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Both Can Be True
Two kids join forces to save a dog . . . but wind up saving each other.
Ash is no stranger to feeling like an outcast. For someone who cycles through genders, it’s a daily struggle to feel in control of how people perceive you. Some days Ash is undoubtedly girl, but other times, 100 percent guy. Daniel lacks control too—of his emotions. He’s been told he’s overly sensitive more times than he can count. He can’t help the way he is, and he sure wishes someone would accept him for it.
So when Daniel’s big heart leads him to rescue a dog that’s about to be euthanized, he’s relieved to find Ash willing to help. The two bond over their four-legged secret. When they start catching feelings for each other, however, things go from cute to complicated. Daniel thinks Ash is all girl . . . what happens when he finds out there’s more to Ash’s story?
With so much on the line—truth, identity, acceptance, and the life of an adorable pup named Chewbarka—will Ash and Daniel forever feel at war with themselves because they don’t fit into the world’s binaries? Or will their friendship help them embrace the beauty of living in between?
Ash is no stranger to feeling like an outcast. For someone who cycles through genders, it’s a daily struggle to feel in control of how people perceive you. Some days Ash is undoubtedly girl, but other times, 100 percent guy. Daniel lacks control too—of his emotions. He’s been told he’s overly sensitive more times than he can count. He can’t help the way he is, and he sure wishes someone would accept him for it.
So when Daniel’s big heart leads him to rescue a dog that’s about to be euthanized, he’s relieved to find Ash willing to help. The two bond over their four-legged secret. When they start catching feelings for each other, however, things go from cute to complicated. Daniel thinks Ash is all girl . . . what happens when he finds out there’s more to Ash’s story?
With so much on the line—truth, identity, acceptance, and the life of an adorable pup named Chewbarka—will Ash and Daniel forever feel at war with themselves because they don’t fit into the world’s binaries? Or will their friendship help them embrace the beauty of living in between?
368 pages, Hardcover
First published June 8, 2021
113 people are currently reading
7640 people want to read
About the author
Jules Machias
4 books114 followersJules Machias is the author/illustrator of the novels Both Can Be True (an American Library Association Rainbow Booklist Top Ten Title for Young Readers, a Bank Street Children’s Best Book of the Year, and an Indie Next List Pick) and Fight + Flight.
Jules has worked for veterinarians, marketing firms, construction companies, a car parts warehouse, and schools for kids with disabilities; they now own and operate Red Pen Refinery, an editing business. Jules lives in Cincinnati with their family, a bunch of lizards and pythons, a herd of discount-rack dogs, and a garage full of dirt bikes and art supplies. Visit Jules on Instagram for ridiculous dog pictures.
Jules has worked for veterinarians, marketing firms, construction companies, a car parts warehouse, and schools for kids with disabilities; they now own and operate Red Pen Refinery, an editing business. Jules lives in Cincinnati with their family, a bunch of lizards and pythons, a herd of discount-rack dogs, and a garage full of dirt bikes and art supplies. Visit Jules on Instagram for ridiculous dog pictures.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 397 reviews
June 8, 2021
Hi! I wrote this book, and I'm so glad it's finally out in the world. I hope you enjoy reading BOTH CAN BE TRUE as much as I enjoyed writing it!
I wrote this book for kids who are struggling to find their identity in a world that constantly gives them confusing, contradictory, and sometimes cruel messages about who they should be. I wrote it for kids who are told they're too sensitive, for kids who love animals and music and art. I wrote it with the hopes that it might make them feel less alone, and that it might help them understand that identity can shift throughout life and that there is nothing wrong with that.
I also wrote this book for parents, teachers, librarians, educators, therapists—anyone who works with kids or spends time with kids or is raising kids in today's unique, evolving, fascinating, sometimes horrible, sometimes illuminating, often overwhelming media landscape. Kids now have access to more information about gender identity, sexuality, and *literally absolutely everything* than they ever have. While significant barriers to inclusion still exist, kids are more comfortable now sharing their gender identity than in the past, largely because youth culture is much more accepting and welcoming of gender identity variance than it's ever been. It's easier for kids to find welcoming online (and IRL) communities now, and easier for them to talk with one another about gender and identity. But the grown-ups in these kids' lives are often left feeling at a loss when a kid is working their way through figuring it all out.
BOTH CAN BE TRUE gives a window into how it feels to have a gender identity that doesn't align with the sex you were assigned at birth. As a nonbinary author, I tapped into my own struggles with "a gender that never holds still," as Ash puts it in the book. As a parent of a transgender kid, I've had an up-close look at the ways kids today talk about gender and how they connect with others to find solidarity and friendship in the face of adversity and rejection from the world at large.
It is my great hope that this book will help readers, both the young and the young at heart, to understand just a little bit more about the glorious spectrum of human experience. Happy reading!
I wrote this book for kids who are struggling to find their identity in a world that constantly gives them confusing, contradictory, and sometimes cruel messages about who they should be. I wrote it for kids who are told they're too sensitive, for kids who love animals and music and art. I wrote it with the hopes that it might make them feel less alone, and that it might help them understand that identity can shift throughout life and that there is nothing wrong with that.
I also wrote this book for parents, teachers, librarians, educators, therapists—anyone who works with kids or spends time with kids or is raising kids in today's unique, evolving, fascinating, sometimes horrible, sometimes illuminating, often overwhelming media landscape. Kids now have access to more information about gender identity, sexuality, and *literally absolutely everything* than they ever have. While significant barriers to inclusion still exist, kids are more comfortable now sharing their gender identity than in the past, largely because youth culture is much more accepting and welcoming of gender identity variance than it's ever been. It's easier for kids to find welcoming online (and IRL) communities now, and easier for them to talk with one another about gender and identity. But the grown-ups in these kids' lives are often left feeling at a loss when a kid is working their way through figuring it all out.
BOTH CAN BE TRUE gives a window into how it feels to have a gender identity that doesn't align with the sex you were assigned at birth. As a nonbinary author, I tapped into my own struggles with "a gender that never holds still," as Ash puts it in the book. As a parent of a transgender kid, I've had an up-close look at the ways kids today talk about gender and how they connect with others to find solidarity and friendship in the face of adversity and rejection from the world at large.
It is my great hope that this book will help readers, both the young and the young at heart, to understand just a little bit more about the glorious spectrum of human experience. Happy reading!
December 13, 2021
While I overall liked this book, I did have an issue with the weirdly anti-label stance the author seemed to force in whenever possible. To some extent I get it--believe me, I understand what it's like to see a bunch of gender-related labels and feel like none click with you--but to have one of the other trans characters say that labels like nonbinary, agender, etc. are fine "if you like being defined by what you're not" when those labels do far more good than harm. People promoted this as a book about a genderfluid middle school and while Ash's gender experience definitely reads as genderfluid, that's not a label Ash ever takes for themself and is instead one that others try to assign them (the one time Ash says it, they say (paraphased since I can't find the direct line, but with all the words I remember) "'gender fluid' sounds like some weird gunk you'd pull out of a car". Similarly, when Also the possibility that Daniel's emotional outbursts are due to some sort of mental health issue or disability is never addressed, to my recollection, which rings a bit false for me personally since my issues with the same thing at his age/even to this day were pretty firmly tied in with my autism and my then-undiscovered anxiety and depression.
