{"id":33280,"date":"2018-02-07T14:22:19","date_gmt":"2018-02-07T18:22:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/blog\/?p=33280"},"modified":"2018-02-07T14:22:19","modified_gmt":"2018-02-07T18:22:19","slug":"review-of-parrotfish-by-ellen-wittlinger","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/blog\/?p=33280","title":{"rendered":"Review of Parrotfish, by Ellen Wittlinger"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Parrotfish<\/em><\/p>\n

by Ellen Wittlinger<\/p>\n

Simon & Schuster, 2007. 287 pages.
\nStarred Review<\/p>\n

I have a transgender adult daughter. So it\u2019s high time I read this by now classic teen novel about a transgender teen boy. Though I wish I\u2019d read it before I had a specific reason to do so \u2013 this is simply good writing.<\/p>\n

Grady has decided to start his junior year of high school as the person he truly is \u2013 a boy. But when he tells his family and his former best friend to call him Grady instead of Angela, the reactions are mixed. When he tries to explain to his teachers and get them to use his new name, the responses are also mixed.<\/p>\n

But this is ultimately a hopeful and uplifting novel. Grady makes a new friend, a nerdy guy named Sebastian who’s in his TV Production class. Sebastian asks Angela to the school dance, so Grady has to explain. Sebastian tells him that\u2019s just like the stoplight parrotfish, which he\u2019s doing a report on for Environmental Science. In fact, Sebastian tells him that there are many fish and other animals which change gender.<\/p>\n

I thought you\u2019d like some real evidence here that you are not alone in the animal world. There are other living creatures that do this all the time. \u2018Nature creates many variations.\u2019 I\u2019m using that line in my paper.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The story of the book plays out as Grady\u2019s Dad is preparing the Christmas Extravaganza their family does every year \u2013 even though everyone else in the family is tired of it. Grady\u2019s younger, spoiled brother wants a dog, and his younger sister is embarrassed that everyone\u2019s talking about Grady now. Meanwhile, Grady\u2019s former best friend Eve has gotten in with the in-crowd of the school \u2013 led by a girl who\u2019s a real bully, and sees Grady as a target.<\/p>\n

And meanwhile, Grady\u2019s making new friends, including a girl he has a crush on \u2013 but who\u2019s the girlfriend of one of his new friends from TV Production class. Can a freak like him even dare to fall for someone? But maybe these new friends don\u2019t see him as a freak. In fact, he finds himself giving advice to both the girl and the guy in that relationship \u2013 and they both appreciate that Grady is good at understanding both sides.<\/p>\n

This is an excellent story about navigating relationships with friends and family in high school. And the main character happens to be transgender. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.<\/p>\n

simonandschuster.com\/teen<\/a><\/p>\n

Buy from Amazon.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Find this review on Sonderbooks<\/a> at: www.sonderbooks.com\/Teens\/parrotfish.html<\/a><\/p>\n

Disclosure: I am an Amazon Affiliate, and will earn a small percentage if you order a book on Amazon after clicking through from my site.<\/p>\n

Source: This review is based on a library book from Fairfax County Public Library.<\/p>\n

Disclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but I maintain my website and blogs on my own time. The views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.<\/p>\n

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