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George

Book review by LifewithBeth

Summary:
George knows that she is a girl. But the rest of the world sees her as a boy. When George finds out about auditions for the school play, "Charlotte's Web", she desperately wants to land the role of Charlotte so that the rest of her world will finally acknowledge that she is not a boy. Slowly, George starts to let her family and school know that she is really Melissa, and that her body doesn't match her sense of self. The process is rocky and sometimes painful, but in the end, George delivers a hopeful and poignant reflection of the life of a transgender child. 

Strengths: 
One of the strengths of this book is that it is one of the few books for its genre. There isn't a whole lot of literature out there about trans characters and there are virtually none that are targeted for middle readers, like this book is. Gino's use of pronouns in the book is deliberate, with female pronouns when Melissa is talking about herself and male pronouns when others around her are describing her. I also think another strength of this book is that it shows the varying reactions people have to Melissa's coming out as trans. Some are cruel, others are supportive and many are just unsure of what to do with the whole situation. Reading about those reactions and the effect they have on Melissa helps the reader to empathize with her and may bring about some self reflection for those who know someone who is transgender. This book fills an incredibly important void and, in my opinion, should be part of any library that serves the 4-6th grade community. 

Interested in Other Books about Transgender Youth? Check out these!


 Gino, A. (2015). George. New York, NY: Scholastic. 



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