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Gracefully Grayson

Gracefully Grayson

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  • Create Date：2021-08-07 09:55:29
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Ami Polonsky
  • ISBN：1484723651
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Summary

"Tenderly and courageously told， Gracefully Grayson is a small miracle of a book。 Its story is so compelling I found myself holding my breath as I read it and so intimate I felt as if what was happening to Grayson was happening to me。 Thank you， Ami Polonsky， for creating this memorable character who will open hearts and minds and very possibly be the miracle that changes lives。" -James Howe， award-winning and best-selling author of The Misfits

What if who you are on the outside doesn't match who you are on the inside？

Grayson Sender has been holding onto a secret for what seems like forever: "he" is a girl on the inside， stuck in the wrong gender's body。 The weight of this secret is crushing， but sharing it would mean facing ridicule， scorn， rejection， or worse。 Despite the risks， Grayson's true self itches to break free。 Will new strength from an unexpected friendship and a caring teacher's wisdom be enough to help Grayson step into the spotlight she was born to inhabit？

Debut author Ami Polonsky's moving， beautifully-written novel about identity， self-esteem， and friendship shines with the strength of a young person's spirit and the enduring power of acceptance。




Praise for Gracefully Grayson

"Don't be intimidated when I say that Gracefully Grayson is an important book。 （It is。） It's also a brave， exhilarating， heart-stopping， roller-coaster ride of self-discovery that will leave you cheering。"
-Dean Pitchford， Oscar-winning songwriter and award-winning author of Captain Nobody and Nickel Bay Nick


"In this sweet and thoughtful debut， an introverted sixth grader begins to come into her own as a transgender girl。 The writing is clear and effortless， with a straightforward plot and likable characters。 Grayson is a charming narrator who balances uncertainty with clarity， bravery with anxiety。 This title has less obvious and didactic intent than other novels featuring transgender protagonists。 A welcome addition to a burgeoning genre。"
-School Library Journal

"Thoughtfully told through Grayson's eyes， the story conveys his angst， hurt， loss， and emerging confidence as he struggles with a whirlwind of emotions。 His new friends allow him to find the courage to become who "she" really is， and we are privileged to watch the transformation take place。 With great courage， Polonsky's debut novel reminds us with much sensitivity that we are all unique and deserve to become who we are meant to be。"
-Booklist


"Polonsky captures the loneliness of a child resigned to disappear rather than be rejected， and then the courageous risk that child eventually takes to be seen for who she is。 The first-person narration successfully positions readers to experience Grayson's confusion， fear， pain， and triumphs as they happen， lending an immediate and intimate feel to the narrative。"

-Horn Book

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Reviews

Theo Wlz ，

J'ai adoré ！ Très respectueux， très doux， juste superbe。 J'ai adoré ！ Très respectueux， très doux， juste superbe。 。。。more

Karen Gedeon ，

Gracefully Grayson by Ami Polonsky – Sixth grader Grayson moved in with his Aunt Sally， Uncle Evan and cousins Jack and Brett after his parents died in a car accident when he was in preschool。 Since then， he has become withdrawn from friends and family imagining his traditional boy clothing as if it were actually girls cloths。 Luckily for Grayson the start of the new school year also brings a new set of teachers， including Mr。 Finnegan， the schools most popular teacher as well as the spring play Gracefully Grayson by Ami Polonsky – Sixth grader Grayson moved in with his Aunt Sally， Uncle Evan and cousins Jack and Brett after his parents died in a car accident when he was in preschool。 Since then， he has become withdrawn from friends and family imagining his traditional boy clothing as if it were actually girls cloths。 Luckily for Grayson the start of the new school year also brings a new set of teachers， including Mr。 Finnegan， the schools most popular teacher as well as the spring play advisor。 As Grayson is navigating around bullies and new friends， he learns about auditions for the upcoming spring play， The Myth of Persephone， and a small flame begins to flicker within in。 Arriving at tryouts unsure of who he should try for， by the time his name is called， he knows he is Persephone。 A boy cast as girl in sixth grade brings out the good and bad in both students and adults which causes Grayson much grief， but eventually finding the courage to speak up and be accepted。 A nice story for grades 5-7， Gracefully Grayson takes readers through most of Grayson’s sixth grade year showing his highs and lows which include not only being a typical 11 year old， but also a transgender youth thus giving many readers something to relate to。 Themes include acceptance， friendship， coming of age and overcoming adversity。 It makes a nice small group read due to the multiple discussion points away。 。。。more

