George (Scholastic Gold) Paperback – April 25, 2017

This review originally appeared on herestohappyendings.comI 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.

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!

Got this for a class. Very enjoyed reading this book. It was an enjoyable read.

It was a sweet book and definitely written for elementary school kids but it also seems a bit shallow. It seemed a tad too easy. But hey, the fact that we have more great books about the queer community (especially for younger readers) is amazing!

Loved this book. Our book club decided to read it because it is on several Banner Book lists. Written for Middle School to early HS students, about a trans-gender child and their relationships in school and with family as they also discover themselves. Lovely storyline - told with respect and love. The questions in the back of the book about what it means to be trans, and how kids feel, and how people should include and talk to them in various situations is truly helpful. We all learned a lot and were grateful for this writer's insightful work.

I read this book in a flash. It is beautifully written. I would share this book with all parents as a way to become aware and accepting of our children as unique individuals. I would also encourage the use of this books in schools for junior and intermediate students. There is a clear message to be respectful and nonjudgmental of people that we meet.

I love this book a lot. ''Melissa'' is a short read that managed to make me feel with it's protagonist intensly. While following this little girl on her way to be herself and be happy, I only ever wished her the best. Melissa is a wonderful main character and I also liked her best friend Kelly a lot; their friendship was lovely! Without spoiling anything specific, I also want to say that the last lines were so powerful and hopeful to me.(PS: For everyone wondering if they are already too old to enjoy this book: It obviously depends a lot on the individual, but I enjoyed reading about Melissa a lot despite not being a part of the target audience.)

Es un libro muy sencillo pero muy bonito con un increíble mensaje para el mundo moderno.Es muy difícil tratar el tema "transgenero" en este mundo que no esta para nada preparado para estos temas y este libro puede servir como introducción para muchas personas.Es una linda historia, muy humana y muy cercana a la realidad de muchos niños que viven de esa manera, muchas veces reprimidos por sus familias o por ellos mismos que no saben lo que atraviesan.Lo recomiendo mucho.

Si tienes un nivel medio de inglés esta es una buena compra, el libro (por lo menos cuando yo lo compré) está muy bien de precio, es tapa blanda y con papel algo áspero, pero la historia es preciosa y salvo algunas palabras que tuve que buscar en internet lo he entendido muy bien. Es perfecto para iniciarte en la lectura en inglés leyendo una historia que te emocionará.

George is the first middle grade book I read since...I don't know honestly, it feels like it's been forever. When rating this I chose to put aside my own feelings regarding the depth of this book because it's obvious that I, a twenty-something year old, need to acknowledge that this book wasn't written for me and I chose to read it knowing perfectly well the protagonist was very young.Melissa is a 9-10 year old girl, but everyone thinks she's a boy. In fact, they all call her George and at the beginning of the book she hasn't told anyone that the name she likes for herself is Melissa. When she auditions as Charlotte for her class play, the teacher doesn't take her seriously and the role is given to her best friend, Kelly. Kelly is the first to whom Melissa tells she's a girl, and Kelly understands her and even thinks of a ploy to have Melissa perform in the play as Charlotte so finally everyone will see that she is a girl.Well, I'm not going to spoil the rest of the book, but I'm so happy with how everything turned out. I like the fact that the term transgender was clearly stated, because a kid reading this might need to have a word to base their research on (if they feel like researching more about this). The friendship between Melissa and Kelly was so sweet and pure and it made me a bit nostalgic of that age because to be perfectly honest everyone should have a friend like Kelly and I didn't have it.At the end of the book (the paperback, but I guess all editions have it) is a FAQ by the author that I found pretty useful and should probably be read by anyone (regardless of them reading the book or not).What I want to add is that I hope that this book is getting into the hands of the intended target audience. It's fine for us adults to read it and review it so that more people, more parents can know about it, but if this book isn't read by kids then everything will stay the same. So I beg you, if you are a parent, consider buying this for your kid. It doesn't matter if you think your kid might be trans or not, every kid should read all different kinds of stories. Why would you allow your kid to read about dragons and magic, very entertaining aspects of fantasy worlds which I love, but forbid them to read about very real issues that real people have to deal with, in our world? I guarantee you, your child won't "become trans" if they read this book, but it will help them a lot if they are, and if they're not, it will prepare them for when they meet a trans kid or a trans adult.