{"id":19736,"date":"2016-11-29T08:00:57","date_gmt":"2016-11-29T13:00:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.publishersweekly.com\/blogs\/shelftalker\/?p=19736"},"modified":"2016-11-29T08:00:57","modified_gmt":"2016-11-29T13:00:57","slug":"the-best-transgender-kidlit-for-everyone","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.publishersweekly.com\/blogs\/shelftalker\/?p=19736","title":{"rendered":"\u00a0The Best Transgender Kidlit for Everyone"},"content":{"rendered":"

When I put out a call for diverse articles on children’s books from guest bloggers, one of the respondents was M.G. Hennessey, an activist supporting rights for transgender\u00a0folks. Hennessey has been vocal about the tendency of book reviewers to treat LGBTQ characters and themes as inherently “mature” even if the story content is G or PG equivalent, and for reviews to “warn” gatekeeper book buyers (teachers, parents, booksellers, librarians)\u00a0that there are trans characters in books\u2014attitudes that can contribute to\u00a0further alienation and marginalization for children and teens who just want to be treated like\u00a0other kids, with the same standards and open-mindedness.
\nAmi Polonsky’s groundbreaking\u00a0Gracefully, Grayson<\/em> and Alex Gino’s MG sensation, George<\/em>, opened the door to mainstream middle grade fiction about trans children. In YA literature, Julie Ann Peters’ 2004 novel,\u00a0Luna, <\/em>and\u00a0Ellen Wittlinger’s 2007\u00a0Parrotfish<\/em>\u00a0paved the way for\u00a0YA fiction about transgender teens for\u00a0a mainstream audience. It’s wonderful to see the field open up in recent years, with new books for all ages, several of which Hennessey describes below.
\nPlease welcome M.G. Hennessey to ShelfTalker! Here’s her guest post:
\nI\u2019ve always been a big believer in the power of books to change hearts and minds. It\u2019s hard to hate someone you know, and these new and forthcoming titles provide a great window into the lives of transgender kids. It\u2019s somewhat ironic that Transgender Awareness week comes on the heels of the November 8\u00a0election. Many in the transgender community are afraid that recent gains in civil rights and protections will be erased by the next administration.
\nHappily, the past year has seen a slew of books published with transgender main characters. The bulk of these are still transition stories that focus on trans girls, but hopefully in the future we\u2019ll see more books that include trans boys, genderqueer, and gender expansive characters. It would also be wonderful if we reach a point where a character\u2019s gender identity isn\u2019t the main focus of the story; true equality will be achieved when a transgender child is simply another character in the book, appreciated for themselves.
\nFor young readers:
\n\"\"I Am Jazz<\/strong><\/em> by Jessica Herthel and Jazz Jennings
\nTrans teen and advocate Jazz Jennings co-wrote this book based on her life story. The language is clear and simple, and explains how Jazz\u2019s family came to accept her for who she is, and helped her through her transition.
\n 
\n\"\"10,000 Dresses<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0by Marcus Ewert
\nA lovely story about Bailey, a trans girl who dreams of fanciful dresses each night. Bailey confronts misunderstanding from her parents, but finds acceptance with an older girl, Laurel. Together they make the dresses Bailey has longed for.
\n 
\n\"\"Red: A Crayon\u2019s Story<\/strong><\/em> by Michael Hall
\nRed is a blue crayon that has unfortunately been given the wrong label. Although not specifically about gender identity, the subtext is clear, and the overall message about being true to yourself should speak to all kids.
\n 
\n 
\nFor a long time, most trans-themed children’s literature\u00a0was relegated to the Young Adult sphere. Thankfully, there are some fantastic new books being published for tweens:
\nAges 8 and up:
\n\"\"Gracefully Grayson <\/strong><\/em>by Ami Polonsky
\nGrayson hasn\u2019t had it easy. After losing her parents at an early age, she\u2019s sent to live with an aunt, uncle, and cousin in what is not the warmest home environment. Grayson is a social outcast who yearns to have long, flowing hair and to wear pretty things. Auditioning for the school play finally gives her an outlet to show her true face to the world.
