Plot Summary
When Sam's mother dies he is sent to live with his Aunt and cousin Matthew in England. In order to become a trusted member of Matthew's group of friends at school, Sam is given a test. He has to dress up as a girl and if he passes he will have the friendship of the boys at his new school. There is also another reason for the test. The boys want Sam to spy on a group of girls in order to learn their secrets. Soon Sam is passing as a girl, hanging out with the girls, and even attracting one of the popular guys at school. In another plot twist, Sam's dad arrives fresh out of jail searching for his son. Sam has to decide if fitting in while hiding from his father is important enough to continue the charade.
Critical Evaluation
Boy2Girl is a funny book which takes a different approach to how kids and adults look at gender roles. Do boys have it easier than girls, or vice versa? Do adults push their ideas about gender roles on their children? Should boys talk about their feelings? The story is told from a variety of characters' points of view which at times can be confusing but not impossible to follow. This is a great book to include in a collection because of its humorous approach to questioning gender roles.
Reader's Annotation
Thirteen-year old Sam dresses up as girl and what starts as a test soon turns into an outlandish situation.
About the Author
Terence Blacker is an English author, columnist, journalist, and publisher.
Blacker became has written childrens books and mysteries for adults. His first childrens book If I Could Work was published in 1987 and his first adult novel, FIXX, won critical acclaim
Genre/ Subgenre
Contemporary Life/ Humor
Curriculum Ties
Sociology
Booktalking Ideas
1) Do you think boys and girls are treated differently by adults? Why?
2) Would you ever dress up as the opposite sex for a day if only you would know?
Reading Level/Interest Age
Ages 14+
Challenge Issues
Cross dressing
Challenge defense ideas
-Become familiar with the book and its content.
-Refer to the collection development policy of the library, see http://sfpl.org/pdf/about/policies/collection-development-plan.pdf
-Refer to reviews from Booklist, School Library Journal, and Publisher’s Weekly available for viewing on amazon.com http://www.amazon.com/Boy2Girl-Terence-Blacker/dp/0374309264
-Try to get reviews of the book from teens who have read it.
Why Included in Titles Selected
Interesting subject matter
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