ALL THAT BEING SAID! I really liked both Ash and Daniel, although I preferred Ash. Both of their arcs involve overcoming society's gender roles and stereotypes, and also taking care of an old dog (although I never want to read "doggo" and "bork" in a published book ever again). I just think that the way labels were discussed was not done well and needed to be handled with more nuance.
ALL THAT BEING SAID! I really liked both Ash and Daniel, although I preferred Ash. Both of their arcs involve overcoming society's gender roles and stereotypes, and also taking care of an old dog (although I never want to read "doggo" and "bork" in a published book ever again). I just think that the way labels were discussed was not done well and needed to be handled with more nuance.
January 28, 2022
Rep: genderfluid mc, achillean mc, gay, trans, nonbinary, lesbian side characters, Filipino American & Black side characters
CWs: mentions of transphobic bullying & past violence, misgendering, transphobia, threatened outing, animal euthanasia mentions
mostly this is 5 stars because it properly made me cry & i love daniel and ash so much
however there was the occasional throwaway remark i didn't like, e.g. how the most transphobic person ash knew was a lesbian (& this is the only mention of any lesbians in the book. what message are you sending there?), & how it's the filipino family (i.e. basically the only poc) who's singled out as unaccepting
also i think this review makes a good point abt this book's attitude towards labels (which i admit i didn't pick up while reading), & this review abt the way a trans girl is described as "pre-hrt mtf"
ordinarily that might have made me rate it lower idk i think the emotions got to me
so while the emotions did get to me, on second thoughts the fact i keep coming back to think abt some of these things? i'm changing the rating
CWs: mentions of transphobic bullying & past violence, misgendering, transphobia, threatened outing, animal euthanasia mentions
mostly this is 5 stars because it properly made me cry & i love daniel and ash so much
however there was the occasional throwaway remark i didn't like, e.g. how the most transphobic person ash knew was a lesbian (& this is the only mention of any lesbians in the book. what message are you sending there?), & how it's the filipino family (i.e. basically the only poc) who's singled out as unaccepting
also i think this review makes a good point abt this book's attitude towards labels (which i admit i didn't pick up while reading), & this review abt the way a trans girl is described as "pre-hrt mtf"
so while the emotions did get to me, on second thoughts the fact i keep coming back to think abt some of these things? i'm changing the rating
September 1, 2022
im gonna start off by saying that i dont remember the last time i disliked a book this much.
im genderfluid. i read this book because i saw it recommended as a genderfluid book somewhere online.
cover art is really beautiful but i guess it's like they say, dont judge a book by its cover. reviews were also really positive and the rating was pretty high that's why im so genuinely surprised that this was...bad.
let me explain my feelings and frustrations. maybe slight spoiler?
let's start off by saying how this is promoted as a genderfluid book yet the term is being shat on through out the entire book ?
"Ugh, 'gender fluid' sounds like some goopy crap you gotta dump in a car when it's making a weird noise." whaaattt??? did author really think of this, wrote it down, re-read it (probably multiple times) and STILL added it ?? did it never cross their minds some genderfluid kids might read this and feel, rightfully, upset that their identity's label is being dragged through the dirt?
honestly the anti-label stance being spread made me so uncomfortable. listen, i dont care if you dont want a label, i completly get that. labels are not for everyone and can feel restricting but for some they might mean a lot of comfort and to blantantly ignore that and keep saying stuff like "If you like being defined by something you're not, they're tehnically accurate." was so dissapointing. also mc calling mara, a feminine person who uses he/him, unsual made me so upset because i too use he/him while being very fem presenting. it felt so humiliating.
"Gender nonbinary sounds so restrictive. Like your gender can either be binary or non binary. Which...is a binary." okay maybe author was just projecting onto their character but it's sooo important to understand that although they might feel this way, labels can truly mean a lot to some enby folks and only spreading one mindset through the book can be a tad harmful.
also whats up with adressing a trans girl with "pre-HRT MTF" ?? just say she's trans girl and move on because i know for a fact nobody will come out to you with these words.
this book upset me more than anything. i was soooo overjoyed to read it and feel seen but instead it made me feel guilty and upset for simply being the way i am. at times i felt like i was overreacting but i reached out to my other genderfluid peers and they all shared my thoughts and concerns.
again, being unlabeled is cool, implying labels are shit though, is not cool!
another thing that made me super uncomfortable was the only time a lesbian character being mentioned is in a form of a bully...as if lesbians are not already demonized enough. author could have simply said it was another queer character so why target lesbians specifically? especially when that's the only> time we hear about a lesbian in this book.
okay ! moving on from gender, label and sexuality stuff
ash's and daniel's relationship felt so sudden...not my jam. i really didnt like ash while daniel had a bit of a softer place in my heart so maybe that's why.
i liked how daniel's story shows us boys can be vulnerable too but it immediately gets overshadowed by ash saying "Crying is not Asher thing. It's all Ashley." just imagine how tired i am.
i guess ash's daddy issues had a bit of a play in this but it was only brought up very suddenly in the end, and, in my opinion, not properly resolved—and it still doesnt make stuff they said ok.
ash's entire personality/perspective change was so sudden and handled poorly. i feel like the dog plot could have been shortened so much, because it was definetly dragged on, while ash and daniel's both mental profiles could have used some extra work.
i also didnt like how in the end zoey and bella end up befriending ash even after doing all those things and all that conflict. dear author, not everybody needs to be friends! thank you!
last but not least, i didnt like hearing about dog pee every other page what was all that about?
edit: my friend said "i think some ppl view labels like bird cages, restrictive and limiting in nature, but i would describe them more like perches, resting spots which you can leave and come back to anytime you want." and i think everyone should consider it
im genderfluid. i read this book because i saw it recommended as a genderfluid book somewhere online.
cover art is really beautiful but i guess it's like they say, dont judge a book by its cover. reviews were also really positive and the rating was pretty high that's why im so genuinely surprised that this was...bad.
let me explain my feelings and frustrations. maybe slight spoiler?
let's start off by saying how this is promoted as a genderfluid book yet the term is being shat on through out the entire book ?
"Ugh, 'gender fluid' sounds like some goopy crap you gotta dump in a car when it's making a weird noise." whaaattt??? did author really think of this, wrote it down, re-read it (probably multiple times) and STILL added it ?? did it never cross their minds some genderfluid kids might read this and feel, rightfully, upset that their identity's label is being dragged through the dirt?
honestly the anti-label stance being spread made me so uncomfortable. listen, i dont care if you dont want a label, i completly get that. labels are not for everyone and can feel restricting but for some they might mean a lot of comfort and to blantantly ignore that and keep saying stuff like "If you like being defined by something you're not, they're tehnically accurate." was so dissapointing. also mc calling mara, a feminine person who uses he/him, unsual made me so upset because i too use he/him while being very fem presenting. it felt so humiliating.
