George is a to-the-point story about a young transgender girl, Melissa (whom others refer to as George), trying to get her family and friends to understand how she feels. Her Fourth grade class is going to put on a performance of Charlotte’s Web and Melissa wants more than anything to be Charlotte. Melissa must put up with a discouraging and unsupportive teacher as well as numerous run-ins with the class bullies Rick and Jeff. When Melissa tells her best friend Kelly about her dream, she encourages Melissa to go for it. With Kelly’s help and support, Melissa is able to be who she really is.

Alex Gino has created a simple narrative that touches on transgender terminology without becoming bogged down in explaining the intricacies of the terms. Melissa’s plight is tangible and relatable, especially her interactions with her mother and brother. Melissa is both reserved and spunky, and thoroughly embracing of who she is, in the face of bullies and those who do not understand her struggle. Melissa may feel alone, but she does find several people to rely on throughout the book and they help Melissa to see her potential. I was most intrigued by the friendship between Melissa and Kelly. Kelly takes everything in stride. Although Melissa is afraid at first to tell Kelly her secret, Kelly eventually wheedles it out of Melissa and immediately shows her support. Kelly finds ways to make opportunities for Melissa to be who she really is and that, I would argue, is the heart of this book.

© 2015 Catia Cunha

Catia Cunha has a BA in Theater Arts and English from Mount Holyoke College. She won Young Playwrights Inc.’s 2013 National Playwriting Competition where her short play “Legs” was presented as a staged reading at the Lucille Lortel Theatre at the culmination of the Conference. In the spring of 2013 she produced and acted in her first full-length play, ____space, which was presented at Mount Holyoke. Catia’s senior project, Disinsemination, a play about feminist lesbians and aliens, was presented as a staged reading at Smith College and Mount Holyoke in Fall 2013. Mount Holyoke’s Rooke Theatre produced it in March 2014. In October 2014 Catia participated in the Grex Group’s Insomniacs 24-hour play festival. She is currently working on a play about sea monsters in the subway.