Skip to main content

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. 



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

El Deafo

Summary:  When 4 year old Cece gets meningitis, her parents are scared. But she recovers and everything seems like it is going to be just fine, until they discover that Cece has suffered permanent hearing loss. Told through a graphic novel, Cece Bell's somewhat autobiographical story stars a world of bunnies where Cece navigates her first grade year while dealing with her deafness, wearing a hearing aid and making friends. She copes by creating an alter ego for herself, "El Deafo", the hearing aid wearing superhero. In the end, Cece gains confidence and learns to be more assertive with other people who just don't understand how their interactions with her can have an effect. Strengths: This graphic novel is geared towards a younger set of readers than most of the books I will be reviewing this fall in this blog, but it still has some value and strengths for the young adult reader. The theme of dealing with being different will resonate with young adult readers,
Post a Comment
Read more

Learning New Things

It has been a while since my last update, so first here's what's been going on. I left my music teacher position of 14 years to take a 1/2 library 1/2 music position at a public PK-3rd grade Academy that focuses on using GT best practices for all students, whether or not they've been identified as gifted. I inherited a library that was staffed the previous year by a 1/2 time librarian and a 1/2 time assistant, who were both on another campus 1/2 time, which is tough. I've gotten really lucky to be mentored by a phenomenal librarian who is only blocks from my school, knows a TON about the district I'm in and how it's run and is just a great person. Because I could basically do the music job in my sleep, I've spent something like 3/4 of my time in the library, trying to get my bearings, get programs off the ground and provide a welcoming space for my teachers and students. So far, it's been going well. This first post back is going to be focusing on a
Post a Comment
Read more

Gabi: A Girl in Pieces

Summary:  Gabi is a high school senior who is pulled in all directions. Her diary chronicles the sixteen year old's senior year of high school. Her best friend is pregnant, her other best friend is kicked out of his house after he comes out to his parents, her father is a meth addict and her mother nags and disapproves but is still supportive. Gabi's diary is full of teenage thoughts, poetry and her looking toward the future that she hopes will happen at Berkeley.  Through the novel we see Gabi learn and grow as she deals with the world happening around her and her social and environmental awareness as well as sense of self grows. Strengths:  This book gives a voice to a young, Latino woman in a genre that very rarely features that sort of character. As a result, there are issues discussed in this book that you won't find in very many other young adult books. Gabi struggles with racism, her weight and the problems of the people she cares about. The narrative of her d
Post a Comment
Read more