Hennessey, M.G. (2016). The Other Boy. NY: Harper Collins.
Los Angeles has been good to Shane Woods, a twelve year old who likes baseball, comics, and who has lived as a boy since moving there years ago. Everything is going swell. He and his best friend, Josh, even have a spot on the baseball team. But it all comes crashing down when a bully discovers Shane’s secret, one he has not even revealed to Josh yet (he always planned to!) because well, it never seemed to be the right time.
The Other Boy highlights emotional pressures some transgender kids endure in elementary and middle school. It was heartfelt and felt authentic. We need even more books with these themes to serve as examples of different choices. And we need to acknowledge society can no longer rely on recognizing only two genders. We all need to be ourselves.
Timely book indeed.
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