SuitabookMelissa
Alex Gino
- Reading
- Read together at a pace that leaves room to pause after the audition is refused; invite your child to share reactions without asking them to relate it to their own identity.
- Themes
- Gender identity and recognition: Melissa knows she is a girl, while others see her as a boy; the plot centres on her effort to let others know who she is. The narrative presents Melissa’s understanding of herself as clear and central to her goal.
- School play and exclusion: Melissa wants to audition for Charlotte in the class production of Charlotte’s Web, but her teacher says she cannot try out because the teacher sees her as a boy. The teacher’s refusal creates an obstacle to Melissa’s effort to audition for Charlotte.
- Worth knowing
- The plot includes a teacher refusing Melissa the chance to audition because the teacher sees her as a boy; this school-based rejection may be worth discussing together.