George (2015)

When I saw this book on a list of most banned books, I wanted to read it as I could. I remember being told by my pediatrician when I had a physical for kindergarten that I was a boy. I immediately started to cry and did not until I got home. That was the first memory about gender identity that I had. I also remember playing with a train set in kindergarten and being picked up by a teacher and carried over to a play set of a sink and dishes.

What does matter what a child like to play with? We are all individuals, and that does not seem important to me. What is significant is who you think you are. I knew that I was a female, luckily, I had a matching body. But there are people who do not match their assigned gender identity. Christine Jorgensen. I read her biography in graduate school. I remember crying for her while I read it.

Children need to be able to find books similar to themselves in libraries.
I thought that Alex Gino did a great job in figuring out how to write this book. The only thing that could have been better would be a book about the experience of being defined as a male when you are female. There needs be room for everyone, like girls who hate dresses but know that they are female. We require diversity, acceptance and empathy for everyone. ( )

Adolescents, or students in the middle grades, are going through so many changes in their lives and their bodies and minds are going through a huge development process. These mental and physical changes can become very overwhelming. Having a book like "George" in your classroom libray could immensely help a student struggling with their identity. "George" is about a transgender girl, Melissa, who knows herself as female, yet everyone around her sees her as a boy named George. This book teaches readers what it is like to be labeled as the wrong gender, puts the reader in Melissa's shoes, and helps you learn how you can be an ally for others. ( )

When people see George they don't really know who he is. Inside it's really a girl named Melissa. She knows she's not a boy, she's a girl. Melissa thinks she’ll have to keep this a secret forever. Then her teacher announces that they are going to have a class play, Charlotte's Web. Melissa so badly wants to play Charlotte. But the teacher says she can't even try out for the part because she's a boy. With her friend, Kelly, to help, Melissa comes up with a plan. Not only so she can be Charlotte but so everyone can know who she really is. I think this is a great read. So many students could possibly relate to this book as well. It is a very inclusive book that I think should be read in the middle school classrooms. ( )

AUDIO REREAD
When I found out that Jamie Clayton of Sense8 was the narrator for this, it was absolutely time for a reread. Still love the book as much as ever, and her narration was everything I had hoped for!

ORIGINAL REVIEW
George is known primarily as a book with a transgender protagonist, but it should also simply be known as an excellent contemporary, middle-grade book about learning to be yourself. While the focus is on a transgender girl, the story also touches on a number of issues which affect all children such as bullying. It shows regular, real families as they are instead of presenting perfect, nuclear families. All of this combines to make the book relatable to almost any child. That very relatability may well help cisgender children (and adults) to develop greater empathy for special challenges faced by those who are transgender. It even includes a FAQ that offers guidance on how to be courteous and supportive to transgender people.

There isn't a soul in the world to whom I wouldn't recommend this. Whether you would be described as transgender, cisgender, child, or adult, George has something to offer you. The author says they dream of this book someday becoming historical fiction in a world that can't quite understand why Melissa being trans is a big deal. I fervently hope Mx. Gino gets to see their dream come true.

Juvenile contemporary fiction
Grades: 3 - 8
Ages: 8 -13
Lexile Measure: 790L
DRA Level: 70
Themes: adolescent issues, bullying experiences, growing up, LGBTQ experiences, middle school, being yourself, trans experiences ( )

this was one of the most if not the most moving heart wrenching and kind book i have read this year even over wonder. ( )