"Gender nonbinary sounds so restrictive. Like your gender can either be binary or non binary. Which...is a binary." okay maybe author was just projecting onto their character but it's sooo important to understand that although they might feel this way, labels can truly mean a lot to some enby folks and only spreading one mindset through the book can be a tad harmful.
also whats up with adressing a trans girl with "pre-HRT MTF" ?? just say she's trans girl and move on because i know for a fact nobody will come out to you with these words.
this book upset me more than anything. i was soooo overjoyed to read it and feel seen but instead it made me feel guilty and upset for simply being the way i am. at times i felt like i was overreacting but i reached out to my other genderfluid peers and they all shared my thoughts and concerns.
again, being unlabeled is cool, implying labels are shit though, is not cool!
another thing that made me super uncomfortable was the only time a lesbian character being mentioned is in a form of a bully...as if lesbians are not already demonized enough. author could have simply said it was another queer character so why target lesbians specifically? especially when that's the only> time we hear about a lesbian in this book.
okay ! moving on from gender, label and sexuality stuff
ash's and daniel's relationship felt so sudden...not my jam. i really didnt like ash while daniel had a bit of a softer place in my heart so maybe that's why.
i liked how daniel's story shows us boys can be vulnerable too but it immediately gets overshadowed by ash saying "Crying is not Asher thing. It's all Ashley." just imagine how tired i am.
i guess ash's daddy issues had a bit of a play in this but it was only brought up very suddenly in the end, and, in my opinion, not properly resolved—and it still doesnt make stuff they said ok.
ash's entire personality/perspective change was so sudden and handled poorly. i feel like the dog plot could have been shortened so much, because it was definetly dragged on, while ash and daniel's both mental profiles could have used some extra work.
i also didnt like how in the end zoey and bella end up befriending ash even after doing all those things and all that conflict. dear author, not everybody needs to be friends! thank you!
last but not least, i didnt like hearing about dog pee every other page what was all that about?
edit: my friend said "i think some ppl view labels like bird cages, restrictive and limiting in nature, but i would describe them more like perches, resting spots which you can leave and come back to anytime you want." and i think everyone should consider it
September 17, 2022
"Two kids join forces to save a dog . . . but wind up saving each other."
A sweet story. Not only the characters and the plot were amazing, I learned from it, too. I can only imagine how life changing it could be for the target audience.
I also loved how these kids weren't superheroes and needed adults' help to accomplish their goal.
A sweet story. Not only the characters and the plot were amazing, I learned from it, too. I can only imagine how life changing it could be for the target audience.
I also loved how these kids weren't superheroes and needed adults' help to accomplish their goal.
March 22, 2023
Ehhhhhhh, I wanted to like this one so bad, especially being NB myself. It's partly a wholesome tale of two kids rescuing a dog and coming into their own indentity, but it's also... quite problematic.
One of the main characters, Ash, is nonbinary. Or genderqueer. Or something akin, because they don't ascribe to a label. The problem is that, despite the author's claims of wanting to break gender norms or whatever, this book explicitly reinforces said gender norms, which I think is particularly harmful in a book geared toward younger audiences.
Ash identifies sometimes as a girl and sometimes as a boy, which is totally valid, except for the way the author seperates boy Ash and girl Ash based on emotions, interests, etc. Here are some quotes.
"Boy me wants to jump in and run the show. Girl me is feeling intimidated."
"Guy me wants to jump in and stab his sadness with a lightsaber. Girl me wants to cuddle the heck out of him."
"I never listen to punk when I'm a girl."
"I feel my cheeks turn pink, which is so not a dude color."
"Crying is not an Asher thing. It's all Ashley."
Basically, Ash is a girl when they are shy or delicate or emotional and a boy when they are confident and tough and cool. This is so at odds with the fact that the author goes out of their way to show that it's normal and okay for the other MC, a cis boy, to be emotional and soft and kind. Genuinely confused by the message here, but every time one of Ash's chapters reinforced the idea that boys and girls have inherently different emotions, personality traits, and interests, I got the ick.
One of the main characters, Ash, is nonbinary. Or genderqueer. Or something akin, because they don't ascribe to a label. The problem is that, despite the author's claims of wanting to break gender norms or whatever, this book explicitly reinforces said gender norms, which I think is particularly harmful in a book geared toward younger audiences.
Ash identifies sometimes as a girl and sometimes as a boy, which is totally valid, except for the way the author seperates boy Ash and girl Ash based on emotions, interests, etc. Here are some quotes.
"Boy me wants to jump in and run the show. Girl me is feeling intimidated."
"Guy me wants to jump in and stab his sadness with a lightsaber. Girl me wants to cuddle the heck out of him."
"I never listen to punk when I'm a girl."
"I feel my cheeks turn pink, which is so not a dude color."
"Crying is not an Asher thing. It's all Ashley."
Basically, Ash is a girl when they are shy or delicate or emotional and a boy when they are confident and tough and cool. This is so at odds with the fact that the author goes out of their way to show that it's normal and okay for the other MC, a cis boy, to be emotional and soft and kind. Genuinely confused by the message here, but every time one of Ash's chapters reinforced the idea that boys and girls have inherently different emotions, personality traits, and interests, I got the ick.
December 2, 2021
Thank you to Harper Collins & HarperKids for sending me a finished copy in exchange for an honest review and promotion. All opinions are my own.
Can I have more trans/nonbinary middle grade books!?
Both Can be True follows to middle schoolers: Ash, who cycles through genders and Daniel, a boy who intensely feels feelings and is constantly told to not be so sensitive. Daniel volunteers at a vet hospital in his spare time and when he gets entangled in a situation involving a dog that was going to be euthanized, he needs as much help as he can get. Ash eagerly agrees to help and the two begin to bond over their love of dogs.
I really enjoyed this one, but damn is it a heavy book. There is so much sexism, misogyny and transphobia in this book and it was hard to deal with at times. I wanted to yell and tell these kids there's no one way to be a woman, man or nonbinary! Especially Daniel, I hated how much other people told him he was too sensitive or he had to like "boy" things. Ugh let the kid do what he wants!
Overall, I really loved these two kids and their friendship. I enjoyed the storyline with Chewbarka and I'm glad it worked out for the doggo!
Rep: questioning genderfluid MC, queer questioning male MC, trans girl side character, nonbinary side character, several queer side characters, Filipino American & Black side characters
CWs: Abandonment, bullying recounted, deadnaming/misgendering, emotional abuse, gaslighting, outing threatened, past outing without consent, transphobia/transmisia.
Can I have more trans/nonbinary middle grade books!?
Both Can be True follows to middle schoolers: Ash, who cycles through genders and Daniel, a boy who intensely feels feelings and is constantly told to not be so sensitive. Daniel volunteers at a vet hospital in his spare time and when he gets entangled in a situation involving a dog that was going to be euthanized, he needs as much help as he can get. Ash eagerly agrees to help and the two begin to bond over their love of dogs.
I really enjoyed this one, but damn is it a heavy book. There is so much sexism, misogyny and transphobia in this book and it was hard to deal with at times. I wanted to yell and tell these kids there's no one way to be a woman, man or nonbinary! Especially Daniel, I hated how much other people told him he was too sensitive or he had to like "boy" things. Ugh let the kid do what he wants!
Overall, I really loved these two kids and their friendship. I enjoyed the storyline with Chewbarka and I'm glad it worked out for the doggo!
