The Other Boy

Gr 5–7—For the past three years, Shane, now in sixth grade, has been living with his mom in L.A., where he has good friends and a crush, is a star on the baseball team, and spends his free time working on his sci-fi graphic novel. However, Shane is dealing with issues in his private life that his schoolmates know nothing about: Shane was assigned female at birth, and his dad still acts like Shane is just going through a phase, and refuses to accept Shane's gender identity. When a classmate outs Shane to the entire school, he has a lot more to worry about than baseball regionals. Shane's voice rings true, and the writing is straightforward and accessible. School bullies, issues with parents, first crushes, and sports drama make this title relatable to a broad range of readers. Additionally, it's refreshing to read a story with a young trans character already living life as his true gender and never questioning his identity. While some of the conflict and characterization lack depth and the ending is a little too pat, the book still has wide appeal. The selected pages of Shane's graphic novel, interspersed between chapters, are a fun addition, and readers will enjoy the parallels to Shane's real-life drama.