Melissa by Alex Gino
CW: Misgendering, Deadnaming, Violence, Vomit, Reference to Dirty Magazines, Transphobia, Bullying, Unsupportive Parent and Teachers, Being in the Closet by Force
5/5
Melissa by Alex Gino is a middle grade novel set in the same world as Rick, also by Alex Gino. Although Melissa comes first, I read the books out of order and didn't face any confusion while reading Rick. Still, having been given a taste of Melissa's story, I wanted the rest. I had hoped to obtain a copy of Melissa sooner and write about it alongside Rick. Although this didn't happen, I absolutely want to discuss Melissa anyway.
Melissa is a trans 4th grader who hasn't come out yet. When her class puts on a performance of Charlotte's Web, she finds herself struggling to keep who she is a secret. She wants to play the role of Charlotte, but her school won't give the role to someone they believe to be a boy. As the play approaches, Melissa starts to learn what it could be like for her if she comes out, the good and the bad. What she discovers will make her very happy.
Melissa is one of the first children's/middle grade books to be written about a trans character. Although Gino is trans as well, this is not their coming out story. As a genderqueer kid growing up at an earlier point in time, they had not had the support or resources that Melissa has. Instead, this is the story Gino would have wanted as a kid. It is so important to allow kids to see themselves or someone similar to them in the media they consume. It can bring joy and validation to know you aren't alone. It may also be an opportunity to learn more about yourself.
I found the story to be quite sweet and hard to put down. The story does involve instances of characters referring to Melissa by the name her parents gave her (the original name for the book), misgendering accidentally and on purpose, transphobia, queerphobia, and described dysphoria. While these things are realistic and important to address, you are completely valid if you do not want to read through these experiences. One thing that I appreciated was that the 3rd person narrator always used she/her pronouns for Melissa. Another was that I could feel the discomfort every time someone unknowingly misgendered her. I could also feel the pure joy coming from Melissa whenever she explored her gender. Melissa may be just one fictional story, but it comes across as authentic and honest.
Rick takes place 2 years later, so having the context of that far in the future gave me a unique perspective as I read. I knew that the bully's sidekick would turn out to be a good guy. I also knew what would happen to his friendship with the bully. I was given a frame of reference for why Kelly was so protective of Melissa against Rick. I was also saddened to find out that Melissa's mom made her wait two years to present as herself at school. It still makes sense to read Melissa before Rick, but I'm glad that I could experience the duology in this way.
If you get the chance to read Gino's Melissa, you should absolutely take advantage! It's a shorter book, it's engaging, and it helped to diversify representation in children's literature. I think we can all get something out of reading this story, so I hope you'll give it a chance.
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