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coleycole's review
3.0
I was really curious as to how kidlit would handle trans issues. I was a bit disappointed, not because Joanie/John's gender identity isn't tied up in the end (She is eleven-ish, I think, so that seemed pretty realistic), but because I think Lantz creates a world that's much, much more rigid about gender than most people are today. The story would be better set in the 1960s or 70s. I did think it was pretty awesome that gender identity was tackled in a way that would make sense to kids.
dlberglund's review
3.0
This was a pretty quick read. I held my breath as the end got closer, waiting for the cheesy Hallmark ending where Joanie would realize she really had a crush on a boy and therefore couldn't "pretend" to be a boy anymore and would come clean with her real feelings. Fortunately, it was never quite that bad. There are a few ending details that did piss me off for their heterocentricity (is that a word?) but it tries hard to give a "be whoever you are" message. Mainstream? Yes. Terrible? No. (In my opinion. Please feel free to tell me the reasons I should rethink that.)
magic_queer's review
5.0
I was in fourth grade the first time I read this book. Hadn't yet come out as a lesbian, or realized that I was transgender myself. I remember reading about Joanie being John and seeing myself reflected back from the pages. Every first time I was told that being my true self wasn't wrong was through books.
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