Sex Education & Not My Problem by Ciara Smyth and Bryony Gordon.
When Freya collapses and wakes up with a temporary ileostomy bag on her stomach, her dreams of the perfect summer go down the toilet.
Instead of partying in the Algarve, she's packed off to 'Poo Camp' - a place for kids with bowel disease to 'bond'. And things can only get worse. Someone has started calling her 'Sh!t Bag' . . . and it's catching on.
Freya decides to live up to the nickname, raging at her friends, her ex and the world. Only her campmate Chris seems to see past her new attitude . . . Can Freya get her sh!t together or will she end up with just her bag by her side?
'Funny, direct ... and romantic' - The Guardian
'whip-smart' - Irish Independent
'Compelling and insightful' - Glamour
'The best YA novel I've read this year' - Cat Clarke, author of Girlhood
'You'll be hooked from the first page' - A. M. Dassu, author of Boy, Everywhere
'Educated me in the most entertaining of ways' - Sue Wallman, author of Lying About Last Summer
Sh!t Bag is based on Xena Knox's own experiences with acute ulcerative colitis - juggling life-with-an-ostomy while studying and dating.
She lives between London and her arable farm in Scotland with her husband; an unruly girl-gang of black devil sheep, Shetland ponies and Thoroughbreds; and a field of 5,000 dreamy peonies.
Jump into someone else’s story with the 2025 Read for Empathy collection from EmpathyLab
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A fresh, fierce and sharply funny YA debut about when life literally goes to sh!t. A taboo-breaking novel perfect for fans of Sex Education & Not My Problem by Ciara Smyth and Bryony Gordon.
The LoveReading4Kids Editorial Team have read and reviewed SH!T BAG and determined it is suitable for children aged 15-18 years old
SH!T BAG features in the following genres: Debuts of the Month, Recommendations, Funny, Children's and Young Adult Fiction, Children’s, Teenage and Educational, PSHE: Health , Children’s / Teenage personal and social topics: Body and health, Personal Social Health Economic (PSHE), Stories about Family and Friends, Featured Books for Young Adults
Paperback. £8.99, down from the £9.99 cover price. In Stock.
SH!T BAG was written by Xena Knox and published by Hodder Children's Books an imprint of Hachette Children's Group
SH!T BAG has 295 pages
£8.99, reduced from £9.99. In Stock.
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