George by A. Gino

Gino, Alex. George. New York: Scholastic Press, 2015. Print.George is a bright, funny, and somewhat shy girl. Her main problem? Everyone thinks she’s a boy. She looks like a boy, she was born with all the parts of a boy, but she knows that she is a girl. She believes that she will have to hide her true self forever until the chance to play Charlotte in the school’s production of Charlotte’s Web arises and, with the support of her best friend Kelly, changes everything.There are few characters in George that perform with complete virtuosity or complete viciousness. Instead, Gino presents a cast that reflects our own society: some are confused, some say the wrong things, some are cruel, some supportive, and some just worry about George’s safety as she moves into a frequently victimized population. Gino’s prose throughout the novel refers to George as “her.” This pronoun choice in addition to the powerful insight that readers gain from seeing into the mind of George, make it clear that George simply is a girl. Gino does excellent work to create this connection and understanding between George and the reader so that the reader can feel how wrong it is when George is treated as if she’s a boy. The incessant gendering of everyday life is apparent and absurd when it is forced upon George. People, being such visual animals, often focus on the appearance of transgender individuals or can find it difficult to reconcile seeing a “boy” and being told that they are actually a girl inside. But because George’s story has taken the form of the written word, we are not so distracted by what we see and we can instead be more open to understanding.Not just for those questioning their own gender identity, this novel works to inform and inspire empathy for all readers. It is an absolute necessity for a collection that strives for diverse representation.Highly recommended: 4 out of 4 starsReviewer: Emily PaulsenEmily Paulsen is recent graduate from the School of Library and Information Studies Master’s program at the University of Alberta. She is born and raised in Edmonton and enjoys travelling, food, and photography.