Publication
Imprint: New York : Simon & Schuster BFYR, 2015. Responsibility: Ellen Wittlinger. OCLC Number: 69020860. Physical: Text : 1 volume : 294 pages ; 21 cm. Features: Includes bibliography, resources, suggested reading.
Call number
YA-Fic / Wittl
ISBN
9781481468107
Collections
CSS Library Notes
Description: Grady, a transgendered high school student, yearns for acceptance by his classmates and family as he struggles to adjust to his new identity as a male.
FY2019 /
FY2019 /
Physical description
294 p.; 21 cm
Awards
Lambda Literary Award (Finalist — 2007)
ALA Rainbow Book List (Selection — Young Adult Fiction — 2008)
CCBC Choices (2008)
Description
Grady, a transgendered high school student, yearns for acceptance by his classmates and family as he struggles to adjust to his new identity as a male.
Language
Original language
English
User reviews
LibraryThing member pussreboots
Parrotfish by Ellen Wittlinger is about the transitioning of Angela into Grady — female to male. Problems arise at school — the administration doesn't have a clear cut policy in place and there's of course bullying, problems at home — the mother who desperately doesn't want to lose a daughter
The title comes from a species of fish that changes its sex. Grady believes in his heart of hearts that he should be male even if his body isn't. He needs, though, to prove to others that his feelings are natural and normal.
While the book would be useful for teens either going through the same thing or even just feeling like fish out of water, the pacing and characterization felt forced. Except for Grady and a sympathetic gym teacher — and perhaps the father's over the top approach to Christmas decorating, the characters are presented at the extremes of both genders. Men are MEN and women are WOMEN.
In this sort of dichotomy, there's nothing for Angela (pre-Grady) to do except to change into Grady. There's no wiggle room, and therefore no way to explore the nuances of gender. As some one who isn't especially feminine and who has friends and family who fall somewhere between the two extremes — I had a hard time relating to Grady or anyone else in the book.
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(even a tomboy one) and problems with friends (over reacting or not knowing how to react).The title comes from a species of fish that changes its sex. Grady believes in his heart of hearts that he should be male even if his body isn't. He needs, though, to prove to others that his feelings are natural and normal.
While the book would be useful for teens either going through the same thing or even just feeling like fish out of water, the pacing and characterization felt forced. Except for Grady and a sympathetic gym teacher — and perhaps the father's over the top approach to Christmas decorating, the characters are presented at the extremes of both genders. Men are MEN and women are WOMEN.
In this sort of dichotomy, there's nothing for Angela (pre-Grady) to do except to change into Grady. There's no wiggle room, and therefore no way to explore the nuances of gender. As some one who isn't especially feminine and who has friends and family who fall somewhere between the two extremes — I had a hard time relating to Grady or anyone else in the book.
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LibraryThing member satyridae
Warm and realistic portrayal of Grady, a transgendered teen who starts out as Angela. Characters are finely drawn, and except for one entirely evil girl, pretty realistic and very sympathetic. An interesting window into what it might be like to have gender dysphoria as an adolescent, when there's
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so much else to be dealing with too. The dad in this book is adorable, too. Show Less
LibraryThing member abbylibrarian
Angela Katz-McNair has never felt totally right living as a girl. Inside, she's always known that she was a boy. So Angela cuts her hair, buys some boys' clothes, and decides on the new name Grady. These huge steps are only the beginning. Grady has to deal with telling his teachers, classmates, and
A heartfelt novel of a kid re-learning how to be and showing true courage.
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family that he's now a boy. His best friend can't understand it and he feels like he's disappointed his family. But as time goes on and Grady keeps on living the only way he can, he realizes that there are some people that will accept him just as he is. A heartfelt novel of a kid re-learning how to be and showing true courage.
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LibraryThing member childlibr53
Parrotfish deserves to be a classic. Wittlinger puts other YA literature to shame. The character development is execellent, even for the people we don't want to like. The plot is well balanced. Grady is struggling with average, and not so average teen issues with a humor that reminds one of Lily
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Tomlin. Show Less
LibraryThing member ruststar
An enjoyable story highlighting the challenges of a transgendered teen. I was with the author up until the very end, when the big confrontation scene felt really contrived.
LibraryThing member ampollitz
An easy and fun read. Angela has always felt like a boy inside, and she eventually comes out as transgender, changing her name to Grady and starting her life over as a guy. Grady feels that his life will finally start going in the right direction, but first he has to cope with the difficulties of
It was overall a very positive book that didn't focus on all the negative sides of being a transgender teenager the way many other books would. Grady has friends that support him, develops a crush on the beauty queen of the school and his family eventually comes to accept him for the person he is. Sounds TOO good to be true? It is at some points, where it feels like Grady hasn't really done anything to win over everyone's approval (maybe it's his natural charm?). Otherwise, it's a charming read that I'd recommend to anyone who is interested in transgender issues.