Lyn ，

Te encariñas con los personajes， una historia simple con más subtexto del que parece。

Abbey ，

This was such a heartbreaking and important read。 Grayson's story needs to be told and I'm so glad that trans kids have this book to help them on their journey if they need it。 This was such a heartbreaking and important read。 Grayson's story needs to be told and I'm so glad that trans kids have this book to help them on their journey if they need it。 。。。more

Cait ，

are there things to criticize about this book by a cis author？ yeah， absolutely， and I get why it wouldn’t gel with some readers （I didn’t see any reviews by trans women on the first page， which is what I’d really be interested; I only spotted a few by my compatriots on the transmasc spectrum）。 I really wasn’t expecting much from this， though， and it blew my low expectations out of the water。 top-tier middle-grade。 we’re all rooting 4 u grayson

Hazel ，

A fairly good view of a young adult struggling with being transgender。 Glosses over some parts where more of an impact/message could have been made。 Also， unsatisfied with the ending as it just finished without closure。

Littlebug_booklover ，

A beautifully written novel that has you cheering for Grayson and Paige， shouting at Aunt Sally， and glaring menacingly at Ryan， Jack， and maybe even Amelia。 This tale takes the life of Grayson Sender and paints a wonderful and interesting picture in the minds of the lucky readers。 Truly a magnificent addition to anyone’s shelf。

Anna ，

I love middle grade books。 There is something so sweet and charming about them， especially queer middle grade。 Grayson is just precious and deserves everything。 Part of me is frustrated that this book doesn't have a ton of closure and it kind of just ends， but it also made it feel very realistic。 This book is kind of messy sometimes and it's a little bit repetitive but it felt like middle grade。 It's was awkward at times and the dialogue and the conversations between the students， felt so distin I love middle grade books。 There is something so sweet and charming about them， especially queer middle grade。 Grayson is just precious and deserves everything。 Part of me is frustrated that this book doesn't have a ton of closure and it kind of just ends， but it also made it feel very realistic。 This book is kind of messy sometimes and it's a little bit repetitive but it felt like middle grade。 It's was awkward at times and the dialogue and the conversations between the students， felt so distinctly like middle grade experiences， it was a little bit eerie。 It's just a very well written book in terms of creating characters that feel like the age they are supposed to be。 I do want to note that the narrator for this book is bad。 It was just a bad choice because she sounds like an adult woman trying to sound like a kid？ It just， didn't work and unfortunately it's affected my reading experience for this one a lot。 I would probably give the narration maybe a two-star even though this book is precious。 So if you're going to read this book don't do the audiobook。I've actually owned this book for a long time， but I recently read another book by Ami polonsky called Spin with Me， and it was so freaking cute that I wanted to read this one soon too。 This book does have a lot of similarities to George by Alex Gino so if you liked that one you absolutely should give this one a shot too。Grayson tries out for the role of Persephone in the school play and this leads to a lot of discussions about gender roles and who can play which roles in theater。 Grayson lives with their aunt and uncle and the aunt is kind of a raging bitch if I'm being honest。 I hated her and she can go suck a duck。 She lets her son， Jack， bully Grayson relentlessly all while chastising him about making fun of Grayson， she then turns around and complains to the school board about the teacher who cast Grayson in Persephone's role。 Uncle Evan on the other hand it was a soft squishy cinnamon roll and I really wanted him to stand up for Grayson more。 As a whole this book is about bravery and learning about who we are and taking the steps to be ourselves even though it is scary。Also there's a lot of thrift shopping and that brought me joy。 This book is adorable。CW: transphobia， homophobia， bullying， physical bullying， gender dysphoria， death of parents （past off page event that's talked about） Rep: trans MC， potential queer secondary。 。。。more

KamTess ，

Lovely book

Dominique ，

Good book for middle schoolers

Lauren ，

I loved that not all of the high school teenagers were jerks。 The stereotype is that the freak is universally hated， but this book showed what is more likely to be true: the theater kids are welcoming and understanding！！

starlit-ink ，

I have one thing to say， and that is this: Grayson is my child。 No questions。 I'm adopting her right now。 I have one thing to say， and that is this: Grayson is my child。 No questions。 I'm adopting her right now。 。。。more

Gabby ，

it was good but a bit boring since there wasn't really any "action" but good nonetheless it was good but a bit boring since there wasn't really any "action" but good nonetheless 。。。more

