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A review by finesilkflower
Ciel by Sophie LaBelle
4.0
This sweet middle grades novel about a nonbinary preteen is gentle and low stakes, but still manages to be realistic and unflinching about the realities of dealing with everyday transphobia. Ciel is fearful when starting middle school because they hate having to explain their nonbinary gender identity, ask teachers to use a different name and pronouns for them (especially when they have no way of knowing which teachers will be understanding and which will be mean and belittling). There's no bathroom for them to use at school. Even in the school's GSA, trans issues are mocked by the cis gay president. Labelle does not give us an easy out by "solving" these ongoing problems, or by Ciel learning not to care. They care deeply. But still you feel that they are going to be okay. Despite the structural issues that are part of their world, they remain hopeful, goal-oriented, and caring. Ciel's support system includes lovable characters, including a loving supportive family and trans friends. As a trans adult who did not deal with these issues in school (I transitioned as an adult), I still found this book very relatable, not the mention the exact sort of book I'd have enjoyed when I was the right age for it - I didn't like traditional, plotty conflict and preferred slice-of-life and/or striving books (i.e. kid tries to do something hard and does it), and this is both.
Stray Observations
* I started to read this in the original French, but I'm not quite fluent enough yet, so I switched to English translation. Maybe I can read it in French now that I know what it says. From a section on raccoons in the first chapter, I did learn the important words "poubelle" (trash can), and "petites pattes" (little paws).
* Ciel's inability to remember names comes across as a bit uncaring, which made them hard to like at first, even though I have the same problem. I eventually came to see this as part of a social phobia that is complexly interrelated with the constant expectation that people will let them down. Too real.
* There's something a little odd about the phrasing; I can't tell if Ciel is intentionally a bit of a weirdo in the way they put things, or if it's the translation. (For example, a shop being described as "morose" to mean that it's kind of goth.)
Stray Observations
* I started to read this in the original French, but I'm not quite fluent enough yet, so I switched to English translation. Maybe I can read it in French now that I know what it says. From a section on raccoons in the first chapter, I did learn the important words "poubelle" (trash can), and "petites pattes" (little paws).
* Ciel's inability to remember names comes across as a bit uncaring, which made them hard to like at first, even though I have the same problem. I eventually came to see this as part of a social phobia that is complexly interrelated with the constant expectation that people will let them down. Too real.
* There's something a little odd about the phrasing; I can't tell if Ciel is intentionally a bit of a weirdo in the way they put things, or if it's the translation. (For example, a shop being described as "morose" to mean that it's kind of goth.)