The Thing About Georgie

This book is about Georgie who has dwarfism and has to overcome challenges in his life that most other kids his age do not. He faces the constant fear of not being enough or good enough for the people around him, and this shows throughout the book ranging from the new baby in his family to his dog walking business with his friends. This would be a good book to show kids in the class to bring some light to a disability that they might not experience in everyday life, it gets them out of their bubbles and allows them to see things from a different perspective. Because I think this book is a great tool to use to bring some diversity into the classroom and because the story is entertaining and I believe would capture the minds of children, show more I gave this book 4 1/2 stars. show less

Nine-year-old Georgie has height issues. As a dwarf, he isn't likely to grow much taller than his current 42 inches. Consequently school furniture is awkward, running track or playing a musical instrument isn't possible, and he knows his soon-to-be new sibling will quickly outgrow him physically. To make matters worse, he's had a misunderstanding with his best friend, Andy, and is being forced to partner with Jeanie the Meanie for a school report. Given these circumstances, this might easily have been depressing. Instead, first novelist Graff employs a light touch, turning in a poignant, often funny exploration of what it means to celebrate one's skills rather than lamenting one's limitations. Graff makes good use of an anonymous show more narrator (revealed in the last chapter to be one of the book's main characters), who provides kid-friendly information about dwarfism. An upbeat and sensitive look at what it's like to be different, this novel will spark discussion. Category: Books for Middle Readers--Fiction. 2007, HarperCollins/Laura Geringer, $15.99, $16.89 show less

The thing about this book is that it was written before Wonder, by

Reading The Thing About Georgie by Lisa Graff gave me a new perspective on life. I could easily relate to Georgie and the many struggles he has to overcome. I think his worries about his height and the things he couldn’t do were holding him back. We all do that sometimes. We focus so much on what we can’t do and forget to focus on what we can do. I learned a lot from reading this book and I am so glad I picked it up. Georgie is a funny kid who gets mad, jealous, and hurt- just like all of us. I would recommend this book to anyone in 3rd grade and up. A great book for kids to read with an adult! If you know someone who is different in some way, then this is the perfect book for you to read. You won’t regret looking at the world show more from Georgie’s point of view and I bet you will start to see things differently once you crack open this book. show less

Georgie is a dwarf. His life, overall, is a happy one. But then he learns that his parents are going to have another child. Georgie is overwhelmed with feeling of jealousy for his new sibling who he anticipates will be a normal child, able to do many things Georgie cannot do, including play music like his parents. Georgie’s jealousy also jeopardizes his friendship with his best friend and he suffers through a developing relationship with the cruelest girl in school, Jeanie the Meanie.

I can't say enough about this book! I love this author and the way she captures the feelings of the characters. Georgie is a dwarf and he is in fourth grade. He battles many things in his life. Bullies, keeping friends, a new baby on the way! You will fall in love with him and root for him with every page you turn! A quick easy read... Around level R.

The thing about Georgie is that he is short...really short...dwarf short, but he doesn't want that to be the only thing that defines who he is. As things change around him: his parents expecting a baby, his best friend no longer his best friend, and a new (but not-so-nice) partner in class, Georgie must learn to look past his limitations so that others can, too.

I wasn't a fan of this book. Although the characters and problems were spot on for that age group, I felt like Georgie's height was too big of a factor and made it less accessible to the average Joe who wasn't happy with himself. So much of what Georgie was limited by was actually because he was physically limited. A lot of time pre-teens who struggle with accepting themselves show more struggle with more mental/emotional limitations vs. physical ones. show less