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My daughter read me this book. I couldn’t identify with a lot of the characters as I’m cismale, but I appreciated the journey & the relationship between Rick & his grandfather.
3.5 stars. This was a sequel to George - it was great to see Melissa so happy, and get to revisit some familiar characters. I just wanted to give Rick a hug! I liked his growth as a person, and he was a relatable character. A well-done middle-grade fiction in general - I just wanted a little more to it.
“‘Think carefully about who you spend time with. The right people, well, they can bring you great joy.”
‘And the wrong people bring sadness?’
Grandpa Ray shook his head. ‘Not even. Sometimes the right people bring sadness too. The wrong people are the ones who keep you from being yourself.’”
Thank you [a:Alex Gino|12881739|Alex Gino|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1587581621p2/12881739.jpg] for writing books that are so desperately needed in our upper elementary and middle school classrooms! I recently read [b:George|40796772|George (NEUF POCHE)|Alex Gino|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1531454731l/40796772._SX50_.jpg|44165520] and loved the George's story. I wasn't sure what to expect with Rick, but after loving George, I knew I would enjoy Rick's story too. [b:Rick: A George Novel|53349956|Rick A George Novel|Alex Gino|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1588950700l/53349956._SY75_.jpg|69307808] follows Rick, who is starting middle school. Rick has always been best friends with Jeff, but Jeff is a different person around other kids compared to who he is with Rick. On the first day of school, Jeff immediately starts pointing out all the girls and what he likes about them. It was at this point I began hoping Rick would break ties with Jeff and start over now that middle school was beginning.
Throughout this book we see Rick grapple with who he is and how he wants to identify. He begins attending a club called the Rainbow Spectrum, where any middle schooler is welcome. I was shocked at how large this club was and I found myself hoping having LGBTQIA+ clubs would be welcome at all schools and have a classroom full of kids all figuring things out together. I really appreciated the conversations that took place at the Rainbow Spectrum Club as I feel like these are necessary conversations middle school students should and need to be having.
My favorite part of the whole book was Rick's relationship with his grandfather. This was a very sweet relationship to see grow and evolve through the course of the story, but I found myself wondering why Rick didn't really know his grandfather prior to being in middle school. That part seemed a little odd to me, especially when we found out his older sisters spent quite a bit of time with their grandfather. But, I really enjoyed the relationship Rick had with his grandfather and the open conversations they were able to have as a result of their time together.
This book is perfect for upper elementary and middle school classrooms. Alex Gino's books should be in every classroom so all students can find someone like them in a book.
‘And the wrong people bring sadness?’
Grandpa Ray shook his head. ‘Not even. Sometimes the right people bring sadness too. The wrong people are the ones who keep you from being yourself.’”
Thank you [a:Alex Gino|12881739|Alex Gino|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1587581621p2/12881739.jpg] for writing books that are so desperately needed in our upper elementary and middle school classrooms! I recently read [b:George|40796772|George (NEUF POCHE)|Alex Gino|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1531454731l/40796772._SX50_.jpg|44165520] and loved the George's story. I wasn't sure what to expect with Rick, but after loving George, I knew I would enjoy Rick's story too. [b:Rick: A George Novel|53349956|Rick A George Novel|Alex Gino|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1588950700l/53349956._SY75_.jpg|69307808] follows Rick, who is starting middle school. Rick has always been best friends with Jeff, but Jeff is a different person around other kids compared to who he is with Rick. On the first day of school, Jeff immediately starts pointing out all the girls and what he likes about them. It was at this point I began hoping Rick would break ties with Jeff and start over now that middle school was beginning.
Throughout this book we see Rick grapple with who he is and how he wants to identify. He begins attending a club called the Rainbow Spectrum, where any middle schooler is welcome. I was shocked at how large this club was and I found myself hoping having LGBTQIA+ clubs would be welcome at all schools and have a classroom full of kids all figuring things out together. I really appreciated the conversations that took place at the Rainbow Spectrum Club as I feel like these are necessary conversations middle school students should and need to be having.
