The story of George, who was born as a boy but knows she is a girl, is told in a light, simple, direct voice. George thinks getting and playing the part of Charlotte the spider in the 4th grade school play will be the perfect way for the rest of the world (especially her mom) to see her the way she sees herself. But things don't go as smoothly as she hopes. 
 With transgender issues coming front-and-center this year and most kids knowing the name of Caitlyn Jenner if not how to talk about the more nuanced issues behind gender identity and presentation, it's extra-important to have books like this and Gracefully Grayson in existence. 
 Of note: author Alex Gino's biography uses no gender pronouns. 
 "George hated the boys' bathroom...She never drank from the water fountains at school, even if she was thirsty, and some days, she could make it through the school day without having to go once." 
 "Two handrails ran along either side of the wall, one foot above the other. They had been painted red years ago but had chipped over time, revealing layers of orange and green, and patches of bare steel underneath." (this feels like such a vivid detail of school to me!) 
 "The butterflies in her stomach had butterflies in their stomachs." 
 "The play passed by quickly, and yet it seemed to George as though she had been onstage since the beginning of time, as if she were born there and had only now found herself where she had always been." (I do love how many kids I've known who "find themselves" in theatre)