Melissa

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

Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

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.)

September 1, 2015
George is, outwardly, a boy. But inside, she is a girl, and now that she is ten, that disconnect is becoming impossible to endure. She tries to tell her (single) mother, but Mom doesn't seem ready for that conversation. Desperate, George decides to try out for the part of Charlotte in the school production of Charlotte's Web: maybe if Mom sees her playing a girl's part, Mom will be able to see who she really is. There are setbacks along the way (the teacher refuses to let a boy audition for Charlotte; Mom discovers and confiscates George's cache of girls' magazines; bullies harass her), but with the help of a few supportive allies, particularly best friend Kelly, George prevails. By the last chapter, George has become Melissa all girl, at least for one perfect day on an outing with Kelly, and clearly a preview of what life has in store for her. George isn't without flaws: the mother's sudden about-face is too sudden, and author Gino can employ a heavy hand (Mom's response to one of George's early overtures: You will always be my little boy, and that will never change. Even when you grow up to be an old man, I will still love you as my son ). But the heart of this novelfor slightly younger readers than Ami Polonski's similarly themed and plotted Gracefully Grayson (rev. 11/14)is George's achingly poignant struggle to be herself, and that heart beats strong and true. martha v. parravano

(Copyright 2015 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)