My favorite part of the whole book was Rick's relationship with his grandfather. This was a very sweet relationship to see grow and evolve through the course of the story, but I found myself wondering why Rick didn't really know his grandfather prior to being in middle school. That part seemed a little odd to me, especially when we found out his older sisters spent quite a bit of time with their grandfather. But, I really enjoyed the relationship Rick had with his grandfather and the open conversations they were able to have as a result of their time together.
This book is perfect for upper elementary and middle school classrooms. Alex Gino's books should be in every classroom so all students can find someone like them in a book.
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
very well written short book on asexuality and aromanticism from a male leads pov. he overcomes peer pressure and learns how to stand up for what he believes in and those he cares about. i think it was a very sweet story, though I wish he had been able to end with a bit more resolution with his main family as some of those loose ends weren’t fully tied up or acknowledged by the end. but lovely book, and happy to see the MC grow and find a new safe circle of people he trusts around him.
3.5 excellent middle school book about friends and dealing with cruelty. Good information for kids (and adults) about gender roles and LGBTQIA+ spectrum.
I thought this book was super well written covering family, friendship & forgiveness and also teaching so much about LGBTQIAP+ terms. When Rick was first learning some of the terms my 9 year old was so proud that she has learned the terms already at her age!
It was a great read aloud for us and we had many conversations throughout the book about new words and also the relationships Rick had mostly with his Grandpa Ray and Jeff.
It was a great read aloud for us and we had many conversations throughout the book about new words and also the relationships Rick had mostly with his Grandpa Ray and Jeff.
What a wonderful book. So full of life and diversity. It was nice to see some characters we met before.
I enjoyed this return to the world of George.
Rick starts middle school and meets a lot of kids who seem to be willing to be friends with him without ridiculing any of his interests. Will he have to leave his old best friend (who is sometimes quite mean) behind?
Alex Gino does a great job of sharing all the feelings with the reader. It's hard to stand up to bullies. Being brave is not easy. This is also a great, gentle, and age appropriate introduction to gender identities and the explorations and self-awareness kids go through as they grow.
My only disappointment is that Jeff doesn't get a redemption arc.
Rick starts middle school and meets a lot of kids who seem to be willing to be friends with him without ridiculing any of his interests. Will he have to leave his old best friend (who is sometimes quite mean) behind?
Alex Gino does a great job of sharing all the feelings with the reader. It's hard to stand up to bullies. Being brave is not easy. This is also a great, gentle, and age appropriate introduction to gender identities and the explorations and self-awareness kids go through as they grow.
My only disappointment is that Jeff doesn't get a redemption arc.
I might consider this more a book about standing up to bullies than an LGBTQIA+ title. Either way, I love Rick's journey, especially his friendship with his grandfather. Easy decision to include in a school library collection.
This was another great read by the author, although I liked Melissa's story more. Still, learning about Rick's journey was important, and I was happy to see his story told here. Rick's best friend has been the bully that Melissa dealt with in her book since forever ago, and he's always kept quiet about his friend's behavior because his friend has never directed his bullying at Rick. But they are now in middle school and Rick is starting to feel uncomfortable with Jeff's behavior. At the same time, he's starting to wonder who he is, since his friends, his brother, and his dad are always asking him if he likes any girls (or boys, as his mom and sister will chime in), but he doesn't have those feelings. He also starts getting to know other kids in the middle school, including Melissa, many of whom are involved in the LGTBQ+ club, which makes him question his friendship with Jeff even more. I loved the relationship Rick developed with his grandfather during this story, and the support his grandfather gave him, without judgment of Rick, regarding his friendships with Jeff. I continue to learn more about the LGTBQ+ community and I think this is an important story where middle schools students (or high school students) discuss freely all the ways they may be on the spectrum, including "unsure" which is perfect for middle school students. I've read some criticisms from people about how 12-year-olds (or younger) are way too young to know who they are when it comes to their sexuality/gender identification, but I've known enough young kids to realize that this is definitely not true. One transgender person I know knew from the time that he was a toddler that he was a boy. There was never a question in his mind and thankfully the community was quite supportive from the beginning even those who didn't really understand it. Books like this are invaluable for LGTBQ+ youth and their allies. I would love to see more books like this in the school libraries.