Evren ，

This is one of those books that I’ve owned for many years but haven’t gotten around to it until recently。 Grayson lives with her aunt， uncle， and cousin after the death of her parents years ago。 When she’s safe at home she likes to daydream of being a beautiful princess， but she tries hard not to be seen at school。 Grayson is transgender and is seen as a boy by everyone else around her。 Keeping it a secret takes a toll on her， but she’s scared of the consequences of coming out to everyone。 She a This is one of those books that I’ve owned for many years but haven’t gotten around to it until recently。 Grayson lives with her aunt， uncle， and cousin after the death of her parents years ago。 When she’s safe at home she likes to daydream of being a beautiful princess， but she tries hard not to be seen at school。 Grayson is transgender and is seen as a boy by everyone else around her。 Keeping it a secret takes a toll on her， but she’s scared of the consequences of coming out to everyone。 She auditions for Persephone in the school play and gets the support of a teacher and other students。I really liked a lot of the characters in this book。 Grayson is precious and she deserves all the best in life。 She’s sweet and caring and she wants to be seen as a girl so much。 I love the friends that she made in the drama group。 They were so sweet to Grayson and something that surprised me when I first read it was how easily the other kids took to Grayson playing Persephone。 The teacher was trying so hard for his kids， and I loved him。 One of my favorite characters is Grayson’s uncle though。 He doesn’t quite get what’s going on， but he wants to support Grayson。I don’t know why but there seemed like there was something missing in this book。 I think it might have just been more with the characters。 I found that I enjoyed parts of it but that there were some scenes that just seemed to drag or go on too long。 I liked the scenes where Grayson was finding items at the thrift store， but I wish there had been more to Grayson’s character。 More depth and discussion of Grayson’s identity。This book isn’t bad， but I found that I lost interest at times。 If you want a book with a trans female character that’s geared more towards younger kids， then go for it。 。。。more

Karen Morningstar ，

Great middle school book as Greyson struggles with identity。 The inner monologue is something several students can relate to。

Lola ，

This book is about grayson finding out who he really is。 In the start he was really shy but towards the end he became very brave。 I was happy when he tried out for the play and met a new friend。

Katherine Fiorillo ，

This book is really important for young readers and I really enjoyed the story。 However， it took nearly the entire book for Grayson to recognize what was going on with her and embrace it。 While she did have cheerleaders and advocates， it was far more about everything and everyone that works against you when you’re a trans kid。 Also， while Grayson never referred to herself as “he”， she also never was able to be referred to as “she” either。 If Grayson was a real child， she probably would have stay This book is really important for young readers and I really enjoyed the story。 However， it took nearly the entire book for Grayson to recognize what was going on with her and embrace it。 While she did have cheerleaders and advocates， it was far more about everything and everyone that works against you when you’re a trans kid。 Also， while Grayson never referred to herself as “he”， she also never was able to be referred to as “she” either。 If Grayson was a real child， she probably would have stayed in the closet for many more years because of all the adversity she faced in just middle school。 Even her advocates faced adversity。 It was just too much about the problems and not enough about the triumphs and while I realize that is reality， in a book for middle schoolers I think it should be more encouraging rather than highlighting all the challenges and little to no successes。 。。。more

Mackenzie Hale ，

A sweet book， and definitely an important one too。 It follows a pretty simple plot， but still manages to be moving。

Razi ，

This was a reread but this was a really heartwarming book about self-discovery！

Kelly Jahng ，

Very realistically portrays a young student’s struggle with gender identity， as well as the loss of her parents and the social pressures of middle school。 Also deals with the fallout for a supportive teacher which is all too common in schools。 I liked the fact that this story shows Grayson’s struggle as a journey， a process， and while there is growth and learning， there’s not a neat and tidy ending。 This is true to life。 There’s also powerful imagery throughout the book。 This text can be read at Very realistically portrays a young student’s struggle with gender identity， as well as the loss of her parents and the social pressures of middle school。 Also deals with the fallout for a supportive teacher which is all too common in schools。 I liked the fact that this story shows Grayson’s struggle as a journey， a process， and while there is growth and learning， there’s not a neat and tidy ending。 This is true to life。 There’s also powerful imagery throughout the book。 This text can be read at a simple level by upper elementary students， or dissected in depth by older students and each reader will gain something valuable from the experience。 。。。more