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being the only t-boi at school, his friends' and families' reactions and his own self acceptance. It was overall a very positive book that didn't focus on all the negative sides of being a transgender teenager the way many other books would. Grady has friends that support him, develops a crush on the beauty queen of the school and his family eventually comes to accept him for the person he is. Sounds TOO good to be true? It is at some points, where it feels like Grady hasn't really done anything to win over everyone's approval (maybe it's his natural charm?). Otherwise, it's a charming read that I'd recommend to anyone who is interested in transgender issues.
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LibraryThing member dferb
Well, this was different for me. I've never read anything where the female protagonist choses to live here life honestly as a boy. It's very well written, honest, funny, and sad all at the same time. This is a must-read for parents and teachers of teens who may be questioning their sexuality. Teen
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fans of Rainbow Boys, Geography Club, Boy Meets Boy, Annie on My Mind, etc. will really like this book. Show Less
LibraryThing member Winterrain
It's nice to read a young adult book where friendship actually counts for something- too often, writing for this age group focuses on individualism and drawing one's strength from within, both of which are certainly important, but should not come at the cost of building valuable friendships. I
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liked Grady, but then I expected to- he's the main character, and the author ought to be able to make me sympathize with him on some level. What surprised and pleased me, though, was how much I liked his friends, for it is clear that they matter to the story. Show Less
LibraryThing member anderlawlor
Engaging and sweet YA novel about a young translad. A bit Afterschool Special/wish-fulfillment fantasy, but who doesn't like that sometimes?
LibraryThing member RussianLoveMachine
When Angela decides to change her name to Grady and announce that she has always felt like he was really a boy, Grady's life suddenly becomes so much more complicated. To Grady, being a boy has always felt like a much better fit than being a girl, but being transgender in high school (especially
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after having been homeschooled most of your life) is incredibly daunting. This book is an excellent read for anyone, whether you are familiar with trans people or not. Show Less
LibraryThing member tierneyc
Parrotfish. By Ellen Wittlinger. Simon & Schuster. 2007. 287 pages. $8.99 pbk.978-1442406216. Grades 8-12.
Grady has just come out to his friends and family as transgender – and they are having a tough time adjusting their ideas of the girl they thought he was to the young man he is finally
Grady has just come out to his friends and family as transgender – and they are having a tough time adjusting their ideas of the girl they thought he was to the young man he is finally
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comfortable being. On top of it all, he is making the transition from homeschooling to high school, and he has a crush on a girl who already has a boyfriend. Luckily his vivid imagination and his growing bond with new friend Sebastian (who excitedly likens his gender transition to that of the parrotfish – hence the title) help keep him grounded. Wittlinger’s novel tells the story of a transgender youth from his own perspective, an important development in literature for transgender young adults. But chatty, down-to-earth Grady’s point of view isn’t enough to save this book from the author’s preachiness: though it has a transgender narrator, the story seems written for cisgender readers (i.e. readers whose gender identity is aligned with the sex assigned to them at birth) looking to learn more about transgender issues – which is unfortunate, as it leaves the book feeling inauthentic and awkwardly instructional. LGBTQ teens want to read books that reflect their experiences, and unfortunately literature focusing on issues of gender identity lags behind that focusing on sexual orientation. The backmatter provides appropriate resources and references to further reading material for readers looking to learn more: Parrotfish might make a good read for a young adult wondering about transitioning or a teen who knows someone who is transitioning. Show Less
LibraryThing member librarycatnip
This was a really positive construction of a coming out story for a transgendered boy, we need more representations like this. Snarky and sarcastic at points, it takes place between Thanksgiving and Christmas as Grady works out old friendships and makes new ones and finds allies in unexpected
I'm a Wilma groupie too.
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places. It seemed a little idyllic at points to me - bordering on trite, but maybe not quite hitting the point of cliche. But this is a pretty minor critique about a much needed positive construction of a queer character. 10 years ago this character would have been punished by the narrative and probably wouldn't have survived the book. I'm a Wilma groupie too.
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LibraryThing member Tafadhali
Pretty generic, but I appreciated that it was well-researched and well-intentioned. There can never be enough books about the trans* teen experience, as far as I'm concerned.
LibraryThing member nogomu
An important YA book because it is probably only the second ever to deal with a transgender teen character. The author's book Razzle was better overall I thought. This one had a bit of an easy ending.