Rep: questioning genderfluid MC, queer questioning male MC, trans girl side character, nonbinary side character, several queer side characters, Filipino American & Black side characters
CWs: Abandonment, bullying recounted, deadnaming/misgendering, emotional abuse, gaslighting, outing threatened, past outing without consent, transphobia/transmisia.
June 16, 2022
idk this was just so freaking wholesome??? it’s about teenagers figuring out their identities and their gender and how much gender norms affect how a person acts and how you can destroy that barrier and just be yourself wholeheartedly. the characters were soooo lovable i really wanted to protect them with my life and the parent figures were great, it showed how different parenting styles affects children, and shapes who they are. IT ALSO HAD SO MANY DOGS, and people who love dogs and want them safe 😭 i had such a good time reading this
August 10, 2021
This book was wonderful! The story was very engaging, and despite the fact that i literally have the attention span of a rock, I was so interested that I finished it in one sitting. The characters were lovable and I instantly felt connected with all of them, which is a super important factor for me. I was so stressed for Chewbarka. There were TEARS IN MY EYES at one point and I don’t usually cry easily.
Both Can Be True is an amazing and insightful read that would be excellent for both its target audience of younger readers and also for adults. I feel that it could be enjoyed by anyone with a heart, but definitely kids who love animals. :)
I wholeheartedly recommend this book!
Both Can Be True is an amazing and insightful read that would be excellent for both its target audience of younger readers and also for adults. I feel that it could be enjoyed by anyone with a heart, but definitely kids who love animals. :)
I wholeheartedly recommend this book!
December 14, 2021
I really just didn’t click with this book.
The book is very repetitive. The characters have the same thoughts, over and over.
The characters have one or two personality traits. They are flat, and they do not deviate beyond their designated traits.
Spoilers:
The characters are 13-years old. They don’t act like it.
Take these examples:
Yes.. you know those 13-year olds. Always discussing sexism.
Why is a 13-year old concerned about their dad “mansplaining”? And how does one “mansplain a plot twist” that has nothing to do with gender at all?
How could he know this about his brother? Is this really the first thought of a 13-year old who is getting antagonized by his brother? There has been no indication of the brother character feeling this way in the story. We’ve barely even been introduced to this brother character. It comes off very strongly as the author shoving in exposition without knowing how to write it into the story properly.
I don’t like Daniel. His arc is supposed to be that he realizes that he’s selfish and always focusses on himself because he’s super emotional, and so he works on improving this so that he has emotions but doesn’t obsessively focus on his feelings and no one else’s. How his arc
actually goes is that he has a million emotional breakdowns, always focuses on his feelings first without consideration of how other people are feeling or thinking, and at the end, he tells his mom that she needs to be more understanding of his feelings.
Yeah. Totally not self-focused at all there.
I don’t like Ash too much, either. Ash joins an all-girls band, and then calls the members bigots with no talent because when they find out that Ash is a boy sometimes, they kick Ash from the group, because it’s an all-girls band.
Ash strongly dislikes their dad because he says to act more masculine or feminine depending on what gender Ash is that day. Ash acts like this is terrible, but Ash does it on their own. Ash actively labels activities like makeup or using the word “dude” as male or female, on their own. Ash never struggles with being a girl or guy and then having their clothing or activities not match the stereotypical idea of what those genders are. When Ash feels like a guy, Ash’s behavior matches that “of a guy.” Ash claims that the reason for this is because their dad told them that this is how it is, but it’s never shown in the book. How it’s shown in the book is that when Ash feels stereotypically masculine, Ash is a boy. When Ash feels stereotypically feminine, Ash is a girl. Ash is confident in this, but somehow at the end it’s the dad’s fault?
Ash is also anti-label. Labels aren’t just things “bigots use to make life easier.” They’re things people find identity in and can bring happiness and relief. Labels also help us communicate about ourselves and help everyone understand each other.
For some reason the author decided that Ash would have Synesthesia. This gives us many ostentatious metaphors.
It doesn’t add anything, and I don’t know why the author bothered.
The book tends to come off hostile to any men who are not gay or trans. All fathers in the story are seen as antagonistic.
Ash even says,
For a book claiming that things in life aren’t black and white, it sure does take a lot of black and white stances on things.
I’m also not that into dogs. They’re nice, but the characters in this are REALLY into dogs.
Ash and Daniel judge harshly the people who would want to euthanize a pet, and the doctor that performs them. But euthanization can be humane? You don’t want an animal to suffer just because you want it alive. That’s incredibly selfish.
Overall, it’s bloated and muddled. The messaging is contradictory and confused. It’s way too long. The characters needed five more drafts. And the only way you’d actually enjoy the story is if you agreed with all the author’s stances and were REALLY into dogs.
The book is very repetitive. The characters have the same thoughts, over and over.
The characters have one or two personality traits. They are flat, and they do not deviate beyond their designated traits.
Spoilers:
The characters are 13-years old. They don’t act like it.
Take these examples:
“…even though he joked around her once that she’d friendzoned him and she gave him an earful about why that’s a sexist concept that needs to die.”
Yes.. you know those 13-year olds. Always discussing sexism.
“While we wait for the receipt, Dad spends a few minutes mansplaining the plot twist in that old Bruce Willis movie about dead people like it’s even remotely relevant to my life."
Why is a 13-year old concerned about their dad “mansplaining”? And how does one “mansplain a plot twist” that has nothing to do with gender at all?
“He still acts like he’s mad at me for kissing her.
When really, he’s mad that Dad and I did photography together and liked the same bands and Dad didn’t shout huzzahs at Mitchell’s sportsball games enough (which, hello, is because Dad’s an artist guy, not a sportsball guy).”
How could he know this about his brother? Is this really the first thought of a 13-year old who is getting antagonized by his brother? There has been no indication of the brother character feeling this way in the story. We’ve barely even been introduced to this brother character. It comes off very strongly as the author shoving in exposition without knowing how to write it into the story properly.
I don’t like Daniel. His arc is supposed to be that he realizes that he’s selfish and always focusses on himself because he’s super emotional, and so he works on improving this so that he has emotions but doesn’t obsessively focus on his feelings and no one else’s. How his arc
actually goes is that he has a million emotional breakdowns, always focuses on his feelings first without consideration of how other people are feeling or thinking, and at the end, he tells his mom that she needs to be more understanding of his feelings.
Yeah. Totally not self-focused at all there.
I don’t like Ash too much, either. Ash joins an all-girls band, and then calls the members bigots with no talent because when they find out that Ash is a boy sometimes, they kick Ash from the group, because it’s an all-girls band.
Ash strongly dislikes their dad because he says to act more masculine or feminine depending on what gender Ash is that day. Ash acts like this is terrible, but Ash does it on their own. Ash actively labels activities like makeup or using the word “dude” as male or female, on their own. Ash never struggles with being a girl or guy and then having their clothing or activities not match the stereotypical idea of what those genders are. When Ash feels like a guy, Ash’s behavior matches that “of a guy.” Ash claims that the reason for this is because their dad told them that this is how it is, but it’s never shown in the book. How it’s shown in the book is that when Ash feels stereotypically masculine, Ash is a boy. When Ash feels stereotypically feminine, Ash is a girl. Ash is confident in this, but somehow at the end it’s the dad’s fault?