Sofia Arkia ，

I like it。 I like the simplicity of it。 Sometimes you need no major conflict or problems to make a story interesting。 Not everyone has relationship problem， family problem or some big drama going on in their life。 Sometimes they are just struggling with their inner demon。 Anyway， worth the read。 I'm gonna cherished it I like it。 I like the simplicity of it。 Sometimes you need no major conflict or problems to make a story interesting。 Not everyone has relationship problem， family problem or some big drama going on in their life。 Sometimes they are just struggling with their inner demon。 Anyway， worth the read。 I'm gonna cherished it 。。。more

Jessica ，

Another great middle grades read！ Be who you are！

Liz （ivegotyourpaperback） ，

I don’t think I can express how much I loved this book。 I just wanted to reach into the pages and give Grayson the biggest hug。 I really appreciated the role of the teacher， his support and encouragement of Grayson。Reading this made me think back to when I was a huge theatre nerd in high school and we did monologues one term。 We got to choose from a stack of monologues which one we wanted to do， and I recall choosing one where the POV was of a male character。 And no one batted an eyelid。 In fact I don’t think I can express how much I loved this book。 I just wanted to reach into the pages and give Grayson the biggest hug。 I really appreciated the role of the teacher， his support and encouragement of Grayson。Reading this made me think back to when I was a huge theatre nerd in high school and we did monologues one term。 We got to choose from a stack of monologues which one we wanted to do， and I recall choosing one where the POV was of a male character。 And no one batted an eyelid。 In fact I was chosen to perform it at a school showcase。 I don’t know if I can confidently say whether my school would have let the same thing happen if it was a guy wanting to play a female role。 I guess I’ll never know。Back to this glorious book。 I never wanted to put it down。 However there was a slight feeling of panic throughout my reading of the book that was me thinking “please don’t let it end like in the film Pay it Forward”。 Thankfully， it didn’t， I read the eBook of this and will definitely be buying a physical copy of this book in the future。 Trigger warnings as follows:⚠️transphobia ⚠️bullying 。。。more

Michael Q ，

This book has a very important message about LGBTQ+， but the actual book was just awful。 I wanted to puke so bad while watching this。 The characters are boring stereotypes， none of them are original: the “weird kid”， the “school bully”， the “nice girl”。 The plot is what I called the Wonder plot。 Kid doesn’t fit in， is bullied， meets nice people， some other drama crap， and then learns to accept themselves at the end。 It is used in so many realistic fiction novels。 And the parents are dead！ Why ar This book has a very important message about LGBTQ+， but the actual book was just awful。 I wanted to puke so bad while watching this。 The characters are boring stereotypes， none of them are original: the “weird kid”， the “school bully”， the “nice girl”。 The plot is what I called the Wonder plot。 Kid doesn’t fit in， is bullied， meets nice people， some other drama crap， and then learns to accept themselves at the end。 It is used in so many realistic fiction novels。 And the parents are dead！ Why are the parents always dead？ Can we have a book where a kid is struggling and the parents are alive？ My school forced me to read this， and it was terrible。 This is the worst book I have ever read， and I wish I didn’t have to waste my time reading this。 I would rather eat a live rat that read stereotypical， predictable， unoriginal crap-filled toilet of a book again。 （Again， has an important message）。 。。。more

