Acclaimed author Alex Gino brings us back to the world of their Stonewall and Lambda Literary Award-winning book Melissa (and its follow-up, Rick), this time centering queer, nonbinary kid Green, a friend of Melissa and Rick’s at Jung Middle School—and the book is Pure. Queer. Joy.
Gino lets us know right at the start that this isn’t going to be a book about a kid concerned with whether and how to come out (Melissa) or dealing with a bullying best friend (Rick). Green, the first paragraph tells us, has lots of queer friends, rarely gets misgendered, and feels “mostly comfortable with their body the way it was.” No one bullies them; they have decent, sometimes good, teachers, and a good life with their single dad. It’s an emphatic reminder that not every queer kid’s life is one of loneliness, struggle, and dysphoria—and a vision of how things could be.
Despite all that, things are not perfect for Green. Most of the tension in the book comes from Green’s crush on Ronnie, another member of the school’s Rainbow Spectrum club. Ronnie has joined the club because he has two moms, but he identifies as a “cis het guy”—or does he? Although Green was not cast in the school’s production of the Wizard of Oz, they’ve joined the musical’s tech crew with Ronnie, and begin to wonder if Ronnie is dropping hints that he might actually be interested in Green. But if Ronnie isn’t queer, Green wonders, “Does he really see my gender?”
Their relationship unfolds against the backdrop of the musical, as the performers and crew, many of whom are also in Rainbow Spectrum, work to make the musical more gender inclusive. Some insist that students of any gender should be able to audition for any part; Green wants to go further and make sure there are actually nonbinary character roles, too.
The book is sprinkled with learnings about nonbinary and other queer folks, about being an ally, and other aspects of social justice, but Gino as always does this lightly, gently modeling inclusive behaviors while also showing that it takes work, and it’s okay to make mistakes as long as we learn. Similarly, we learn much about what it is like for Green to move as a nonbinary person in their world—for example, using the non-gendered bathroom in the nurse’s office, or pondering whether to take the hormone blockers their doctor mentioned. (For the moment, Green is happy with their body as is, and specifically notes that they’re not ready to make the decision to add hormones, like testosterone, even if they could get a prescription at their age.) One subplot involves Green getting their first period, and Gino unsurprisingly handles this with nuance and affirmation (and a little appropriate awkwardness as Green talks with their dad about it).
The story is also full of many other kinds of diversity. Green and Ronnie are White, as are Melissa and Rick, but other children and adults have various racial identities. The Rainbow Spectrum advisor uses the nonbinary title Mx. but the pronouns she/her, and an in-passing reference notes that she’s a new parent. The teacher directing the musical, Mr. Sydney, is partnered with another man. Green’s Nana is Deaf, and Green signs with her; another kid has Deaf parents. Green’s neighbors include two women who are dating, and each has kids. We also learn that Green is adopted. By showing us some of how each character moves in the world, Gino keeps this from feeling like token inclusion.
Gino adds wonderful touches of humor, too, with amusing turns of phrase and groan-able puns, and while I wouldn’t call the book a comedy per se, it definitely has delightfully funny moments.
Mostly, though, this is a book about queer kids (Green in particular, but also their friends) figuring things out about themselves as they grow, advocating for themselves, and finding support from both queer elders and allies in their community. The only bully in the story, Jeff (whom readers may remember from Rick), hasn’t changed much, but is quickly put in his place and is not a major part of the plot.
While it may not always be easy being Green, it is also, as Gino tells us up front, “pretty great”—and that’s a beautiful thing to show young readers. As with Gino’s other books, this one is highly recommended.
