Elle is a loner, and barely 16 when her selfish mom dumps her in an apartment on the other side of New York City, so her mom's boyfriend doesn't have to deal with her.

Elle meets her next door neighbor, a quiet, gentle man named Frank. She also connects with a group of misfits at her new school, who clue her in to the fact that Frank, on whom she has developed a crush, is transgender. Elle is angry and confused, and shuts out everyone for a while.

When Frank is hurt in an accident, she ends up spending time helping to care for him. In the end, Elle comes to understand far more about human nature as a result of her new friendships.

Teens who might feel on the outside looking in; teens looking to understand transgender issues.

I thought the premise was extremely unlikely. A 16 year old being sent to live on her own because her mother's boyfriend didn't want to deal with her? It was just a vehicle to get this girl on her own so she could have these experiences, and it fell flat for me. I also didn't think the characters were particularly well developed.

It does give teens a glimpse of what it's like to be an outsider trying to find a niche, and it tells a story of acceptance.

As I said, the premise of the story seemed strained to me.

It was an easy read, and for that reason I think it's worth picking up if you're interested in learning more about transgender acceptance.

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Created Oct 30, 2013 at 1:43pm • Submit your own review...