George by Alex Gino
George
by Alex Gino
(Audio)
I have a lot of wonderful feelings about this book. I first heard about it when we did a news piece on the book at work. So when I saw it on audio at the library, I grabbed it.
It's a lovely JFIC book about a girl who knows she's a girl even though the rest of the world thinks she's a boy. Transgender characters aren't all that common in books meant for elementary school students, but I thought this one was written perfectly--with just the right amount of understanding and possibility. It made me realize that teens and even adults have a lot more freedom and abilities, but children in this situation are pretty well stuck. And that can be painful and frustrating. I love that this book didn't shy away from the difficulties or the reaction of people in her life. I also love that the female pronoun was used from the very beginning, because, of course, she's a girl. What other pronoun would be appropriate?
I adored George from the very beginning, because of her love of Charlotte in Charlotte's Web (a story I can, as an adult, not even think about without tearing up; I'm right with you on that one, George!). So, at once, I knew she was good people. My favorite part of the book was watching George showing more of herself to everyone in her life--including the whole community during a school play. But my second favorite was seeing the different reactions of George's mother, older brother, and best friend; each reaction was strong and completely different, but each turned out all right in a realistic way by the end. It was heartwarming watching George be what she was meant to be. She's got a long, difficult road ahead of her, but she's surrounded by understanding people so that made me feel warm and fuzzy at the end.
The book gave me a lot to think about in general. I really appreciate that such a good, heartfelt book exists.
Pop Sugar Reading Challenge; A book about a difficult topic