Gabe is so close to high school graduation and the rest of his life as a trans teen. While he is trying to navigate bathroom decisions, the pitfalls of dating girls, and the adoption of his new name, Gabe, from his birth name, Elizabeth, he encounters a vicious pair of bullies who literally threaten his life. Feeling unsupported by the police, Gabe has to choose which risks to take and when to stand up for himself--choices many teen readers will be able to relate to. While this story is set in Minnesota and depicts the lives of middle-class caucasian teens, urban high school readers who can get past those differences will be richly rewarded for taking a walk in Gabe’s shoes as he makes his transition. Cronn-Mills closes the book with a six-page narrative primer on the transgender umbrella and web resources for LGBTQ teens and their teachers, parents and supporters. Recommended for more experienced teen readers. --Jesssica Fenster-Sparber
Click here for a Beautiful Music for Ugly Children web-based instructional unit complete with common core standards, discussion questions, and links.
No comments:
Post a Comment