Alex Gino

The subject matter is important and the intention behind the book is great. A for concept and effort. But the writing itself is not good. It feels didactc and pedestrian. Like [b:Daddy's Roommate|791133|Daddy's Roommate|Michael Willhoite|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1328758764l/791133._SX50_.jpg|777118], I think over time this book will be remembered as groundbreaking but my prediction is that it will not become perennial favorite. Better written books about transgender children will be published every year.

Additionally, there are a lot more stereotypical depections in this book than you’d expect. All the male characters are fairly stereotypical (Kelly’s dad is a slob, Scott is gross and brash, Jeff is mean and disdains things that are girly).… (més)

This was a cute children's story about a transgender girl named Melissa (born as George), who auditions for the part of Charlotte in her school's play of Charlotte's Web in an attempt to get others to see her as a girl.

Honestly, these conservative parents need to take a chill pill cause there's nothing about this story to suggest it should be banned from school libraries, unless you're scared of diversity & education, the LGBTQ community, or you're just a bigot, and unfortunately these type of parents tend to be all three.… (més)

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. (This review was updated to reflect a change to the title.)

Warm, funny, and inspiring. (Fiction. 9-12)

-Kirkus Review… (més)