Gene ，

I really like Grayson Sender。 Actually with each book of this nature I read， I find I like the protagonist better， but this one I read in one sitting， that's unusual for me， I usually （and do） have several books going at once and switch back and forth as the mood moves me， but this one I needed to finish。It's exceptionally well written， especially for a debut novel， but that wasn't the reason。 I wanted to know how it turned out。 Not as well as I would have liked; I'm not going to worry about spo I really like Grayson Sender。 Actually with each book of this nature I read， I find I like the protagonist better， but this one I read in one sitting， that's unusual for me， I usually （and do） have several books going at once and switch back and forth as the mood moves me， but this one I needed to finish。It's exceptionally well written， especially for a debut novel， but that wasn't the reason。 I wanted to know how it turned out。 Not as well as I would have liked; I'm not going to worry about spoilers here since it was written in 2014。 I've been reading transgender novels for a couple months now， trying to expand my understanding， I got lists from various places and didn't start with books I'd call favorites though I learned a lot。 This book did not take us very far into Grayson's transition， in fact， by the end， there's no clear indication she will， she's not considered pronouns， nor a new name， there's never any mention of fully transitioning， nor counseling for gender dysphoria which Grayson exhibited at a very early age。 His parents died when he was four but were acutely aware of his dysphoria， his mother wrote three letters about it to her mother， with pictures， to give to him when he was older - that planned age was never indicated but his grandmother dies while he is in sixth grade and since he has been living with his father's younger brother's family， the letters pass to him。 They're helpful， very much so and they answer some questions he didn't even remember asking。 One gets the feeling， mostly because his mother SAYS so， that his parents， and her mother， would have helped him along the way much more so than did his aunt and uncle。 His life would have been very different had his parents raised him， they were prepared to accept him however he expressed himself， that would not have been buried （to the point where he had forgotten his expression） as it was。His uncle is quite accepting， maybe unusually so， but his aunt is not。 She disguises her discomfort by saying she is concerned he will be bullied， but he already IS being bullied and has been since his only real friend moved away after second grade。 There's no indication she is concerned he will influence her sons， but she DOES intervene in his life in ways that his uncle， and Grayson， disagree with vehemently - always for his own good。 I think that to ease her discomfort as much， or more， to protect her idea of gender than help him。 He's socially isolated to the point that he stopped using the communal lunchroom in third grade in favor of eating in the library （not something libraries usually allow but this one does） alone。 He knows he is a girl in a boy's body， but has no idea what to do about that。 He is fortunate to have a teacher， who himself may be gay， but who seems to notice just how different Grayson is and goes out of his way to subtly let him know， though that is revealed only in brief glimpses through the book。 He's smart， determined， strong （stronger than he thinks） and he perseveres in spite of the obstacles in his path - the usual crowd of bullies。 He is quickly "adopted" by an eighth grade girl whose role he wins in the school play， she is accustomed to being the female lead， but she sets that apart and really opens her heart to him， she recognizes more in him than even she knows， I think。 I had a girl like that in my own life as a first grader， though not transgendered I was a painfully shy child， I shared many of Grayson's moments， and my own angel did for me， what Paige does for Grayson。 I am still grateful to her after 65 years， I doubt I ever thanked her， not sure that would have occurred to me， but I still think about her and wish I had， or could。Just a really compelling read and one I'd have loved to see continue in a sequel through actual transition， though I know that not all transgendered females go that far， I think Grayson would have， and I think she'd have an amazing future given her talents and intelligence。 This is one I'll read again， probably quickly， just because I more inhaled it than read it this first time。 Great book even if it did end too soon for my liking。 。。。more

Kyrstin ，

A beautiful coming of age story。。。the tale of a young girl earning her wings and learning to fly。 This book is gritty and real。 Such an important read for adults and young readers alike。

Christine ，

Sixth-grader Grayson has a desire that I think we all do—to be true to herself & be accepted for that truth， whatever it may be。But because Grayson's truth is that she's a transgender girl， acceptance seems very hard to come by， not just from her one friend， her schoolmates， but also members of her own family。 And what's more important than that？ The basic premise of: "You're a human; I'm a human。 I will treat you accordingingly。"This important book， and others like it， should be spotlighted ins Sixth-grader Grayson has a desire that I think we all do—to be true to herself & be accepted for that truth， whatever it may be。But because Grayson's truth is that she's a transgender girl， acceptance seems very hard to come by， not just from her one friend， her schoolmates， but also members of her own family。 And what's more important than that？ The basic premise of: "You're a human; I'm a human。 I will treat you accordingingly。"This important book， and others like it， should be spotlighted inside our classrooms and libraries so that our students who need to see themselves can。 But more importantly， so ALL kids who might need a gentle reminder that behind that person who might seem so different is ultimately another human who deserves respect and acceptance。 。。。more

Madison ，

This book is probably my favorite book that I have ever read。 This book describes the background story of what its like being transgender and I found myself emotional with things she had to deal with based of how other people reacted。 Overall a great book and definitely would recommend it。

Grey ，

I started this book last year but it kinda sat on my bookshelf until like yesterday when I finally read the last 70 pages and let me tell you it was so。 worth。 it。 I personally wish there was more of a play scene but honestly I might've just missed it。 Over all a pretty good book。 I started this book last year but it kinda sat on my bookshelf until like yesterday when I finally read the last 70 pages and let me tell you it was so。 worth。 it。 I personally wish there was more of a play scene but honestly I might've just missed it。 Over all a pretty good book。 。。。more

Grace D ，

Lot of mixed feelings On this book after reading more reviews and thoughts from the transgender community。 The book has both pros and cons to how it handles the topic。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Gracefully Grayson

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Gracefully Grayson&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Gracefully Grayson&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0