Lily and Duncan

Gephart, Donna. (2016). Lily and Dunkin. New York, NY: Delacorte Books for Young Readers.

Interest level: Ages 10 and up
Pages: 352

Summary:
Lily Jo McGrother was born Timothy McGrother.  She starting 8th grade and is getting ready to show the world her transformation into "Lily". Her older sister Sarah, his BBF Dare,  her mother and her beloved tree "Bob" are her support team. Dad on the other hand, is having a hard time coming around. Little by little Timothy aka Lily takes tiny steps to show the world who she is deep inside, for every step she takes forward the bullies at school try to push him back.
Norbit is new in town and also starting 8th grade. He hates his name, is struggling with bipolar, and misses his father. What he wants more is to be able to fit in at school. When Norbit meets Timothy they become friends instantly. Their friendship is put to a test at school when Norbit finally gets a chance to play in the basketball team with the popular boys, the Nethernals, but they are Lily's worst nightmare.

Reader's response:
I liked the way the book was written in dual narrative. The story is told in alternative perspectives from each of the two characters letting the reader see the characters' personal views of their experiences. Both characters are equally important in the story, have a unique personality, and voice. In her author's notes, Donna Gephart, mentions her extensive research on transgender kids before writing the book as well as the promise to her son who suffers from bipolar disorder.


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Another book to consider with the same topic on transgender is George by  Alex Gino.