Alex Gino – Cannonball Read 17

Go read Melissa while your library still carries it

Melissa by Alex Gino

March 21, 2025 by MamaOrca 1 Comment

On November 7, 2024, I binge-ordered a bunch of books from banned lists – not sure why I remember the date of that order so clearly…. Anyway, my hope was to collect books that I wanted to be sure my daughter has access to, and since I haven’t read many of them myself, I’m planning to alternate them between my usual mysteries, fantasy, and sci-fi. Melissa is the first book from our new banned book collection that I’ve read. Melissa is geared toward middle-grade kids […]

To help create a more empathetic society, this should be mandatory reading for middle grade readers (and everyone else, honestly)

Melissa by Alex Gino

September 14, 2023 by Dome'Loki Leave a Comment

CBR15 Bingo: Bodies, Bodies – When Melissa was born everyone assumed she was a boy because of her body. Melissa is a girl but no one else knows she is, as it was assumed at birth she was a boy. As a result, she was given the name of George. Melissa is her secret name, admitted only to herself. We are introduced to Melissa while her 4th grade classroom is reading Charlotte’s Web. Melissa is moved to tears when Charlotte dies and the boys in […]

“Well, you can’t control who your children are, but you can certainly support them, am I right?”

Melissa by Alex Gino

February 13, 2022 by Nart Leave a Comment

Are you a parent trying to teach your kid about trans identity? Are you an adult trying to navigate concepts of trans identity that weren’t around when you were a kid? This is a really, really good place to get what I think of as a gut understanding of what it means to live as a trans person, which may be personally relevant, and/or give you a sense of what allyship might look like for these particular friends of the rainbow. Plot: Melissa has to […]

“She looked in the mirror and gasped. Melissa gasped back at her. For a long time, she stood there, just blinking. George smiled, and Melissa smiled too.”

Melissa's Story by Alex Gino

October 31, 2021 by cheerbrarian 3 Comments

In one word: Charming Cannonball Read Bingo: They She He In one word: Charming Cannonball Read Bingo: They She He I don’t read any children’s literature, aside from an occasional revisit of a childhood fave or a few failed attempts to do a tandem read-a-long with my kiddo. I picked up George for him to read, having seen it at the library and hearing about it years ago from my favorite podcast, Literary Disco. They did an episode where they read George and Lumberjanes, and […]

This book is going to be so good for so many kids. I wish it had been around when I was growing up.

Rick by Alex Gino

July 7, 2020 by narfna 1 Comment

This is a sweet book, but it’s not as good as its companion novel, the award-winning George. George does what all great books do, and transcends its genre. It was written for young middle grade readers, but because it was so well-written and so personal, and developed the character of Melissa so beautifully, it just felt like a good story, all the while it was also teaching kids about what it means to be trans, and emphasizing themes like empathy, friendship, and kindness. Rick has […]

“She looked in the mirror and gasped. Melissa gasped back at her. For a long time, she stood there, just blinking. George smiled, and Melissa smiled too.”

George by Alex Gino

December 21, 2019 by narfna 2 Comments

This was such a lovely little book. I’m glad it exists, and not just for little trans kids, but for all kids. It encourages empathy, imagination, and kindness, something all kids (and grown-ups) can always benefit from. George is the birthname of our female protagonist, who is in the 4th grade, and knows that even though she was born with a boy’s body, inside she has always been a girl. She has never told anyone this (although we get hints that her family knows something […]

Zirza on A Gothic Classic for a ReasonIt's one of those wish-you-could-read-it-again-for-the-first-time books. I loved it.
Emmalita on “It came to something when you found yourself hoping that the footsteps you heard were ghosts.”I loved the ending! I don’t think it’s been out long enough to talk about why though.
Dixie on Track Her Down by Melinda LeighI am just starting Track Her Down and I have read them all in order till now and thought I...
Roland of Gilead on How can you give us the gift of a crazy character named Rando Thoughtful and then just as suddenly take that gift away? We need to talk, Uncle Stevie.I came across this randomly years after it was written because I was searching "Random Thoughtful. But I have the...
Emmalita on “Only you, Em, would refer to heartbreak as a distraction. I think I would have a more sympathetic response if I asked to marry a bookcase.”Oh my goodness, Gallifrey was beautiful. I’m sure her mittens were gloriously murdery.

Help Our Mission