George (Scholastic Gold)

This review originally appeared on herestohappyendings.com I heard about this book back when it first came out, probably about a year ago now, and I while I was intrigued, I don't read as much middle grade fiction as I do young adult, so I never really bothered to pick a copy up until I saw it was on sale for $2.99 on Amazon for Kindle. When I saw that, I wasted no time grabbing my copy of it, and instead of being one of those books that I let sit in my Kindle library and end up forgetting about, this one nagged at me until I decided to read it. Let me stress that while this technically is a middle grade novel, I believe that it is a novel that everyone should read. It's sweet, it's funny, it's heartbreaking, and it's thought provoking. It will make you go back to your own childhood and wonder what you would have done if you were in George's shoes, or her friend Kelly's shoes. “George stopped. It was such a short, little question, but she couldn't make her mouth form the sounds. Mom, what if I'm a girl?” George is a girl in middle school who is struggling with her identity - she knows who she is, but she can't tell anyone - including her mother, who she doesn't believe would understand. So she hides in her room, looking at magazines that she's found over the years, full of make-up tips, hair advice, and models that she refers to as her friends. She keeps them hidden inside a denim bag in her closet so that no one can find them. To her mother and older brother, George is just George - a son and a little brother. George's father rarely sees her, so she doesn't feel the need to even consider discussing it with him. But when George is alone, she refers to herself as Melissa, which is the name she has picked for herself. School isn't easy for George, either. While she does have her best friend, Kelly, she is bullied and made fun of. When try-outs for the school play, Charlotte's Web, start up, George doesn't know what to do - she desperately wants the part of Charlotte, the spider who can spin words into her webs, but only girls are allowed to try out for the part. So what is George to do? Face ridicule and read the lines for Charlotte's character anyway, or play it safe and audition for a boy's role? When conflict arises and George feels like everything is falling apart for her, she isn't sure where to turn, so she turns to her friend Kelly, who is supportive, caring, and compassionate with George. She doesn't judge or care about what others will say - she encourages George to be herself. “She looked in the mirror and gasped. Melissa gasped back at her. For a long time, she stood there, just blinking. George smiled, and Melissa smiled too.” George is a beautiful novel, and honestly, I think everyone should have to read this book, both middle grade kids and adults alike. There are several important lessons to learn from this book. In the book, George's best friend Kelly is not only accepting of George, but she doesn't even care that George is a girl, and not a boy like everyone else believes. It doesn't change how she feels about her, and it doesn't change their friendship. As adults or teenagers, how many people can honestly say they have friends like this? A very select few, I'm sure. Imagine if we, as adults, could live by the message that this character sends? There would be much more love in the world, and a lot less hatred and violence. Also, George is encouraged by Kelly to follow her dreams and go for what she wants, even if no one else is keen on the idea. This is beautiful - and what we should all be encouraging each other to do. George is struggling silently with her identity for a good portion of the book, and she feels she must do this alone, because no one, not even her mother, would understand. This broke my heart, because as a mother myself, I know that if one of my children were feeling the emotions that George felt throughout this book, I know I would want them to come to me. I think that more parents need to be open and willing to discuss things with their children in such a way that makes them feel loved and accepted, no matter what. It saddens me to the very bottom of my heart that some children feel they cannot go to their parents and that they have to struggle through things like this alone - that should never be the case. I read this book through in one sitting - it isn't long or anything, but the messages that it delivers are so powerful that you won't be able to forget for a long time (if ever) after you're done reading. In fact, that's a good thing - I think that this book could inspire a new generation to learn to be more open-minded, compassionate, and loving toward one another, ditching the hatred and the animosity that is filling our society. Please, read this book. I'm sorry I waited so long to get a copy for myself, and I feel like everyone simply needs this book in their lives.

