“Seeing how friends, family, and others react to Melissa sharing her gender can be a model of how people might want to act, or not act, when someone comes out to them as transgender. Melissa can experience the true joy and full self-hood that comes from being accepted for who you are. Their reactions are an important part of the story too, for Melissa and for readers alike. The possibility of playing Charlotte changes everything and, eventually, Melissa begins sharing her identity with those close to her. There is a deep and rich history of LGBTQIAP+ people in theater, using the distance of playing a character to reach and share deep places within themselves, and Melissa is part of that tradition.” “Melissa connects deeply with her, and sees playing her onstage as a way to engage in and express her girlhood.

“Charlotte is a ‘girl’ who lives in the shadows and is generally seen as ‘an ugly old spider,’ but who is a good writer and a good friend,” Alex explained. When her class reads Charlotte’s Web, Melissa instantly identifies with Charlotte, so much so that she wants to play her in the school play, even though everyone at school still sees her as George. She’s proud of who she is, and she doesn’t let the bullies define her. “I wrote Melissa because it’s a book I wish I had growing up, and a book I’m happy for kids to have now, so that they can grow up a little differently than I did,” Alex said.Īlthough Melissa struggles to find her place in the world, her sense of self is unwavering. She hasn't shared this part of herself with anyone else, unsure how her family, friends, and community will react - until she has the chance to express herself onstage.Īlex tells Melissa’s story in a way that’s both personal and universal, set against the very relatable scene of fourth-grade friendships, bullies, and classroom politics, but brings to it the importance of transgender representation on a broader scale. When we meet her, Melissa knows she’s a girl, but the world sees her as a boy named George. Melissa is smart and thoughtful, kind and insightful, determined and brave - someone who believes in herself and encourages others to do the same, and someone readers want to keep close long after they’ve finished the book. Melissa, the title character of Alex Gino’s popular Scholastic novel of the same name, is widely beloved, and her story is essential reading even seven years after its initial publication.

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