Cover:
Bibliographic Information:
Title: Freakboy
Author: Kristen Elizabeth Clark
ISBN: 978-0374324728
Publisher: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux Books for Young Readers
Copyright: 2013
Reader’s
Annotation:
Boys.
Girls. What happens when you do not fit into one of those neat little
categories?
Plot
Summary:
Brendan
is a teenager who is assigned the gender of male at birth. Brendan
wrestles for his high school, and begin
to wonder if he is gay, even though he has a girlfriend named Vanessa. Angel is a trans female who works at a LGBTQ teen center. Brendan has
a dream about being a girl; the next day his hangover causes him to get sick
outside the teen center, where he encounters Angel. Brendan begins to
investigate his feelings, and wonders if he is trans; this causes him to have a
strong emotional reaction, which in turn causes him to vandalize the LGBTQ teen
center. Brendan gets a bra and begins wearing it in secret; he seeks out the LGBTQ teen
center, where he meets Angel. Vanessa
thinks that Brendan is cheating on her with Angel, so he lies and says Angel is
Courtney's babysitter. Brendan tells Angel that he was the one who
vandalized the teen center. One of Brendan's friends and teammates, Andy,
catches him wearing the bra, and tells the wrestling team, which Brendan then
quits. Brendan then tells Vanessa his secret. The wrestling team
gangs up on Brendan, beating him up. Brendan slips into a depression, and
talks to Angel, who gives him word that helps describe how he feels about his
gender, and the courage to continue exploring how he feels.
Critical
Evaluation:
The novel
in verse form by Kristin Elizabeth Clark uses poetry to convey very intimate
topics and emotions. The narration switches between Brendan, Angel, and
Vanessa. Each character has a unique point of view, meaning they all have
different roles in the plot. Brendan is our main character, the one with
whom the reader is allowed the most intimate connection. Clark allows us
to hear all of Brendan's personal thoughts, and shows us his struggle with his
gender identity through the frank language she uses in his verses. We see
Brendan wonder if he is gay, if he is a freak, but we also see Brendan enjoy
intimate sexual contact with Vanessa. It is raw, and honest. Angel
also has a powerful narrative voice, showing us the difficulties she has
endured in her own struggle with her gender identity. Angel's experiences
are juxtaposed against Brendan's to give us a fuller picture that no two people
have the same experience when exploring gender identity. Of our three
narrators, I found Vanessa to be the weakest; her struggle with her relationship
with Brendan just does not feel as important as Brendan and Angel struggling
with their very identities. If anything, Vanessa's narrative reveals her
position of privileged as a cis female. She is worried that Brendan
likes another girl, while Brendan is worried that his whole identity is flawed.
The result is that Vanessa, as a character, seems a bit shallow.
Novels in
verse form are in and of themselves a unique forms of writing. In several
of the verses, the use of italics on key words indicates that there are
multiple layers of meaning to the words on the page. Several of the
verses are in a specific shape that impacts the message, such as Brendan's
verse "I Have a Question" which is in the shape of a question mark.
The verse format of this story allows depth of the message, while
maintaining brevity of the book itself. It is proof that a book need not
be excessive in length to be impactful.
Clark
presents us with characters that are, for the most part, well developed and
honest, and a story that is deep and emotional. There are some flaws with
Vanessa as a character and a narrator, presenting an aspect of the story that
seems shallow and self centered; however, the reality is that this could very
well be an authentic reaction for someone dealing with this situation.
Author
Biography:
Kristin
Elizabeth Clark lives and writes in San Francisco, Ca. She is a believer in and
an advocate for human kindness. As such, she pretty much tries to stay off
of social media. Kristin writes, teaches workshops, and speaks on panels about
social justice, diversity, and writing for children and young adults. She’s
also host and founder of The Ocean Beach Poet’s Society.
Her young adult debut, Freakboy was
published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR) in 2013. It received three starred
reviews, and was named to several best-of lists, including the Top 10 Rainbow List
by the American Library Association, and the Bank Street Best Books for
Children.
The praise she is most humbled by however comes from the
readers, both trans* and cis, who write to tell her that the book has changed,
and in some cases even saved, their lives.
Her newest book, Jess,
Chunk, and the Road Trip to Infinity publishes November 8, 2016.
Genre(s):
LGBTQIA Fiction,
Curriculum
Ties:
Pennsylvania
State Standard -
CC.1.3.9-10.K
Read and comprehend literary fiction on grade level, reading
independently and proficiently.
Booktalk
Ideas:
Discussion
of gender as a spectrum, and how norms change over time
Discussion
of LGBTQIA resources in our community
Reading
Level:
Lexile
Measure HL700L
Interest
Age:
12-18
Challenge
Issues:
Portrayals
of sexual and gender identity issues
If this
book were challenged I would:
· Listen
to the concerns of the person raising the challenge
· Consult
the library’s collection development policy
· Explain
how this work meets a library need based on the collection development policy
· Consult
YALSA’s Dealing with Challenges to
Young Adult Materials
· Consult
reviews on VOYA, Amazon, Common Sense Media, and Kirkus
· Discuss
any awards or notable commendations the book received
· Explain
the library’s commitment to intellectual freedom as discussed in the ALA Library
Bill of Rights
· Give
the patron the procedure for a formal challenge should they seek to pursue it
Why
was this book selected:
There are
not many examples of trans or gender fluid characters in books. Not only
was this a positive example of both a gender fluid character (Brendan) and a
trans character (Angel), it is one that showed both of their gender identity
journeys, which were quite different. This book feels honest, and
authentic, and could be a great resource for teen patrons who are having
similar gender identity questions.
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