George by Alex Gino

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

This is the story of  Melissa, a girl who desperately wants to play Charlotte in her classroom’s play, Charlotte’s Web. Melissa was born a boy. Her classmates, family, and teacher know her as George, and she wants to play Charlotte not only out of admiration for the book she loves, but also as a way to tell the world who she really is, a girl. George becomes convinced that if she plays Charlotte, her mom will finally see her as a girl. George gets extremely disappointed when she tries out for the part of Charlotte and her teacher acts in dismay and asks George if it is a joke that she’s actually trying out for Charlotte. It is George’s best friend, Kelly that tries to comfort her, but George doesn’t take it very well. When she gets home she tells her mom she didn’t try out for the part after all. It is Kelly that helps George come up with a plan so she can finally be in the play and be Charlotte. The story ends as George and Kelly exchange girl clothes as they get ready to go to the zoo with Kelly’s uncle. When George is all dressed up in a skirt, Kelly hugs her and calls her “Melissa.” That gesture made Melissa’s day. A sign that she has been finally seen as the girl that she is.

The theme deals with George’s assertion of her transgender identity and how challenging it is for her family members to embrace her feelings about how she claims to be a girl. Melissa’s yearning to express herself, and the alienation she feels from her family and friends at being unable to do so, is heartbreaking. George’s struggles are presented with a light, age-appropriate, and hopeful touch. This reminds me of one of Havighurst’s Theory of Developmental Tasks in which he discusses that adolescents must define their appropriate sex roles and sometimes as dictated by society. George tries so hard for others to see her as a girl although her body is that of a male. But her mom insists she is a boy.

 If you enjoyed this book, perhaps you may be interested to read I am Jazz written by Jessica Herthel. Counselors and teachers that work with students that may be experiencing feelings such as those like Melissa could benefit from reading this book in order to help and guide these students how to manage what they are feeling. Especially, if they are struggling identifying with whom they are or if they know who they are, it may perhaps help them understand why others have a challenging time accepting them and understanding them for who they know they are. This book fits readers ages 10 and up. Perhaps up to 8th grade level students. This book consists of 193 pages.