George (Scholastic Gold)

melodyf - When you look at George, he is a boy. But when you really see him, he has a heart of a girl. George thinks she'll have to keep this secret forever. Her days as a boy was miserable. Until her teacher announces that their class play is going to be based on the book, Charlotte's Web. George goal was to play Charlotte, but no one accepts this idea except for Kelly, her best friend. This is George's perfect chance to let everyone see who she truly is. How will her best friend, Kelly, help her? What is their secret plan? I wasn't sure if I want to read this book at first, however throughout the story, I felt like Alex Gino is really doing a great job on implying the importance on expressing yourself. I felt like this book somehow relates to a person I know. My favorite character in this book is Kelly, because I felt like even though she is possibly crazy, she is unique in her own way and willing to help others. I think that this book is an inspiration to many people. After reading this book, I learn that in order to survive through school and any circumstances, it is very important to express your own opinion, ideas, thoughts, and show who you truly is. "Full of wonder, hope and the importance of getting to be who you are meant to be"

Starred review from May 11, 2015
Though others see her as male, 10-year-old George has long known that she is a girl, and she longs for people to see that truth, even while the idea terrifies her. When George’s fourth-grade class has tryouts for a school production of Charlotte’s Web, George desperately wants to play Charlotte, a character she adores. George’s teacher doesn’t allow to George to audition for the part, but her supportive best friend Kelly, who is cast as Charlotte, comes up with a plan that may give George the chance she needs. The taunts of a school bully, George’s self-doubts, and her mother’s inability to truly hear what George is telling her carry real weight as debut author Gino’s simple, direct writing illuminates George’s struggles and quiet strength. George’s joy during stolen moments when she can be herself will resonate with anyone who has felt different, while providing a necessary window into the specific challenges of a child recognizing that they are transgender. Profound, moving, and—as Charlotte would say—radiant, this book will stay with anyone lucky enough to find it. Ages 8–12. Agent: Jennifer Laughran, Andrea Brown Literary Agency.

Starred review from June 1, 2015
George, a fourth-grader who knows she is a girl, despite appearances, begins to tell her secret. The word "transgender" is used midway through, but far more work is done by the simple choice to tell George's story using third-person narration and the pronouns "she" and "her." Readers then cringe as much as George herself when bullies mock her or-perhaps worse-when well-meaning friends and family reassure her with sentiments like "I know you'll turn into a fine young man." Each year the fourth-graders at George's school perform a dramatized version of Charlotte's Web, the essentials of which are lovingly recapped (and tear-inducing ending revealed) for readers unfamiliar with the tale. George becomes convinced that if she plays Charlotte, her mom will finally see her as a girl. George's struggles are presented with a light, age-appropriate, and hopeful touch. The responses she gets when she begins to confide in those closest to her are at times unexpected but perfectly true-to-character-most notably her crude older brother's supportive observation that, "No offense, but you don't make a very good boy." A coda to the Charlotte's Web story, in which George presents herself as a girl for the first time, is deeply moving in its simplicity and joy. Warm, funny, and inspiring. (Fiction. 9-12)

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Starred review from July 1, 2015

Gr 4-6-Before her mother and older brother Scott come home, George has a few, treasured moments to experience life as she's always wanted to live it. She looks in the mirror and calls herself Melissa, combs her hair over her forehead to mimic the appearance of bangs, and reads glossy magazines full of ads for lipstick, perfume, and tampons. Once her mom and brother come home, however, the magazines must go back to their secret hiding place. While George has no doubt she's a girl, her family relates to her as they always have: as a boy. George hopes that if she can secure the role of Charlotte in her class's upcoming production of Charlotte's Web, her mom will finally see her as a girl and be able to come to terms with the fact that George is transgender. With the help of her closest ally, Kelly, George attempts to get the rest of the world to accept her as she is. While children can have a sense of their gender identity as early as the age of three, children's literature is shockingly bereft of trans* protagonists, especially where middle grade literature is concerned. George offers more than the novelty of an LGBTQ coming-out story, however. Here, what is most remarkable is the use of pronouns: While the world interacts with George as if she is a boy, the narrator only refers to her with female pronouns, which gives her girl-ness a stronger sense of validation. In addition, George comments on the fact that, in past years, gays and lesbians have achieved a certain amount of visibility and acceptance, while the trans* community is still largely ignored and misunderstood. George's mother remarks that while she can handle having a gay child, she simply can't accept her as "that kind of gay." For George, as is the case for many LGBTQ youth, coming out is a process that she must repeat until she is properly recognized. There is pain in George, but not without the promise of a better tomorrow, even if tomorrow doesn't arrive as soon as it should. VERDICT A required purchase for any collection that serves a middle grade population.-Ingrid Abrams, Brooklyn Public Library, NY

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Starred review from August 1, 2015
Grades 4-6 *Starred Review* Ten-year-old George has a secret. Everyone thinks she is a boy, but inside she knows that she is really a girl named Melissa. When her fourth-grade class prepares to mount a dramatic production of Charlotte's Web, George knows that more than anything in the world, she wants to play the part of Charlotte. After all, who cares if she plays a girl's part? Hasn't her best friend Kelly told her that, in Shakespeare's time, men played all the parts, even those of girls and women? But things aren't that simple, not even when George summons the courage to dramatically show her single-parent mom the truth. Gino's debut novel is a sensitive, insightful portrayal of a transgender child coming to terms with gender identity. George is an appealing, thoroughly believable character, and her best friend Kelly adds humor and zest to this gentle story. Gino does an excellent job introducing factual information into the narrative without impinging upon the accessible and appealing story. Pair this important addition to the slender but growing body of transgender fiction with Ami Polonsky's Gracefully Grayson (2014).(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)