Green

Notable author Gino returns to familiar territory, focusing this time on nonbinary middle-schooler Green Gibson, a classmate of previous books' stars, Melissa and Rick. Most of Green's strong peer group are fellow members of the school's LGBTQIAP+ group, the Rainbow Spectrum club. Excitement within the club for the school's production of The Wizard of Oz runs high and raises thoughtful issues around binary casting and gender while highlighting the musical's queer history. Meanwhile, the production coincides with a blossoming awareness by Green of their crush on crew member Ronnie, prompting Green to reconcile Ronnie's professed identity with evolving facets of Green's own queerness. While those new to Gino's writing may find the exposition overly explanatory, character and action details are delivered in service to accessibility by--and for the education of--younger readers. The return to a theatrical focus and Melissa's matured confidence should delight fans of the Stonewall Award--winning author's companion works. After all, "this is Melissa's world, and we're all just living in it."

A contemporary, character-driven, coming-of-age story about a queer tween and their crush. Nonbinary Green Gibson is active in Jung Middle School's Rainbow Spectrum affinity group and is looking forward to auditioning for their school's revamped production of The Wizard of Oz, in which actors get to choose the genders of their roles. Green isn't cast in the play, but their disappointment turns to curiosity when their crush, Ronnie, signs up to help behind the scenes. When Green joins the stage crew as well, Ronnie--who is white, has two moms, and describes himself as a "cis het guy"--keeps signaling his interest, and Green can't stop thinking about Ronnie. This situation leads Green, who's also dealing with looming questions related to the onset of puberty, to interrogate everything and embrace complexity and ambiguity. Filled with age-relevant experiences and deeper, more introspective reflections on bodily autonomy, identity, and internalized oppression, the plot stays laser-focused on Green and their close-knit, caring, and wise intergenerational sphere. Information-packed dialogue that at times feels a bit forced embeds history and possibility into the upbeat and affirming narrative, educating readers about topics such as gender theorist Judith Butler and the term friend of Dorothy. Readers familiar with Gino's Melissa (2015) and Rick (2020) will recognize the setting as well as some of the characters and occasional nods to their backstories. Green is cued white; the school community is broadly diverse. A compassionate, feel-good story affording readers opportunities for identification, information, and inspiration. (Fiction. 8-12) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.