I had been hearing about this book since it came out, so it had been on my list for a while. I grabbed it on sale and finally had some time to sit down and read it. I was blown away and applaud the author for putting this book out there, even more so for recognizing that the book needed to be renamed to Melissa instead of George. George may be young, but he knows he doesn't fit into the mold that his surroundings have created for him. He knows that he feels the most comfortable as a girl. Therefore, he is a she and she is Melissa. Only it's a secret that she is hiding from the rest of the world. You can feel the pain she feels when people mislabel her or tell her that she can't do something that she knews she can. (For example, portraying Charlotte in the play of Charlotte's Web at school.) You get a sense of her discomfort as she keeps playing pretend on the outside when it conflicts who she really is on the inside. It's hard enough trying to figure out who you really are. It has to be even harder to know who you really are, but feel societal pressure to be someone else. Yes, we all go through some of that, but for people who are transgender, it is significantly more difficult. This book touches on some of those struggles and could make some children feel like they are not alone. They may finally actually see themselves in a book, giving them some validation. As Alex Gino says in the interview at the back of the book, they wrote a book that they would have loved to have had as a kid. Other children can read this book and figure out how to be supportive and how to not be a jerk. Actually, the same is true of grownups. It can give you a starting point for conversations with loved ones. I love Melissa's determination to be true to herself and to start getting what she wants out of life, even at such a young age. I feel like the younger generations are stronger than we ever were and love seeing characters who demonstrate that strength, even in the face of adversity. I'm so grateful that she has Kelly as a best friend, someone who loves her for who she really is. I respect the adults who are willing to step out of their own comfort zones for the good of others. Yes, everything feels like it gets tied up nicely with a big bow in this story. But isn't that what we are all striving for? This is a book that I hope makes it into the hands of all people who need to read it, especially the younger ones. It's a great example of a book to read with your child, to start discussions. I was fortunate enough to have parents who did that for me. There's a great Q&A section in the back of the book that can help facilitate those conversations. We need more discussion of these important topics and less banning. Looking forward to reading more of Mx. Gino's work in the future!

THIS.BOOK. Every child and adult should read this book. Siblings and parents should read this book. There's not one person who couldn't benefit from this story. “George stopped. It was such a short, little question, but she couldn't make her mouth form the sounds. Mom, what if I'm a girl?” George is a middle-grade book and I think this might be a first for me, but I heard about it on NPR and couldn't pass it up. I was afraid this story would be a soul-crushing experience and while it has sad moments, it's genuinely hopeful. And by sad moments, I mean George’s mom and her inability to see George for who she really is. That's all any child wants and it’s to be seen. All George wants to do is be in the school play. She desperately wants to be cast as Charlotte from Charlotte's Web and the story follows her journey in the endeavor. I won't give too much else away because there's so much to experience with this book and I loved every minute of it! The storytelling is expertly done and delivers a powerful message about acceptance without being preachy or heavy-handed. “She looked in the mirror and gasped. Melissa gasped back at her. For a long time, she stood there, just blinking. George smiled, and Melissa smiled too.” George is definitely worth reading.

This book was so good. I feel like it should be mandatory reading for younger children, to help expose them to literature about transgendered people. These kinds of books will let kids know it’s okay to be who you are, as the first line in the summary says. I gave this 5 out of 5 stars. I read this book for #ReadProud. I ended up reading it in one day, because I didn’t want to put it down and it’s a pretty short book. I’d heard some great things about this book, and they were definitely all correct. George is such a great main character. I felt for her while she tried to let the world know that she was a girl, not a boy. Her story touched my heart, and I’m sure it’ll touch your heart too! First off, I really love Kelly, George’s best friend. Kelly was always there for George and didn’t judge her like a lot of other people did in the story. Kelly encouraged George to try out for Charlotte’s part in the play, and even helped George be Charlotte after the teacher said no. Kelly encouraged George to embrace being a girl in other ways as well, and I have to say bravo to Kelly’s character. If it wasn’t for her, it might have been harder, and taken George longer, to embrace her true identity. George’s mom kind of annoyed me for most of the book. She kept dismissing George’s words, kept dismissing George when she tried to tell her mom that she wasn’t a boy. She comes around towards the end, but I feel like she’s going to take a while to come to terms with this. I wish more parents were accepting of their children, no matter what. George’s dad isn’t really in the picture, and we only hear mentioning of him a few times. George’s brother Scott was a pretty great character overall. He’s a little brash at first, but he comes around to the idea of George’s true identity much faster than the mom. Of course, some kids can be cruel. Kids like Jeff, Rick, etc. are why more kids don’t come forward with their true identities. It breaks my heart that kids, and even adults, have to endure that kind of pain. Bullying is beyond wrong; I know from firsthand experience, but my reasons for being bullied were different. No child should have to endure bullying. But despite being picked on, George prevails. The ending was absolutely perfect. I just know George is going to be okay, even if she experiences some ups and downs. Before I finish the review, I just want to point out one line that really stuck with me. It was said about George and I think it fits perfectly: “My point is, it takes a special person to cry over a book. It shows compassion as well as imagination.” Final note: Another amazing debut! I read this book for the #ReadProud challenge this month, and I regret nothing. You can buy a Kindle or Nook copy of this book for $2.99 right now. Go get a copy ASAP!

