From the Publisher
Praise for Melissa:
Winner of the Stonewall Award
Winner of the Lambda Literary Award
A Children's Choice Book Award
"Profound, moving, and — as Charlotte would say — radiant, this book will stay with anyone lucky enough to find it." — Publishers Weekly, starred review
"Warm, funny, and inspiring." — Kirkus Reviews, starred review
Praise for You Don't Know Everything, Jilly P!:
"Gino's sophomore effort is every bit as affecting and important as their first." — School Library Journal, starred review
"Necessary and rewarding." — Kirkus Reviews, starred review
Praise for Rick:
"An important, innovative, well-plotted book that invites a large readership." — Booklist, starred review
"Enlightening and important." — School Library Journal, starred review
Kirkus Reviews
2023-07-31
A contemporary, character-driven, coming-of-age story about a queer tween and their crush.
Nonbinary Green Gibson is active in Jung Middle School’s Rainbow Spectrum affinity group and is looking forward to auditioning for their school’s revamped production of The Wizard of Oz, in which actors get to choose the genders of their roles. Green isn’t cast in the play, but their disappointment turns to curiosity when their crush, Ronnie, signs up to help behind the scenes. When Green joins the stage crew as well, Ronnie—who is white, has two moms, and describes himself as a “cis het guy”—keeps signaling his interest, and Green can’t stop thinking about Ronnie. This situation leads Green, who’s also dealing with looming questions related to the onset of puberty, to interrogate everything and embrace complexity and ambiguity. Filled with age-relevant experiences and deeper, more introspective reflections on bodily autonomy, identity, and internalized oppression, the plot stays laser-focused on Green and their close-knit, caring, and wise intergenerational sphere. Information-packed dialogue that at times feels a bit forced embeds history and possibility into the upbeat and affirming narrative, educating readers about topics such as gender theorist Judith Butler and the term friend of Dorothy. Readers familiar with Gino’s Melissa (2015) and Rick (2020) will recognize the setting as well as some of the characters and occasional nods to their backstories. Green is cued white; the school community is broadly diverse.
A compassionate, feel-good story affording readers opportunities for identification, information, and inspiration. (Fiction. 8-12)
