Name: Beautiful Music for Ugly Children
Rating: 3.6 (10 reviews)
ISBN: 9780738732657

Kirstin Cronn-Mills

Gabe has always identified as a boy, but he was born with a girl’s body. With his new public access radio show gaining popularity, Gabe struggles with romance, friendships, and parents. His entire future is threatened when several violent guys find out that Gabe the DJ is also Elizabeth from school.

Beautiful Music for Ugly Children

The award-winning author of The Sky Always Hears Me and the Hills Don't Mind presents the story of teen DJ Gabe, a transgendered youth who knows himself to be a boy trapped in a girl's body and whose efforts to gain acceptance are threatened by a violent gang of bullies. Original.

Victoria

I like the concept. I like that it talked about music. And I love that it tackled one of the most sensitive issues that we have in our society at the moment - gender. Or more specifically, someone's gender, gender-preference and gender-orientation. I'm sure no homophobe or close-minded individual would be interested in reading this book, but it's nice to know that a book like this exists. It helps people better understand the story of someone who feels like they were trapped in the wrong body.

But as a story itself, it was just okay. Nothing particularly exciting. Plus, the ending was a complete meh. I was expecting more. But the author ended up with a lecture about the LGBT community, which is okay as a whole but bad for the book itself. 

But, the book is pretty much forgettable.

Nadine 

I wanted to like this, but there is something missing. It has all the ingredients and potential but somehow the writing just falls a little flat. 
It's a book whose time has come, particularly with the current discussion around gender and body / mind identity, but yet ... 

Also anyone else notice how parents are creeping into children's / YA fiction. When did that happen? And they're parents with feelings and the "right" to be hurt and upset with how their kids behave ... even as a parent I'm not sure how I feel about that.

Ella Zegarra

Original de: El Blog del Gato - El Extraño Gato del Cuento

Me encantaría decir que amé Beautifull Music for Ugly Children de principio a fin, no fue asi, aunque tiene varios puntos importantes que quizá te animen a elegir este libro para una futura lectura.

Primero, creo que es mi primer libro donde quién narra la historia tiene más que decidido que el género con el que nació no es el adecuado y esta haciendo todo lo posible para que su familia y sus pocos amigos acepten quién es. Esa idea, además del curioso titulo, fue lo que llamó mi curiosidad.

¿Obtuve lo que esperaba? ¿O fue una historia que solo llamaba a la controversia?


  


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Kate

This book had an easy-to-read writing style, but it did feel like the author was overtly trying to Send an Important Message About an Important Issue. As a cis person I can't really speak to the quality of the rep, but it definitely felt like it was just ticking boxes without actually telling an interesting story.
(Oh also Gabe a music snob in that annoying "all pop music is trash" kind of way which is obnoxious)
[review updated March 2018 bc I wasn't happy with it]

Beautiful Music for Ugly Children

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