Ash is also anti-label. Labels aren’t just things “bigots use to make life easier.” They’re things people find identity in and can bring happiness and relief. Labels also help us communicate about ourselves and help everyone understand each other.
For some reason the author decided that Ash would have Synesthesia. This gives us many ostentatious metaphors.
It doesn’t add anything, and I don’t know why the author bothered.
The book tends to come off hostile to any men who are not gay or trans. All fathers in the story are seen as antagonistic.
Ash even says,
“I don’t want to be a dude like that, I want to be a dude like me, a new breed of dude who doesn’t suck.”
For a book claiming that things in life aren’t black and white, it sure does take a lot of black and white stances on things.
I’m also not that into dogs. They’re nice, but the characters in this are REALLY into dogs.
Ash and Daniel judge harshly the people who would want to euthanize a pet, and the doctor that performs them. But euthanization can be humane? You don’t want an animal to suffer just because you want it alive. That’s incredibly selfish.
Overall, it’s bloated and muddled. The messaging is contradictory and confused. It’s way too long. The characters needed five more drafts. And the only way you’d actually enjoy the story is if you agreed with all the author’s stances and were REALLY into dogs.
January 13, 2021
I was provided a free advanced copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. See the end for teacher-specific feedback.
This is an important book, for so many reasons. As a cisgendered person who strives to be an LGBTQ+ ally, especially for my young students, I found this book an eye-opening walk in the shoes of someone struggling with gender fluidity and dysphoria. I thought that the author paid a ton of delicate care to these experiences, and getting the insight into Ash’s head really allowed the reader to feel the weight of Ash’s struggles and ultimately confidence as they worked their way through.
I thought that Ash’s dad was also an important and well-written character. Sometimes in books with LGBTQ+ kids and teens, the parent characters can feel like extremes- fully supportive, or wholly unsupportive and bigoted. In Ash’s dad, we see a nuanced take on a parent who really does want to do right by his kid, but just isn’t quite able to broaden his worldview enough to get there. He believes his opinion on how Ash should handle their gender identity is the right one to best protect Ash from the harshness of the world, but he also symbolizes all the adults in the world who don’t understand why genderfluid or non-binary folx can’t just ‘pick a lane and stay in it,’ so to speak. Ash’s mom helps Ash to process all of this, and both mom and Ash’s friends make it abundantly clear that Ash has no need to be anything other than who they are.
As if Ash’s character weren’t an awesome enough reason to read this book, we have Daniel, a boy struggling to be accepted by his family and friends because of his extreme emotional sensitivity. Like, whoa. Not only do we get a crash course in gender fluidity, we get to dive into toxic masculinity and what happens when boys fall outside the box of what our society thinks they should be. Daniel’s experiences provide so much basis for discussion with pre-teens about gender norms in our society and how those norms can be harmful to... well, everyone.
And, of course, the whole plot of this book centers around a weeks-long quest to save an elderly pup from euthanasia, because ultimately, as the reader learns, caring deeply about things is not a weakness, but a strength.
And this still doesn’t cover all the things I loved about this book. Ash’s mom was a great example of a caring and supportive adult, and Daniel’s parents were examples of what most parents are like- human beings who were never provided an instruction manual for their kids and are just trying to do the best they can. Parents who aren’t perfect, but are willing to listen to their kids, learn, and grow.
And now the teachery bit: This book needs to be in every middle school classroom library in America. Please, if you teach 6th and 7th graders, consider using this book for book clubs or even (if your community is open enough) a whole-class novel. There is nothing by way of inappropriate content or language (though most characters use the word “cuss” as a stand-in for bad words, but it’s kind of endearing in my opinion). Characters do kiss, but it doesn’t even approach making out. There are so many phenomenal discussions to be had here about empathy, understanding, identity, bullying, friendship, and gender norms in our society. Even outside of all that, the characterization is really great and the plot is interesting enough to keep readers turning the page. Dog-loving students, especially, might appreciate the quest to save Chewbarka. This would be a great book to practice theme, as students would be able to pull a variety of different themes out of this text to analyze. Characterization is also abundant here, not only in the main characters but the side characters as well. 10/10 do recommend.
This is an important book, for so many reasons. As a cisgendered person who strives to be an LGBTQ+ ally, especially for my young students, I found this book an eye-opening walk in the shoes of someone struggling with gender fluidity and dysphoria. I thought that the author paid a ton of delicate care to these experiences, and getting the insight into Ash’s head really allowed the reader to feel the weight of Ash’s struggles and ultimately confidence as they worked their way through.
I thought that Ash’s dad was also an important and well-written character. Sometimes in books with LGBTQ+ kids and teens, the parent characters can feel like extremes- fully supportive, or wholly unsupportive and bigoted. In Ash’s dad, we see a nuanced take on a parent who really does want to do right by his kid, but just isn’t quite able to broaden his worldview enough to get there. He believes his opinion on how Ash should handle their gender identity is the right one to best protect Ash from the harshness of the world, but he also symbolizes all the adults in the world who don’t understand why genderfluid or non-binary folx can’t just ‘pick a lane and stay in it,’ so to speak. Ash’s mom helps Ash to process all of this, and both mom and Ash’s friends make it abundantly clear that Ash has no need to be anything other than who they are.
As if Ash’s character weren’t an awesome enough reason to read this book, we have Daniel, a boy struggling to be accepted by his family and friends because of his extreme emotional sensitivity. Like, whoa. Not only do we get a crash course in gender fluidity, we get to dive into toxic masculinity and what happens when boys fall outside the box of what our society thinks they should be. Daniel’s experiences provide so much basis for discussion with pre-teens about gender norms in our society and how those norms can be harmful to... well, everyone.
And, of course, the whole plot of this book centers around a weeks-long quest to save an elderly pup from euthanasia, because ultimately, as the reader learns, caring deeply about things is not a weakness, but a strength.
And this still doesn’t cover all the things I loved about this book. Ash’s mom was a great example of a caring and supportive adult, and Daniel’s parents were examples of what most parents are like- human beings who were never provided an instruction manual for their kids and are just trying to do the best they can. Parents who aren’t perfect, but are willing to listen to their kids, learn, and grow.
And now the teachery bit: This book needs to be in every middle school classroom library in America. Please, if you teach 6th and 7th graders, consider using this book for book clubs or even (if your community is open enough) a whole-class novel. There is nothing by way of inappropriate content or language (though most characters use the word “cuss” as a stand-in for bad words, but it’s kind of endearing in my opinion). Characters do kiss, but it doesn’t even approach making out. There are so many phenomenal discussions to be had here about empathy, understanding, identity, bullying, friendship, and gender norms in our society. Even outside of all that, the characterization is really great and the plot is interesting enough to keep readers turning the page. Dog-loving students, especially, might appreciate the quest to save Chewbarka. This would be a great book to practice theme, as students would be able to pull a variety of different themes out of this text to analyze. Characterization is also abundant here, not only in the main characters but the side characters as well. 10/10 do recommend.
