Today's book review is on Beautiful Music for Ugly Children by Kirstin Cronn-Mills, a book that is a bit controversial in some circles. I read it for an Indiana committee and couldn't wait to share my thoughts--so here we go!
- Standalone novel
- Realistic fiction
The Gist:
Elizabeth is so ready for high school to be over...graduation is so close, and she can move on with her life. Well, he can move on with his life. Because Elizabeth is now Gabe, a guy. But only her family and best friend know about her new identity...the rest of the school just think she's a weird lesbian. But Gabe has the opportunity to DJ a late-Friday-night radio show, and he does so as his new self. But what happens when people become obsessed with the show--and with Gabe--and want to meet up?
What I Loved:
- The cover...it's gorgeous. The colors, the graphics--all so great.
- This was much more of a page-turner than I expected it to be. I was very focused on Gabe's story and was just sucked into the plot.
- I know that the topic can be hard for some people to swallow--watching someone want to change their gender--but it wasn't too in-your-face. The story had much more to do with relationships than it did sexuality.
- The references to music were fantastic, and now I feel like I've been sheltered in the music world. I want to go listen to old records right now!
- Gabe was very much in danger a few times, but he doesn't want to reach out for help. And I felt like his character WOULD have wanted help...so that didn't fit well for me.
- I don't know many students who get hooked onto DJs or radio stations nowadays, so seeing Gabe have such a big following was a little unbelievable for me.
I really enjoyed this one--which surprised me. More of a page turner than I expected! So 4 stars for me!
I'll be designing a Gabe/Elizabeth outfit tomorrow, so check back with me!
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