Alex Gino

I found this book on the banned book list so I put it on hold immediately. It was a really sweet story about a transgender child and finding the strength to find her voice and true self in the face of the fears and attitudes of family, classmates and teachers alike. The MC is helped by having a wonderful, loving and supportive best friend which really made all the difference in the world. It is how you wish the world to be but know we fall sadly short. I give it 4.5 stars shy of 5 because I show more feel the journey for a real trans child would be harsher but it is a book for a younger audience so I applaud the author for tackling the subject and ending with hope. show less

George, where do I even begin? This story was so transforming to my thoughts about transgender children. I found myself holding my breath during scenes like her being Charolette in the play. I found myself clenching my teeth together when the teacher and George was in the hallway and she was trying to audition. This book pulled out so many emotions for me. I was so concerned and sad when she had to get in the boys line or go to the boys bathroom. I was so elated and enthused when Melissa and show more Kelly went to the zoo. My heart was filled with the utmost joy and freedom. Alex Gino has created something wonderful for kids in the same boat. This was an amazing creation of a fictional, yet very realistic character. This book left me not wanting to say goodbye to Melissa so instead I say "1...2...3..... Zoot!" show less

George is the youngest trans protagonist I know of, in 4th grade. As the normalization of gender transitions in the news makes it possible for younger and younger kids to have this conversation with their families, younger kids need to see these stories in their books.

This is also the first trans YA or MG novel I know of that was written by a trans or genderqueer author. It shows. [book:Parrotfish|522782] is good and [book:Gracefully Grayson|20873172] and [book:Lily and Dunkin|23203257] are show more ok, but they all lack an authenticity that I felt in this.

MG and YA novels are almost all, in some way, about discovering, shaping, and owning identity. Gender identity is an irresistible story to tell for these age groups, as it is (in my experience) an irresistible real-life topic for kids this age. I look forward to reading a wider variety of trans books, including hopefully soon some about kids who choose they/their (as George's author does) and don't fit into the "girl in a boy's body (or vice versa)" narrative. show less

This was a decent story, but I couldn't help but feel a little bothered by Green's pressuring of Ronnie. Yes, it turned out all right in the end; this is, after all, a children's book, and a happy ending was pretty well guaranteed. But in reality, how it happened was not what I'd call okay. For one thing, Green was basically trying to yank Ronnie out of the closet in front of other people. Besides the fact that it should be universally accepted that everyone should be able to come out when show more they decide to do so, it should go without saying that they should be able to choose to whom they come out. Ronnie was clearly not ready, and Green went too far, in a way that I don't think should be celebrated, or at least accepted in an "the ends justify the means" sort of way.

Also, these kids are in middle school. Why should Ronnie have to know his sexuality at this point? Green did, sure, and plenty of his friends, but it's not always like that; plenty of people are still questioning into adulthood. And what if Ronnie had been on the asexuality spectrum? That didn't even cross anyone's mind, despite the thriving support group being led by a teacher who seems to do more than just host a social hour. Didn't anyone ever wonder what the "A" stood for?

So that was my biggest issue. There were smaller things, such as some weird perspective jumps and an ending so tidy it felt abrupt, but I can sometimes get past those if the story itself is compelling and well done. This time, I just couldn't. Perhaps I'm reading too much into it, but there it is. show less