Its story is so compelling I found myself holding my breath as I read it and so intimate I felt as if what was happening to Grayson was happening to me. The end of the book also doesn’t wrap everything up perfectly but points Grayson in a hopeful direction, which I think is important in middle grade fiction for a slightly older audience, like this one."Tenderly and courageously told, Gracefully Grayson is a small miracle of a book. Grayson faces bullying, he’s outcast by a friend, and he’s ridiculed for his identity. This book is everything beautiful about middle grade fiction and more. Everyone was instantly accepting of George and her transition, which is great, but didn’t feel realistic. I say this because I also recently read George by Alex Grino and it had hardly any conflict.
I can’t speak from experience of course, but I think this is a believable account of a young transgender child’s journey. There are lots of opinions from the adults in Grayson’s life about who he should be, which made me think critically about a parent’s role in their children’s identity.Īt the end of the book Grayson is still using female gender pronouns, but wears clothes meant for girls. In their own household, Uncle Evan disagrees with his wife’s actions, and hints that Grayson’s aunt and uncle might know more about Grayson than they let on. Finn, casts Grayson as the lead female role in the play, his Aunt Sally thinks Mr. Grayson is caught between many adults who believe they are acting with his best interests in heart.
This book is heartbreaking because Grayson feels lost both in his gender identity and an outsider in his adopted family. That is, until he tries out for the part of Persephone, the lead part in the school play.
He knows that acting this way means getting in trouble and getting bullied, so he just daydreams. Grayson’s parents died in a traumatic car crash, and he now lives with his aunt and uncle and cousins. Gracefully Grayson is a great example of the magic of middle grade fiction. Book Review: Gracefully Grayson by Ami Polonsky
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