George by Alex Gino – Book Review
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Title: George Author: Alex Gino Publisher: Scholastic Press Release Date: August 25, 2015  |
George is transgender. While she knows her gender identity, everyone else does not. When George’s teacher announces that the class play will be Charlotte’s Web, George sees this as an opportunity to embrace and show who she really is. However, George does not even get the chance after her teacher dismisses her audition. Ms. Udell won’t even consider filling the role of Charlotte with anyone she sees as a boy. Crushed by Ms. Udell’s decision and crushed by her secret, George begins to live her truth and help those closest to her get to know who she really is. With the help of her best friend, Kelly, George may yet get the opportunity she not just desires but needs.
George, by Alex Gino, is a moving and important story about a transgender youth. Gino draws out the way in which gender norms and roles silently suffocate and ostracize George. Every educator will view simple school rules – boys’ and girls’ lines, boys’ and girls’ lunch tables, girls only playing girl roles in the play, etc. – with a different, and hopefully, more open-minded perspective after reading this novel. The simplicity of Gino’s writing, which initially may be viewed as a weakness, actually allows for George’s complex story to shine. The power is not the prose but the message that prose delivers. George is needed, and George is important. More LGBTQ+ books, such as George, should be saturating the middle grade genre. It is imperative the perspective is more fully represented in class libraries. It is also essential because that perspective should force pause and contemplation about how schools, educators, and young people must do more to create inclusive spaces that genuinely value, welcome, and affirm everyone.
Classroom Applications
- Cross-curricular Study – Teach the novel in conjunction with a nonfiction study of LGBTQ+ community and its history.
- Literature Circles – Use novel for small groups or choice reading with a variety of novels that address LGTBQ+ issues.
- Book Club or Book Exchange – Share the novel with students that enjoy reading about themes of coming of age and LGBTQ+.
Nonfiction Connections
The list below outlines topics that will enrich your students’ understanding of the novel.
- LGBTQ+ Community
- History of LGBTQ+ Rights
- GLAAD
- Social Issues Facing Transgender People
Book Companions
The following are great books to pair with George. In parenthesis are the specific aspects students could explore when synthesizing across the texts.
- The Best At It by Maulik Pancholy (Character Connections, Themes, Nonfiction Connections)
- One True Way by Shannon Hitchcock (Character Connections, Themes, Nonfiction Connections)
- Drama by Raina Telgemeier (Character Connections, Themes, Nonfiction Connections)
- Redwood and Ponytail by K.A. Holt (Character Connections, Themes, Nonfiction Connections)
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