Parents' Guide to

Gender Blender

By Terreece Clarke, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 11+

Fun switcheroo tale is good for gender-role talk.

Book Blake Nelson Coming of Age 2007
Gender Blender Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this book.

Community Reviews

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age 11+

Based on 3 parent reviews

BigGuyJake
BigGuyJake Parent of 13-year-old
April 3, 2011
age 12+

Tee-hee! Hilarious!

I thought it was very amusing, but sort of inapro-pro! Hilarious though.

This title has:

Too much violence
Too much sex
Educational value
Great messages
wallaceson
wallaceson Adult
August 30, 2009
age 12+

This title has:

Too much violence
Too much sex
Educational value
See all 3 parent reviews

What's the Story?

Emma and Tom used to be great friends in fourth grade, but by sixth grade they were practically enemies; all they did was fight. Things take a freaky turn when they have an accident and find themselves stuck in the other person's body! \

Tom has to figure out how to be a girl and Emma has to work out what being a boy means -- and they both have to find their way back into the right body before time runs out.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (3 ):
Kids say (4 ):

GENDER BLENDER is Freaky Friday for the sexes: Blake Nelson weaves a fun and light tale among the confusion that is middle school. Boys and girls have a hard enough time dealing with the changes that are happening to them, but dealing with the changes in the opposite sex is even more confusing. When ex-friends Emma Baker and Tom Witherspoon accidentally switch bodies, they are forced to take a harder look at the stereotypes and expectations placed on both sexes.

Nelson takes readers on a fun ride into the mysteries that surround the differences between boys and girls. Readers will giggle, sigh, and see themselves in the characters, and parents will love the questions and discoveries that characters make about themselves and each other.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the stereotypes both sexes face and how to deal with them. How are girls stereotyped, and why are these assumptions not always true? How about boys?

Book Details

  • Author: Blake Nelson
  • Genre: Coming of Age
  • Book type: Fiction
  • Publisher: Delacorte Press
  • Publication date: September 11, 2007
  • Publisher's recommended age(s): 9 - 12
  • Number of pages: 192
  • Last updated: July 12, 2017

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