Happy Families

March 15, 2012
In a compassionate family drama, twins Ysabel and Justin struggle with the revelation that their father has begun living as a woman. Before, Ysabel was a talented glassblower and Justin a champion debate-team member, and the pair lived with both parents. After, their father has moved to the other side of the state, and everything has become uncertain. Will the twins' parents get a divorce? Is Christine still the same person as the dad they knew? Why did everything have to change? For spring break, Ysabel and Justin's parents arrange for the twins to stay with their father for the first time after the big news. Both the tension and the deep caring among Ysabel, Justin and Christine are palpable as the family (reluctantly, on the twins' part) attends daily therapy sessions, eats extravagant takeout meals and embarks on a guided rafting trip with other transgender parents and their children. Exposition is handled gracefully; both dialogue and narrative inform readers about what it means to be transgender while still staying true to the characters involved. The twins' move from suspicion to acceptance comes quickly but believably, and action-oriented scenes--a harrowing moment rafting, a search for a missing twin--keep the pace brisk. The story's focus on an African-American family makes it particularly notable in LGBTQ-themed teen literature. Warmly drawn; a valuable conversation-starter for families like Ysabel and Justin's. (Fiction. 12 & up)

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May 1, 2012

Gr 9 Up-Twins Ysabel and Justin Nicholas seem to have it all. She is a talented artist, he a star debater as a freshman. But when Justin sees a woman at his debate event who looks just like their father, their happy life comes to an abrupt end. Their dad is transgender; he feels complete only when living as a woman, and the teens don't know how to deal with it. He leaves, and their mother becomes a shell of her former self. Feeling that their entire lives have been a lie, Justin and Ysabel are confused and angry. Forced to spend spring break with their father, they begin the process of understanding the changes in their lives and what truly makes a happy family. Characters are well developed and relatable. Religion is central in their lives, but the book is never preachy. Explanations of being transgender are age appropriate and offer a wide range of possible behaviors. No easy answers are given and the ending is left open but hopeful. Students will be hooked by the writing and likable characters, and they will keep reading because of the deft handling of a difficult topic. Acceptable transgender terminology and words to avoid are included at the end. This is an excellent addition to the small number of books for teens on this topic.-Kefira Phillipe, Nichols Middle School, Evanston, IL

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