Gracefully Grayson
November 4, 2014
Hyperion
ISBN: 9781423185277
Ages 10 and up
Gracefully Grayson is a GOODREADS’ TOP 100 CHILDREN’S BOOKS!
HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGN 2016 LGBTQ+ inclusive summer reading list
Top Ten pick on ALA’s 2016 Rainbow List
Chicago Public Library’s Best Older Fiction of 2014 list
Bustle’s list of 30 LGBTQIA+ Children’s Books!
A book of exceptional merit: Bank Street Best Books of 2015 List
Alone at home, twelve-year-old Grayson Sender glows, immersed in beautiful thoughts and dreams. But at school, Grayson grasps at shadows, determined to fly under the radar. Because Grayson 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 leaving it behind would mean facing ridicule, scorn, and rejection. Despite these dangers, Grayson’s true self itches to break free. Strengthened by an unexpected friendship and a caring teacher who gives her a chance to step into the spotlight, Grayson might finally have the tools to let her inner light shine.
“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
“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