Wandering son

Review by Booklist Review

In this second volume, things get more complicated for transgender tweens Shuichi (genetically a boy) and Yoshino (genetically a girl) as they continue their journeys of self-discovery. New friendships are formed and old friendships are tested through crushes, mistaken identities, jealousy, and bullying. Supported by their families and friends, Shuichi and Yoshino's friendship deepens, and Shuichi comes to an important realization during a gender-segregated overnight school field trip. The gentleness of Takako's drawing style and approach to her characters is still apparent in this volume, but the drama and tension increase as Shuichi and Yoshino venture out more frequently dressed as their preferred genders and more of their friends and family members learn their secret. While the first volume served as an introduction to Shuichi and Yoshino's lives, their stories and identities really begin to evolve in this lovely, exciting, and surprising follow-up.--Mack, Candice Copyright 2010 Booklist

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.

---

Review by Publisher's Weekly Review

This manga about gender dissonance by Shimura, well-known for her treatment of lesbian and transgender issues, tells the story of a friendship between Shuichi, a young boy who wishes he were a girl, and Yoshino, a young girl who wishes she were a boy. The standard manga tone-chatty, cute, in which characters are affectionately introduced and their quirks described with many an exclamation point-goes far in portraying deeply rooted gender issues in the midst of the normal social shifts among a group of fifth graders. Shuichi's impulses toward a female identity feel confusing and shameful to him, and it's the girls in his life-first Yoshino, and then Saori-who point out his difference and encourage it. In one of the first episodes, Shuichi tries on a dress that Yoshino has cast off, and finds that he feels good in it. Later, during rehearsals of a play, the students switch gender roles, so that Shuichi is playing the character of Rosalie. Both children are teased mercilessly by their classmates, whose sexual development, while perhaps more socially normative, is just as confusing to them. A prologue by Thorn explaining Japanese honorifics is key to a story about two young people figuring out who they are in relation to the society and people around them. (July) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

---

Review by School Library Journal Review

Gr 9 Up-This volume continues the story of Nitori Shuichi, a girl who wants to be a boy named Takatsuki Yoshino, and the friends and rivals who enhance and complicate their lives. The characters are reintroduced in the opening pages (in "The Wandering Son Board Game"), which are illustrated in color. This story intersperses the real-life drama taking place between the youngsters at home and in the classroom with the stories that Shu writes in which he imagines himself as a "tragic heroine." The story is filled with mixed signals, rumors, unrequited love, boys and girls fighting over one another, and love-hate relationships. Add to this the gender confusion felt by the main characters, and the romantic tensions become even more complicated. And as the characters get ready to enter middle school, with its gender-specific uniforms, each one is being pushed to conform to society's standards. The illustrations are mostly done in a straightforward manga style, but periodically scenes are suddenly elevated to a cinematic level with dramatically faded backgrounds. Tatako's artwork definitely enhances the story, with the black-and-white pages conveying even more emotion and power than the color illustrations. Even though these books focus on middle-grade students, the story is told in such a thoughtful and mature way, featuring lots of interior monologues and character exploration, that will go over the heads that audience. Fans of the earlier books will want to read this volume and the rest of the books in this series to see how the different characters' relationships with on another evolve over time.-Andrea Lipinski, New York Public Library (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

---