Oak Lawn Woman Debuts Young Adult Novel Saturday At Cork And Bean

OAK LAWN, IL — If you have a young reader in your house, or enjoy a good coming-of-age story, head over this Saturday to Cork and Bean, 4931 W. 95th St., Oak Lawn. Rebecca Garner will be signing copies of her first young adult novel, “Why Won’t My Boobs Grow … And Other Annoyances,” starting at 1 p.m.

Garner, 33, perfectly channels middle-school angst through her 14-year-old protagonist, Emma Bishop, who just wants to get through eighth grade with her besties and survive embarrassing interactions with cute boys. Garner describes Emma as a “truly average, normal teen.”

“Kids will be able to see themselves in her. It’s written diary style navigating the teen years, zits, fights with friends, the first kiss.”

A former, middle school teacher, Garner always loved reading and writing. Being an author was something she always dreamed about.

“When I left teaching, I always felt a little guilty about leaving the students behind,” she said. “I thought, how can I do something to help kids, so I recently started writing again."

She wrote most of the novel five years ago, then got it out and started revising it during the pandemic. Garner draws a lot of Emma from her own early teen years.

“When you’re 13, 14, 15, there’s so much going on in your brain, you’re trying to be cool, and you’re not,” she said.

Growing up in Chicago Ridge, Garner devoured such children’s literature as Louise Rennison’s best-selling novel, “Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging,” Sarah Dessen and Judy Blume.

“I also really loved Harry Potter,” she said. “I loved reading. This is why I wrote Emma being in eighth grade. I loved seeing myself in the characters.”

Garner graduated from Richards High School in 2007, and went on to earn an bachelor’s in education at DePaul University. She resides in Oak Lawn with husband, 4-year-old daughter, to be joined by her soon-to-be-born son. Garner is currently drafting a sequel.

“Why Can’t I Grow Boobs … And Other Annoyances,” is published by community-owned publisher New Degree Press, and is available for $16 on Amazon Books, Barnes and Noble, and Bookstore.org, which supports local bookstores. It can also be downloaded on your Kindle, iPad or tablet for $5.