This middle grade book did so much so right. I know it can often be difficult going into a middle grade book as an adult with the intention of reviewing it. Our standards of plot and character development is on such a higher scale. For me though, many years of reading bedtime stories and buddy reading with my daughter as she grew, gave me the opportunity to see this kind of writing though a different lens. That being said, George blew me away. George is transgender and this is the story of her coming to terms with the realization of who she is not in a world that defines her based on her appearance, typical stereotypes and gender roles that are prevalent in society. George experiences the world through a role she was born to play, a role that society has deemed appropriate for a boy/man. George knows that how she feels is not congruent with what she experiences or what is expected of her as a son, male student, or a boy friend. This book follows George through one week of her life, one week that will change forever how she feels about herself and the world around her. The toughest parts of this book are not what George feels, but lets be clear what she feels is very important, because for me children realizing who they are is a natural evolution. The tough parts are seeing how others, mostly adults, react to George. The reactions of George's brother and mother were both well portrayed, his brother being a surprise stand out. But it was George's best friend Kelley who got me in the feels. This book just shows, even though it is in the smallest way, that kids are more accepting and unfazed by George's secret than all of the adults were. It shows how much of the biases that children grow into come from the adults who refuse to educate themselves or who are not above spreading hate as long as it serves their narratives. This snippet is such a small window into George's life, one that had been hard up until the point we joined her. I am sure that she would continue to struggle if the story were to span her getting older because sadly, society isn't catching up fast enough. This book is important because it gives kids, who may be silently struggling with similar things, the knowledge that they are not alone and that in itself is worth spreading this book to anyone who will read it. This books is excellent for any adult trying to educate themselves or any adult reading it with or to their children to expand their own empathy and understanding of those deemed different. In the end, George wants what everyone, adult or child, wants... Acceptance. For me personally, my daughter could tell me she was a rock and I would do everything in my power to help her be the best rock she can be. I only hope for a time when being gay, transgender, non-binary and the like won't be a big deal. A time when what our children, friends, and family identify as has no barring on the beautiful people they are. Books like George take us one more step in that direction.

This is an amazing book written for middle school and elementary school students, but good for everyone to read. The story follows the experiences of a young transgender girl named Melissa (oddly enough, though the author made it very clear they wanted to call her by the right pronouns, she is called her birth name for the majority of the book. I find this weird as it's very important to call transgender people by both their right name and pronouns, and it's weird that the author overlooked such a major thing), who at the beginning of the book is in the closet about her gender and afraid that no one will know who she truly is. The book follows how she comes out to her family and her best friend and starts trying to transition so she can be herself. Melissa is very interested in the character Charlotte from Charlotte's Web, and when her class does a play of Charlotte's Web she tries her best to get the role of Charlotte so everyone at her school can see that she's a girl. The book describes a lot of Melissa's dysphoria and how much she fears growing up and being considered a man. (This will be helpful for both cisgender people looking to understand how transgender people feel, and it was helpful to me as I am a transgender boy and this helped be to understand what transgender girls go through.) The only other thing that bothered me other than the name was that although it's made pretty clear that Melissa is a girl, the author still says things like Melissa peed sitting down "just like a girl", or that she fears that people will find out that she "isn't really a girl", implying that she is somehow not a girl, or less of a girl. Otherwise, the book is very accurate in portraying transgender people. And though I haven't listened to the audio version of this book, I've heard it was voiced by Jamie Clayton, a transgender actress (read: SENSE8!).

This book was, in a word, perfect. The structure and pacing were spot-on, and I found the main character compelling, complex, and well-written. While "George" deals with heavy themes (being transgender, being bullied, being misunderstood), it does so in a way that's accessible for its target age group, without talking down to the audience, making it an ideal read not only for middle grade readers, but for adults as well. I'm a pretty active reader of diverse books, so the themes in "George" weren't exactly new to me, and yet I still felt like I walked away with a new and better understanding of what it's like to be transgender, particularly for children. Additionally, I loved the ending - I think when writing a story like this for a young audience, it must be tempting to write a "and everyone lived happily ever after!" kind of ending, because as an author you must know you're speaking to young people who are vulnerable and struggling. While "George" certainly ended on an up-note, it didn't fall into the "happily ever after" trap, and instead gave a more realistic ending to the main character's story, which I really appreciated. I will be recommending this book to pretty much everyone - it's not only that good, it's that necessary for anyone who wants to be an ally to LGBTQ kids.

The author does a great job of conveying the struggle young Trans boys and girls go through on their journey to be whom their minds and brains say or tell them he or she is without being ugly or making things worse. Trans-girls often have parents who were told she was a boy at birth, and this can come as a shock to them. As with any other child traveling, "the Road not Taken," because they are aware of who they really are in a way others cannot see [we're human beings, not telepaths]. I only know what you're thinking if I ask. That said, it is important and vital that children be supported as they figure out who they are. And being Trans adds a whole host of difficulties that most people can scarcely imagine. The author does excellent explaining this. As a teacher, I say find a teacher or psychologist [most schools have at least one now] whom you can tell. It's a matter of confidentiality and a confidence that legally must be kept. A teacher could lose his or her Certification for betraying that kind of trust!