Parrotfish »

Ellen Wittlinger is the critically acclaimed author of the teen novels Love & Lies: Marisol's Story, Parrotfish, Blind Faith, Sandpiper, Heart on My Sleeve, Zigzag, and Hard Love (an American Library Association Michael L. Printz Honor Book and a Lambda Literary Award winner), and the middle-grade novel Gracie's Girl. She has a bachelor's degree from Millikin University in Decatur, Illinois, and an M.F.A. from the University of Iowa. A former children's librarian, she lives with her husband in Haydenville, Massachusetts.

Angela Katz-McNair has never felt quite right as a girl, but it's a shock to everyone when she cuts her hair short, buys some men's clothes, and announces she'd like to be called by a new name, Grady. Although Grady is happy about his decision to finally be true to himself, everybody else is having trouble processing the news. Grady's parents act hurt; his sister is mortified; and his best friend, Eve, won't acknowledge his existence. On top of that, there are more practical concerns—for instance, which locker room is he supposed to use for gym class? Grady didn't expect his family and friends to be happy about his decision, but he also didn't expect kids at school to be downright nasty about it. But as the victim of some cruel jokes, Grady also finds unexpected allies, including the school geek Sebastian, and Kita Charles, who's a gorgeous senior. In a voice tinged with humor and sadness, Ellen Wittlinger explores Grady's struggles—struggles any teen will be able to relate to.

KLIATT

In the genre of "problem fiction," this novel would be tagged as about a transgender adolescent. Wittlinger is a good storyteller and this is far from being solely an issue novel. Angela is the narrator and her story begins with the birth of a new cousin: is it a boy or a girl? Seemingly easily answered, but not for people like Angela, who has been raised as a girl but feels that she is at heart a boy. Angela insists that her family start calling her Grady. She is attracted to girls. At first, she thought she was a lesbian, but has realized that it's more complicated than that—she feels she is a boy attracted to girls, a heterosexual with the wrong body parts for who she really is. The novel progresses as Grady finds friends in school, including a science enthusiast, Sebastian, who is studying parrotfish, a species that changes gender from female to male: hence the title of this book. Wittlinger's writing skill will help YA readers understand transgender issues, and those readers will be entertained and moved as they read.