January 26, 2025
Realllly loved this take on the conversation of gender fluidity. The story of Ash and Daniel as individuals and as friends was authentic and genuine. I loved Daniel’s assertion that emotions are normal. I loved Ash’s assertion of being seen as just Ash and not defined by a gender.
Really well done book for middle grade readers. I think this will encourage a lot of healthy and honest conversations amongst kids and their parents.
Really well done book for middle grade readers. I think this will encourage a lot of healthy and honest conversations amongst kids and their parents.
February 14, 2022
4 stars
This book was very good, but I did have some issues with it.
All the characters seemed immature in the beginning. The impeccable character growth made up for it near the end, but it was really annoying in the beginning. I expected immaturity from the seventh graders, mainly because the seventh graders at my school are really annoying, but I was sort of disappointed by the eight graders. I should probably have expected that though.
What made up for that is the character growth. It felt really good, and not forced at all.
I don't feel like writing the rest of this so yeah :) I would recommend.
This book was very good, but I did have some issues with it.
All the characters seemed immature in the beginning. The impeccable character growth made up for it near the end, but it was really annoying in the beginning. I expected immaturity from the seventh graders, mainly because the seventh graders at my school are really annoying, but I was sort of disappointed by the eight graders. I should probably have expected that though.
What made up for that is the character growth. It felt really good, and not forced at all.
I don't feel like writing the rest of this so yeah :) I would recommend.
June 27, 2023
In ‘Both Can Be True’ we follow the dual-POVs of Ash who is struggling to come to terms with their gender identity, and Daniel who’s more emotional then his fellow middle-schoolers. I guess the central plot is how Daniel is put in the predicament of caring for an adorable old Pomeranian Chewbarka and how he can’t tell anyone of her whereabouts without dire consequences, and to his aid comes Ash who’s roped in on saving the aforementioned ’doofy floof’ too. But outside of this storyline, Machias lets these characters try to deal with their ‘flaws’ in a world where there’s a gender binary of girl or boy and one that shames male-presenting people for showing emotion. I loved how this book can act as a way to tell those struggling with similar questions (and the family, friends, educators, etc of them) and to see themselves represented. To further this, I found the representation across queer and racial lines to be great with a very diverse and inclusive cast of characters. They’re all pretty much likeable too, albeit with nuance, with Ash and Daniel being great MCs to follow along with, both so kind and real. I did really like this and I was for sure being pulled forward by the character interactions (the plot too but less so) and just very happy the messages or discussions are taking place in a book aimed at a middle grade audience - there’s topics like bullying and trans(umbrella)phobia which I think was again handed with nuance in an age-appropriate manner.
I did find the discourse on the use of labels to maybe lack the nuance it deserves. There are a couple of times where labelling someone or thinking about it is negated as unnecessary, mostly by Ash. I totally understand for them it was something they battled with, finding certain labels to be confining and not allowing for their true identity to express freely. And likewise, for many labels can cause harm. BUT (a big one, yes) labels can be really helpful and important for some people too - Ash’s longtime best friend Griffey does feel comfort and pride in being gay and I felt he added some nuance, but overall I got the sense there was more of an anti-label stance being put forward by Ash… and Machias too. Another problem I thought could’ve been questioned a bit more was maybe the reasoning for Daniel’s ‘over-emotional’ tendencies - I’m not saying it’s not ‘normal’ (whatever that means) to show emotions but from personal experience I feel there’s possibly something else going on with his mental health, such as the breakdown of his parent’s marriage for starters but others too. It’s definitely possible he is ‘fine’ but just so happens to be more in tune with his emotions and letting them be expressed but it’s a question not asked where it could’ve been useful to do so. Last negative point was that I felt some parts dragged and were rehashing the same thoughts/messages over and over which could’ve been omitted.
Overall, I would still really recommend this book and it was an enjoyable read. The fact anything like this explicitly exploring gender identity, gendered stereotypes and more aimed at children is being published is really great. I hope people can find this and see themselves represented so thank you Jules for writing this. I mean read this quote that perfectly summarises the cusp this book is trying to tell readers:
‘Really, nothing about how it feels to be alive is strictly a one-or-the-other game: happy or sad, scared or mad, hopeful or despairing. Introvert or extrovert. Boy or girl. Kid or teenager. There's a little of each one in its opposite, and that's what makes life so complex and interesting. More painful, yeah, but also... richer. More real.’
P.S. Chewbarka is just the cutest ever like wow! ADORABLE!!
I did find the discourse on the use of labels to maybe lack the nuance it deserves. There are a couple of times where labelling someone or thinking about it is negated as unnecessary, mostly by Ash. I totally understand for them it was something they battled with, finding certain labels to be confining and not allowing for their true identity to express freely. And likewise, for many labels can cause harm. BUT (a big one, yes) labels can be really helpful and important for some people too - Ash’s longtime best friend Griffey does feel comfort and pride in being gay and I felt he added some nuance, but overall I got the sense there was more of an anti-label stance being put forward by Ash… and Machias too. Another problem I thought could’ve been questioned a bit more was maybe the reasoning for Daniel’s ‘over-emotional’ tendencies - I’m not saying it’s not ‘normal’ (whatever that means) to show emotions but from personal experience I feel there’s possibly something else going on with his mental health, such as the breakdown of his parent’s marriage for starters but others too. It’s definitely possible he is ‘fine’ but just so happens to be more in tune with his emotions and letting them be expressed but it’s a question not asked where it could’ve been useful to do so. Last negative point was that I felt some parts dragged and were rehashing the same thoughts/messages over and over which could’ve been omitted.
Overall, I would still really recommend this book and it was an enjoyable read. The fact anything like this explicitly exploring gender identity, gendered stereotypes and more aimed at children is being published is really great. I hope people can find this and see themselves represented so thank you Jules for writing this. I mean read this quote that perfectly summarises the cusp this book is trying to tell readers:
‘Really, nothing about how it feels to be alive is strictly a one-or-the-other game: happy or sad, scared or mad, hopeful or despairing. Introvert or extrovert. Boy or girl. Kid or teenager. There's a little of each one in its opposite, and that's what makes life so complex and interesting. More painful, yeah, but also... richer. More real.’
P.S. Chewbarka is just the cutest ever like wow! ADORABLE!!
June 20, 2021
3,5/5 rounding up for the rep and the dogs <3
I was really excited to read this and I’m happy I picked it up. I felt like it was really true to the blurb: a story about artistic kids who feel things strongly and try to define who they are while breaking free from what is expected of them and building an identity that feels true.
It was cute, heartfelt and hopeful. I loved Ash so much and was so happy to read about their journey and see them slowly figure things out and become more confident. I loved Daniel and his emotions, how brave and determined he was. And I loved Chewbarka, who was a real character in this story, had a personality and little quirks that were hers and made her so lovable! The love the author has for animals really shows through their writing.
I definitely loved the exploration of gender and Ash’s journey. Loved to read about them struggling with labels and how to identify and describe their identity. I thought this was full of questions I ask myself very often and still haven’t found a real answer to. Like, trying to define exactly what “gender” is. Why it is sometimes comforting to put words on things and emotions because if there is a word, it means that this thing is true, that it exists. It feels validating. But there is also comfort is being free of words, and just being without naming everything you feel. Ash’s journey is also about connecting how you feel inside with how the outside world sees you, or how you want the world to see you, trying to exist individually within society and its codes. Navigating a world where everything is so gendered and playing with those things. Expressing your true self.
