Kid reviews for Melissa

The reviews from parents are terrible. I read this book 2 years ago (I was 10) and didn't find it confusing at all. Most kids know what transgender is. If someone doesn't know what transgender is, this book would help them understand it. If someone dislikes transgender people, this book could even open their mind. The fact parents think 8-11 year old would be really confused by the idea of someone not identifying with the gender they were assigned at birth is just sad. I hope when I'm older I won't think of kids that way. Sorry for the rant, but I think the reviews from parents are really misguiding and wrong.

Absolutely amazing! Great representation, and amazing writing. Melissa story is explained fantastically, and trans or LGBT youth can relate to her story.

It's a good book that touches the subject in a good way. It has a reference to porn magazines, so not super young kids, but other than that pretty appropriate.

The best book ever! Important for kids to hear. I recommend you read this with your child and can answer any questions they may have!

One of my favorite books I've ever read, and a great book that deals with a typically "taboo" subject in a mature yet understandable (for preteens) way. I got this book for Christmas in 5th grade and I think it helped me come to terms with my identity, but that doesn't mean it will "turn your kids gay or trans," it simply helped me realize some things about my self. I'd recommend to anyone trying to better understand gender identities, especially kids 9 and up. It has some mature topics, and some things may be hard to understand for younger kids, but I would still recommend it, just make sure to explain in a way appropriate for your kid's age.

George is an incredible book! The writing is clear and easy for younger kids to understand. I’d recommend this book for kids 9 and up, but my sister is 7 and she could easily understand this book. It really depends on the maturity level of the kid reading it, but it’s a great read! Some of the parent reviews mentioned it was “to confusing for kids to understand” and was “inappropriate”, but I think it’s perfectly fine. Yes, there are some things mentioned like how the older brother thinks the magazines george is reading are dirty, how her older brother taught her how to clear browser history, or how she doesn’t like that she has boy body parts, but it’s not like it’s encouraging kids to read explicit magazines or gives a tutorial on how to clear browser history, it just mentions them a couple times. I chose this book for my school book report, and think it’s fine for basically anyone who can understand these topics. Overall the only criticism I have is that the kids in the book act a bit older than fourth graders, but it’s a really great book. Happy reading!

Edit: It was originally named George.

This is an awesome book. It's great to see some representation of the LGBTQIA+ community in books! Sadly, there aren't enough books like this one. Some people may say that they don't want queer representation in children's' books. I mean... I think that it's EXTREMELY important for kids to be introduced to these things! Hiding it from them can cause many problems. It's like if your parents never gave you any bread, ever. Then when you're older and someone gives you a piece of bread, you'd probably be suspicious of it, maybe even untrusting. The same thing happens with people! If there is no representation in anything children are reading, seeing, hearing about, etc. then they're going to view things in a possibly negative way. This book is extremely awesome because it shows exactly how Melissa felt through the entire book. You can really feel what Melissa's feeling - her struggles, worries, and problems come to life before your eyes. And sometimes there are people who just don't fully understand. It puts a lot of pressure on people! That relates back to the representation part of my review: If people know about the LGBTQIA+ community, they're going to be more accepting and understanding in general. So I'd just like to wrap this up and say that this is a phenomenal book, and anyone interested should read this!

Super fun read, one of my favourites (: