The moment George reached the ground, she cried too. She slumped against the backstage wall, hugging her knees, as she cried in sadness and joy. Charlotte was dead, but George was alive in a way she had never imagined.”
-George, Alex Gino
Sometimes, we are not always made out to be what people expect us to be. For example, when people see George, they see a 4th grade boy. However, George does not feel like a boy. George feels like a girl. In fact, she knows that she is a girl.
George has accepted the fact that she will live with this secret forever. However, when her teacher announces that they will be doing the play ‘Charlotte’s Web’, George sees an opportunity of expression. She really, REALLY wants to play Charlotte. By playing the part of Charlotte, George thinks that everyone will come to accept her.
When George try’s out for the part of Charlotte, I am heartbroken by the teacher’s response. George auditions for Ms. Udell with the part of Charlotte. When he is done auditioning, she responds with; “Was that supposed to be some kind of joke? Because it wasn’t very funny” and “You know I can’t very well cast you as Charlotte. I have too many girls who want the part. Besides, imagine how confused people would be. Now, if you’re interested in being Wilbur, thats a possibility. Or maybe even Templeton- he’s a funny guy.”
When Ms. Udell responds to George like this, I feel sad for George. Teachers should be supportive and open minded. However, Ms. Udell had put George in a box. Even though George was perfectly capable of the part of Charlotte, she wasn’t cast because Ms. Udell saw George as a boy.
When Ms. Udell refuses to give George the part of Charlotte, George settles to be part of the backstage crew. While his best friend, Kelly, is cast as the part of Charlotte. Kelly and George work together throughout the novel for people to see George for who she is.
Teachers have the power to break the barriers of stereotypes, teach acceptance for children who demonstrate nonconforming behavior, help students value gender diversity, recognize and cross gender barriers, and take action to promote equity and justice.”
-Evans, S., Gilbert, S., & Doyle, T.
Throughout the book, George struggles to gain acceptance from the people that are closest to her. In fact, the people that George thinks are going to be most supportive, like her mom, has a hard time accepting George for who she is. However, when George’s mom does come around to George identifying as a girl, she wants to support George through therapy.
One surprising character throughout the book was Principal Maldonado. When Principal Maldonado saw George in the play, she referenced George without any pronouns attached to her name. The Principal even tries to help George’s mom understand George’s situation by telling her; “Well, you can’t control who your children are, but you can certainly support them, am I right?” The Principal even goes as far to tell George that “my door is always open” in case George needed someone to talk to. One thing that I found to be remarkable about Principal Maldonado is that she didn’t need George to tell her that she thought of herself differently.
I wish that there was a conclusion for Rick and Jeff. I wish that there was a conclusion or a change of heart of them. I even wish that they had some sort of Karma hit them since they were bullies of George. It was hard to finish the book knowing that they were still out there willing to hurt and bully George.
One thing that I wish this book had was resources for students who might be experiencing the same thing as George. I think that this book can be a great launching pad for students that are struggling with identity. There could be a section of ways to tell loved ones, or who to talk to.
This book is a perfect addition to any library. It is a fast read for upper elementary students. It gives elementary students a glimpse of what its like to be a young transgender person in a world that doesn’t accept you for what you see yourself as. I believe that many transgender students know who they are well before puberty. This is a very important topic to address in the classroom. It is not something schools can ignore until they are “old enough”. You can never be too young to be accepting and inclusive of one another.