I absolutely loved the drawings, the fact that this was about artistic kids and that it included art! But also really the synesthesia rep and how music, drawing and photography interacted and added nice aspects to the story.
There were things I didn’t love as much. Miscommunication created the majority of the issues faced by Daniel and Ash with the dog, including secrets that didn’t make sense. The plot also relied on an adult making a weird decision (at the very beginning of the book), basically doing something in secret that could’ve totally worked out better by initiating a conversation, which I thought was a bit weak and made the entire plot not as strong as I had hoped it’d be. I loved the story about Chewbarka, but didn’t think it was handled as well as Ash’s personal arc. For example, there were threats that were used at some point to push a character in a certain direction, but were ultimately forgotten about. In the end, there were very little consequences, many of them felt very convenient.
This is a solid middle grade novel written with that audience in mind and I loved that, I love that this type of literature exists for younger readers! I just think this novel would’ve benefitted from having stronger bases for its main plot, because it is cute and enjoyable and I had a lot of fun reading it!!
content warnings: transphobia, dead naming, threat of outing, emotional abuse, talk of animal death, bullying
I was really excited to read this and I’m happy I picked it up. I felt like it was really true to the blurb: a story about artistic kids who feel things strongly and try to define who they are while breaking free from what is expected of them and building an identity that feels true.
It was cute, heartfelt and hopeful. I loved Ash so much and was so happy to read about their journey and see them slowly figure things out and become more confident. I loved Daniel and his emotions, how brave and determined he was. And I loved Chewbarka, who was a real character in this story, had a personality and little quirks that were hers and made her so lovable! The love the author has for animals really shows through their writing.
I definitely loved the exploration of gender and Ash’s journey. Loved to read about them struggling with labels and how to identify and describe their identity. I thought this was full of questions I ask myself very often and still haven’t found a real answer to. Like, trying to define exactly what “gender” is. Why it is sometimes comforting to put words on things and emotions because if there is a word, it means that this thing is true, that it exists. It feels validating. But there is also comfort is being free of words, and just being without naming everything you feel. Ash’s journey is also about connecting how you feel inside with how the outside world sees you, or how you want the world to see you, trying to exist individually within society and its codes. Navigating a world where everything is so gendered and playing with those things. Expressing your true self.
I absolutely loved the drawings, the fact that this was about artistic kids and that it included art! But also really the synesthesia rep and how music, drawing and photography interacted and added nice aspects to the story.
There were things I didn’t love as much. Miscommunication created the majority of the issues faced by Daniel and Ash with the dog, including secrets that didn’t make sense. The plot also relied on an adult making a weird decision (at the very beginning of the book), basically doing something in secret that could’ve totally worked out better by initiating a conversation, which I thought was a bit weak and made the entire plot not as strong as I had hoped it’d be. I loved the story about Chewbarka, but didn’t think it was handled as well as Ash’s personal arc. For example, there were threats that were used at some point to push a character in a certain direction, but were ultimately forgotten about. In the end, there were very little consequences, many of them felt very convenient.
This is a solid middle grade novel written with that audience in mind and I loved that, I love that this type of literature exists for younger readers! I just think this novel would’ve benefitted from having stronger bases for its main plot, because it is cute and enjoyable and I had a lot of fun reading it!!
content warnings: transphobia, dead naming, threat of outing, emotional abuse, talk of animal death, bullying
June 12, 2021
Say hello to one of my favourite books of the year (and ever).
This book is EVERYTHING I hoped for years I could find in a queer book.
It's informative, touching, well structured, with layers to the characters and the whole plot that gets you gripped from page one.
It showed the good and the bad parts of being a queer kid nowadays with such emotion that left me speechless.
I truly adored the fact that this story was not only about suffering, discovering and coming to terms with who you are as so many other books are about, but also (and finally) about JOY.
The joy of finding a group of people that understands and accepts who you are, the joy of first love, the joy of animals and family.
This book was absolutely PHENOMENAL and truly needs more hype and love all over the world ♥️
This book is EVERYTHING I hoped for years I could find in a queer book.
It's informative, touching, well structured, with layers to the characters and the whole plot that gets you gripped from page one.
It showed the good and the bad parts of being a queer kid nowadays with such emotion that left me speechless.
I truly adored the fact that this story was not only about suffering, discovering and coming to terms with who you are as so many other books are about, but also (and finally) about JOY.
The joy of finding a group of people that understands and accepts who you are, the joy of first love, the joy of animals and family.
This book was absolutely PHENOMENAL and truly needs more hype and love all over the world ♥️
June 17, 2021
3.5 stars?
this was a bit different than i was expecting but the art was so pretty and I adored Ash and their gender feels, also the deconstruction of some tropes i saw at the end which unexpected and nice since contemporary rarely surprises me!
i love that it's messy, ideas about gender that initially Ash has esp after their father being transmisic are very cisnormative and it's so wonderful to follow their journey as they figure themselves out.
There's labelling of a trans girl as "pre-hrt mtf" which feels reductive and i didn't like that especially because that's not how she self describes?
this review is a mess so i'll update with cw's later
this was a bit different than i was expecting but the art was so pretty and I adored Ash and their gender feels, also the deconstruction of some tropes i saw at the end which unexpected and nice since contemporary rarely surprises me!
i love that it's messy, ideas about gender that initially Ash has esp after their father being transmisic are very cisnormative and it's so wonderful to follow their journey as they figure themselves out.
There's labelling of a trans girl as "pre-hrt mtf" which feels reductive and i didn't like that especially because that's not how she self describes?
this review is a mess so i'll update with cw's later
July 7, 2021
TW: Nichtbinär-/Transfeindlichkeit, Hatecrime, Deadnaming, Misgendern
4.5
So langsam mausert sich queeres Middle Grade zu meinem Lieblingsgenre. Die Geschichte von Ash und Daniel war so herzerwärmend und wichtig! Sie zeigt, dass man sich nicht für ein Geschlecht entscheiden muss, um man selbst sein zu können.
Und es gibt Hunde!
4.5
So langsam mausert sich queeres Middle Grade zu meinem Lieblingsgenre. Die Geschichte von Ash und Daniel war so herzerwärmend und wichtig! Sie zeigt, dass man sich nicht für ein Geschlecht entscheiden muss, um man selbst sein zu können.
Und es gibt Hunde!
June 27, 2021
This is the first middle grade book (I think) I've read that tackles gender fluidity and while I don't read mass amounts of MG, I feel like that's definitely something rarely brought up in the category so that this exists at all is really, really cool. I liked both Ash and Daniel as characters and think they're both easy to root for while flawed enough to feel real, and a lot of the scenes (particularly scenes involving the dog) were very cute. My only real issue was that the pacing felt like it lagged a few times, but that could come down to MG not being my category more than an actual pacing issue.
