Parrotfish

July 16, 2007
Grady, the teen at the center of Wittlinger’s (Blind Faith
) latest novel, realizes that “inside the body of this strange, never-quite-right girl was hiding the soul of a typical, average, ordinary boy,” so he changes his name (he was born Angela) and starts living as a guy. As one might expect, he faces different degrees of acceptance both at school and at home. Grady deals with a bully who is bent on his humiliation, but makes friends with an offbeat boy writing a report on spotlight parrotfish (which also change from female to male), and attracts the attention of a biracial girl. The story has an unusual backdrop: Grady’s father is obsessed with Christmas, setting up elaborate decorations inside the house and out and forcing his family to perform an adaptation of A Christmas Carol
for their neighbors. Readers can predict that something poignant—if rather unbelievable—will happen during this year’s performance (Grady has written a new version, which includes his pronouncement that “Things as they should be, Father, are not things unchanging”). Overall, though, Grady is portrayed realistically, which makes it easy to think of him as a boy. The author demonstrates well the complexity faced by transgendered people and makes the teen’s frustration with having to “fit into a category” fully apparent. Ages 12-up.

September 1, 2007
Gr 9 Up-As in "Hard Love" (S & S, 1999), Wittlinger tackles GLBT issues, introducing readers to Grady McNair, formerly known as Angela. This fast read follows Grady through the days between Thanksgiving and Christmas as he comes out as transgendered, faces issues of acceptance and rejection at school and at home, and falls in love with the hottest girl in school. Funny and thought-provoking in turns, the book does suffer from a few structural problems. The narrator's voice is very feminine for somebody who has internally always felt like a boy, and with little effort on his part, Grady ends the book with family approval, new and old friends, a previously forbidden pet, and the end of an embarrassing family holiday tradition. Flaws aside, the book is an excellent resource for building awareness about, and serving the increasing number of, transgendered teens. Helpful resources include Web sites and further-reading material. The lack of similar titles available, except for Julie Ann Peters's "Luna" (Little, Brown, 2004), and Wittlinger's captivating storytelling ability combine to make this a book that most libraries should stock. Grady eventually decides that he will always straddle the 50 yard line of gender, and the book should help teens be comfortable with their own place on that football field."Cara von Wrangel Kinsey, New York Public Library"

Copyright 2007 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2007
"What I am is a person who's capable of loving other people. That's all that matters." This is the unwavering thrust of Wittlinger's groundbreaking latest, narrated by Grady (born Angela), a transgendered teenage boy who is determined to show his true self to the world. Unexpected allies include nerdy Sebastian, gorgeous Kita, and Grady's upset but protective mother, whose ability to be loving and supportive despite her confusion and unhappiness makes her the most complex member of the ensemble. The matter-of-fact plot, tinged with a teenager's sense of irony, enumerates the day-to-day challenges of being transgendered (which bathroom does one use when neither is safe?) but occasionally loses focus amid the large cast. Still, the tangential subplots (such as an elaborate Christmas ritual telling of parental dynamics) enrich a thought-provoking discussion of gender roles, gender identity, and the influence of nature, nurture, and social construction on both. Like Julie Ann Peters's Luna (rev. 7/04), Parrotfish can serve as an introduction to transgender issues for curious readers, but it also has enough empathy to satisfy those looking for themselves in the pages. Despite Grady's unusually strong sense of self and capacity for forgiveness, he retains some complexity and is ultimately both recognizable and likable -- an awkward, slightly insecure, occasionally eloquent kid devoted to family and friends, just trying to figure out where he fits in the world.

(Copyright 2007 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)