George

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George is a fifth grade boy who feels like he is a girl. He has felt like this for as long as he can remember, but he doesn't know what to do about it. George has researched transgender people since he found out what the word was, and since he found out how to clear the browser history on his mom's computer. When George's class is putting on a production of Charlotte's Web he decides that it is his mission to be Charlotte. After his teacher decides that she will not let him be Charlotte, George and his best friend Kelly come up with a plan for him to sneak into the part during the play. Afterwards George's mom comes to terms with his gender identity and they discuss getting a therapist for both of them to talk to, and the book ends with George, as Melissa, having the best day of her life dressed as a girl at the zoo with Kelly and her uncle.

One of Havighurst's Developmental Tasks, as described in the textbook, discusses adolescents learning to get along with their peers. The book that comes to my mind when thinking about this topic is George, where a transgender boy is trying his best to find where he fits in. His best friend, a girl named Kelly makes sure that he knows that she is still his friend, no matter what, and she helps him solve his problem by letting him take her part in the play and dressing him up as a girl for their trip to the zoo.

Citation

Gino, A. (2015). George. New York, NY: Scholastic Inc.