YouTube Stars

YouTube Stars, YouTubers, a thing now.  And that kinda makes me sad because I remember reading here, waaaay back in the day that YouTube is a place where only the owners of YouTube make money, but it is people with talent who provide the content.  Now I know that there are ads and things have changed...gosh that book is ten years old now.  I need to see what he has said about life since then!  And some YouTubers go on to other pursuits by which they can make money for what they do, and I hope that has been the case for Jazz Jennings who wrote Being Jazz:  My Life as a (Transgender) Teen.  While Jennings may have gotten media attention first on YouTube she certainly has gone on to many other areas of media, like her own show on TLC. I can't say enough wonderful things about this book, or this young woman.  I am so glad that I finally listened to her book. 

I don't know...

The Pants Project was okay.  I am glad to have more books about transgendered young people.  I think that is really important.  And not being trans myself, I can't speak to how "real" this feels, but I hope it is.  Liv seems to have found wonderful, supportive friends and have a beautifully supportive family.  So that makes me very happy and I pray that is the experience for all people.  I would have given it 3.5 stars if I could.  It just didn't grab me as much as George did.  It's probably not fair to hold TPP up to this standard, but it is the same subject and I just think that Alex Gino wrote a really, really incredible book.

Loved

If I Was Your Girl,  I REALLY liked so much about this book.  No, I will just say it, I really liked this book!
I thought the way that faith was handled was really well done.   And I liked that it was just a love story, too.  And I loved Meredith Russo's note at the end.
Here is something to think about if you google Meredith Russo.  There are some hater sites out there.  And if you look at the sites that make mention of Russo, you will see that these sites have a distinct flavor to them.  Just please remember that in legal/divorce cases there are often stipulations that parties do not disclose information.  Also cases that just "die" and charges and followed up, often do so because they were false!  Just please look at the sources.
Many, many thanks to Russo for this work and blessings to her for future books as well.

George and Melissa

George won a Stonewall Book Award from ALA in 2016 but it really is good! Alex Gino is the author and I had ever heard of him before, but I bet I will be hearing about him a lot in the future because this book was really, really good.
It is kinda like The Danish Girl for kids.  George is a girl, but she is a boy on the outside.  She is a middle schooler and it is hard enough being a middle schooler, but when you have the wrong body parts, it is even harder.
This is a sensitive, important book and very readable and just a really, really, really good story.