\n 
\n
\n\"\"Lumberjanes<\/strong><\/em> series by Noelle Stevenson,\u00a0Grace Ellis,\u00a0Brooke Allen and\u00a0Shannon Watters
\nA fantastic option for fans of graphic novels with a supernatural twist. This story of five friends at a summer camp is refreshing for its wide range of characters of all races, family backgrounds, and body types. Trans character Jo officially comes out in issue 17, although from the way it\u2019s presented, Jo\u2019s friends knew and accepted her for who she was from the start.<\/span>
\n 
\n\"\"The Other Boy<\/strong><\/em> by M.G. Hennessey
\nShane is a post-transition 12-year-old boy who likes playing video games, working on his graphic novel, and playing baseball. He\u2019s been living \u201cstealth\u201d at his new school for years, keeping his assigned gender secret from even his best friend, Josh. When Shane gets outed by the school bully, he\u2019s forced to deal with the consequences. This is one of the only trans-themed books with a trans boy. It includes a\u00a0graphic novel within the novel, illustrated by genderqueer artist Sf\u00e9 R. Monster.
\n
\n\"\"Lily and Dunkin<\/strong><\/em> by Donna Gephardt
\nLily is a trans girl who is currently navigating her transition, while her new friend Dunkin is dealing with bipolar disorder. The story of their blossoming friendship amidst the challenges both are facing is well-handled, not flinching from the bullying kids confront even within their own families.
\n 
\n 
\nThere are a wealth of new titles in the YA sphere with transgender themes. Accordingly, most of the books below delve more deeply into the types of issues confronted by teens, like drugs, peer pressure, and dating.
\nAges 12 and up:
\n\"\"Beast<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0by Brie Spangler
\nA modern-day retelling of Beauty and the Beast, told from the POV of \u201cbeast\u201d Dylan. Though he\u2019s only 15, Dylan could pass for an NFL linebacker. The fact that he\u2019s also the smartest kid in his grade is often overlooked as he\u2019s judged and taunted for his appearance. After jumping off his roof (ostensibly to retrieve a football), he\u2019s sent to a support group where he meets trans girl Jamie. For the first time, someone sees Dylan for who he really is.
\n 
\n\"\"Jess, Chunk, and the Road Trip to Infinity<\/strong><\/em> by Kristin Elizabeth Clark
\nA trans girl, Jess, and her best friend, Chunk, take a cross-country road trip just after graduation. Jess thinks their destination is her estranged father’s wedding but maybe, just maybe, the road will lead to her best friend’s heart as well.
\n 
\n
\n\"\"If I Was Your Girl<\/strong><\/em> by Meredith Russo.
\nA post-transition YA story written by trans woman Meredith Russo. Amanda has moved to small-town Tennessee to live with her father. Though initially determined to keep her head down and just finish high school, she soon finds herself unable to resist the charms of Grant. But when Amanda\u2019s past is revealed, the new life she\u2019s built threatens to come crashing down. There are two fantastic and informative author\u2019s notes at the end of the book, one directed at transgender readers, the other at cisgender.<\/span>
\n***
\nThis is Elizabeth again. Thanks so much, M.G., for sharing these terrific recommendations with us!
\n\"mg-hennessey\"ABOUT THE AUTHOR
\n<\/u><\/strong>M.G. Hennessey is an ally and supporter of\u00a0the Transgender Law Center, Gender Spectrum. and the Human Rights Campaign. She lives in Los Angeles with her family.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Guest blogger M.G. Hennessey offers recommendations of terrific recent books for all readers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19736","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.publishersweekly.com\/blogs\/shelftalker\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19736","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.publishersweekly.com\/blogs\/shelftalker\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.publishersweekly.com\/blogs\/shelftalker\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.publishersweekly.com\/blogs\/shelftalker\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.publishersweekly.com\/blogs\/shelftalker\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=19736"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.publishersweekly.com\/blogs\/shelftalker\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19736\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.publishersweekly.com\/blogs\/shelftalker\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=19736"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.publishersweekly.com\/blogs\/shelftalker\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=19736"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.publishersweekly.com\/blogs\/shelftalker\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=19736"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}