GEORGE

Gino, A. (2015). George. New York: Scholastic.

In this timely novel, Gino tells us the story of George who genetically was born a boy but knows that he is truly a girl. This something that the 10-year-old feels that she cannot share with others. She is already picked on by the boys in her class and even her brother and mother suspect that she might be gay, they don’t realize that her secret has nothing to do with sexual orientation.

The book begins with George ashamedly hiding who she is and questioning WHO exactly she is. She rushes home from school each day to dress up and chat with her “friends.” These friends are the models in the teen fashion magazines that George has secretly collected. Thankfully, George has a real friend in the spunky Kelly.

After reading Charlotte’s Web, Geroge’s fifth grade class will be putting on a school production and it is her deepest wish to portray Charlotte. Unfortunately, Charlotte is a female spider and she knows that the part will go to a “real” girl. She is heart-broken when Kelly gets the roll but she soldiers on, even getting revenge on the class bully Jeff.

The book’s climax comes when George and Kelly trade places and she gets to portray Charlotte. Her performance is received with applause and accolades. Her mother is still not comfortable with her revelation and is somewhat embarrassed. But the principle’s words of encouragement, “…you can’t control who your children are, but you can certainly support them…” help propel her to accepting that George identifies herself as a girl, as Melissa.

This book is aimed for the middle school group and would be a great addition to a unit on tolerance and acceptance of others.