"George" by Alex Gino- Book Review


George by Alex Gino. Scholastic Corporation. 2015.

When you are a kid it feels like you are constantly wanting. Wanting to be the smartest student in your class. Wanting to have the nicest clothes. Wanting to be invited to all the birthday parties. For George she wants one thing, to show everyone who she truly is, a girl. Alex Gino’s novel George details the heart wrenching story of a transgender girl as she struggles to come to terms with and share her sexual identity. George finds refuge in the pages of a teen girl magazine fantasizing about being one of them. But when she is constantly being belittled by her brother and her peers at school for being too feminine, George wonders if she will ever get to be who she is. That is until her teacher lets the class know they will be preforming a play from George’s favorite book, Charlotte’s Web. George finds an ally within her best friend Kelly, and together they concoct a plan to make two of George’s dreams come true, play Charlotte on stage and finally show everyone who she is, a girl. 

Alex Gino’s writing is wonderfully simplistic, the main character’s ideas and thoughts are stated clearly leaving no room for misunderstandings. George’s realistic story shows the internal conflict of someone who is struggling with their sexual identity. Because of this, I believe George would be great for fourth or fifth graders and even high schoolers. George would be best read in a whole class setting, since the story is simple to follow and quick to read. Gino’s novel is full of fantastic quotes that speak to the importance of being yourself. Also rooted within the book is the idea of exploring ones’ sexuality and sexual identity as something that is completely normal. George brings forward an important conversation. It opens a door for students who may be sitting in our classroom going through a similar situation, and it lets them know they are welcome. They belong. 


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

"The House on the Cerulean Sea" by T.J. Klune- Book Review

Image
The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune. Tor Books. 2020. Linus Baker is a quiet man middle aged man living an uneventful life as a caseworker for the Department in Charge of Magical Youth (DICOMY), where he always follows the rules. Every report is turned in on time, he never questions authority, and above all keeps to himself. Even in the comfort of his own home, Linus lives a quiet comfortable life with his cranky cat, Calliope, listening to music and avoiding his nosy neighbor.   Linus’ monotonous life takes a turn when he is summoned by Extremely Upper Management. He is assigned a secret task to visit the Marysas Orphanage in a remote island for a month and report his findings back to Extremely Upper Management. From the looks of the reports Linus is given, the children in Marysas are unlike any he has ever seen.  Upon Linus’ arrival to the island he meets the six children living in the orphanage. Talia, an opinionated garden gnome, is the first of the children ...
Read more

"Brown Girl Dreaming" by Jacqueline Woodson- Book Review

Image
  Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson. Penguin Group. 2014. “And that is what this book is-my past, my people, my memories, my story.”  Jacqueline Woodson’s free verse memoire Brown Girl Dreaming , details her childhood growing up in Ohio, South Carolina, and New York. Woodson was born in 1963 in Ohio during the civil rights movement . Although her father was hard set on keeping her, her siblings, and their mother in Ohio, in the end when her mother and father separate, Woodson’s mother decides to move with the children to her hometown in South Carolina with their grandmother and grandfather.  However, Greenville is in the deep south and segregation is heavily enforced. Although the children love being in South Carolina with their mother it is clear that South Carolina is not nearly as welcoming of people of color. The children must always use correct grammar, speak clearly, and look everyone in the eye. The Woodson’s will not be made to feel lesser.  Once in...
Read more

"Bomb! The Rave to Build-and Steal-the World's Most Dangerous Weapon" by Steve Sheinkin- Book Review

Image
Bomb! The Race to Build-and Steal-the World's Most Dangerous Weapon by Steve Sheinkin. Macmillan Publishers. 2012 The non-fiction book Bomb! The Race to Build-and Steal-the World's Most Dangerous Weapon details the making of the first atomic bomb including the formation of the Manhattan Project. With World War II still underway the United States races to beat the Soviet Union in the creation of the atomic bomb. Sheinkin’s book includes the stories of multiple scientists entrusted with the creation of the deadly weapon, such as: Harry Gold, Leslie Groves, Robert Oppenheimer and Klaus Fuchs. The stakes are high and the pressure to create the atomic bomb while keeping it all under wraps may prove to be harder than they thought. One of the things I enjoyed most about Steve Sheinkin’s book is the use of text features which are interspersed throughout the book. Text features of, for example, photographs of the scientists or the construction of the gadget really add to the story and ...
Read more