Want to read
June 18, 2021RIS REC
a recommendation made by my very own friend Ris that I immediately added to my tbr because her recs haven't disappointed me thus far
a recommendation made by my very own friend Ris that I immediately added to my tbr because her recs haven't disappointed me thus far
September 20, 2021
Ash is struggling with how to present their gender(s) to people at their new school. Daniel just found himself the secret protector of an incontinent Pomeranian. Ash and Daniel have an instant connection, and end up attempting to help the dog together, while navigating their new relationship. Machias is the parent of a nonbinary teen, and has worked in a veterinarian’s office, bringing lived experience to the story. In the chapters where Ash narrates, they include illustrations that depict how their synesthesia causes them to see sound. Both teens struggle with the fact that their parents are not together and family relationships play a big role here. Ash’s perception of their gender(s) changes over the course of the book in a realistic way. While there are some nonwhite side characters, the main characters are default white. This is a beautiful, complicated book that takes on underrepresented topics. Highly recommended for middle schools and public libraries - but due to the lack of fiction about genderfluidity, high schools should probably get it too. /review for another pub
More:
There's so much going on in this book! I almost didn't choose to read it, because you know there's going to be sad dog stuff, and I can't take sad dog stuff in my stories. But There Are Not Enough Middle School Books About Genderfludity, so I had to do it.
Dog stuff: honestly, the worst dog-related part for me was a brief dog fight . The main dog in question . That said, my dogs of choice are more of the medium to large variety, so a story centering a Pomeranian is never going to hit me quite as hard as other dog stories would.
Gender Stuff: Ash goes through a process of self-discovery in this book. While I'm not genderfluid or enby, I have close relationships with people who are. And at the beginning of this book, Ash was really stuck on the binary. By the time the book ends, they haven't fully embraced the "genderfluid" terminology, but it's the term that seems the closest to who they are. So if you get thrown by the depiction at the beginning, know that it IS going to change and evolve.
SYNESTHESIA STUFF: There's so much stuff packed in this book, it's easy to fixate on the gender and dog stuff and completely forget to mention that ASH HAS SYNESTHESIA! A kind I hadn't heard of before too! I've met synesthetes before, but didn't realize there are different types. Ash sees sounds. And their drawings are integrated into the text. It's really cool representation that will be very easy to overlook.
DANIEL'S EMOTIONAL STUFF: Daniel struggles throughout the book with being judged for his emotions. He's a crier, and gets really sad. And maybe that has something to do with puberty, or the fact that his parents recently decided to live in different places, but it's something he's already dealing with before he gets into the dog situation and meets Ash. HE HAS A TWIN BROTHER, and he struggles with being compared to his brother. HE'S A PHOTOGRAPHER, and a very different type of kid than his twin.
Speaking of FAMILY STUFF: Like I mentioned, Daniel's parents recently decided to live in different places. They're not admitting a divorce is coming, but Daniel thinks he can tell that it's true. Ash's parents are actually divorced. Ash's mom is a type of parent that we don't always see in books. She's a mechanic, and has tattoos and piercings and excitingly colored hair. Felt more like my peers than lots of parents in books.
THE RAINBOW ALLIANCE: Oh yeah, I almost forgot to mention that Ash goes to the school queer club! Their best friend is gay and goes to the school (which is a big reason they transfer to this specific school), and in the first chapter, he takes them to the Rainbow Alliance, where they meet a lot of queer kids and learns about identities they haven't interacted with before. Some nice diversity in those scenes.
MUSIC STUFF: Ash is a musician - a pianist, primarily, and starts working with an already-formed band. The fact that the band identifies as an all-girl band plays into the story. Ash ends up expressing their art through composing a song.
I wish BIPOC people (I always feel weird adding "people" to that, since it's not grammatically correct, but it feels weird not to, at least at the moment in time when I'm writing) were more central to the story. Machias does include a wide variety of people in the school, but this books really is about DANIEL and ASH, and both default white (unless I totally missed it - now I'm having doubts and wondering if Ash's mom is Latine, but I might be conflating Ash with Luz of Owl House? Which would be interesting in and of itself).
Like I said, SO MUCH STUFF.
Extra star for the genderfluidity rep.
More:
There's so much going on in this book! I almost didn't choose to read it, because you know there's going to be sad dog stuff, and I can't take sad dog stuff in my stories. But There Are Not Enough Middle School Books About Genderfludity, so I had to do it.
Dog stuff: honestly, the worst dog-related part for me was a brief dog fight . The main dog in question . That said, my dogs of choice are more of the medium to large variety, so a story centering a Pomeranian is never going to hit me quite as hard as other dog stories would.
Gender Stuff: Ash goes through a process of self-discovery in this book. While I'm not genderfluid or enby, I have close relationships with people who are. And at the beginning of this book, Ash was really stuck on the binary. By the time the book ends, they haven't fully embraced the "genderfluid" terminology, but it's the term that seems the closest to who they are. So if you get thrown by the depiction at the beginning, know that it IS going to change and evolve.
SYNESTHESIA STUFF: There's so much stuff packed in this book, it's easy to fixate on the gender and dog stuff and completely forget to mention that ASH HAS SYNESTHESIA! A kind I hadn't heard of before too! I've met synesthetes before, but didn't realize there are different types. Ash sees sounds. And their drawings are integrated into the text. It's really cool representation that will be very easy to overlook.
DANIEL'S EMOTIONAL STUFF: Daniel struggles throughout the book with being judged for his emotions. He's a crier, and gets really sad. And maybe that has something to do with puberty, or the fact that his parents recently decided to live in different places, but it's something he's already dealing with before he gets into the dog situation and meets Ash. HE HAS A TWIN BROTHER, and he struggles with being compared to his brother. HE'S A PHOTOGRAPHER, and a very different type of kid than his twin.
Speaking of FAMILY STUFF: Like I mentioned, Daniel's parents recently decided to live in different places. They're not admitting a divorce is coming, but Daniel thinks he can tell that it's true. Ash's parents are actually divorced. Ash's mom is a type of parent that we don't always see in books. She's a mechanic, and has tattoos and piercings and excitingly colored hair. Felt more like my peers than lots of parents in books.
THE RAINBOW ALLIANCE: Oh yeah, I almost forgot to mention that Ash goes to the school queer club! Their best friend is gay and goes to the school (which is a big reason they transfer to this specific school), and in the first chapter, he takes them to the Rainbow Alliance, where they meet a lot of queer kids and learns about identities they haven't interacted with before. Some nice diversity in those scenes.
MUSIC STUFF: Ash is a musician - a pianist, primarily, and starts working with an already-formed band. The fact that the band identifies as an all-girl band plays into the story. Ash ends up expressing their art through composing a song.
I wish BIPOC people (I always feel weird adding "people" to that, since it's not grammatically correct, but it feels weird not to, at least at the moment in time when I'm writing) were more central to the story. Machias does include a wide variety of people in the school, but this books really is about DANIEL and ASH, and both default white (unless I totally missed it - now I'm having doubts and wondering if Ash's mom is Latine, but I might be conflating Ash with Luz of Owl House? Which would be interesting in and of itself).
Like I said, SO MUCH STUFF.
Extra star for the genderfluidity rep.
September 7, 2024
DNF at 164.
I really wanted to like this book. They were so many things to like about it. It seems to be one of the first books about being genderfluid for a middle school audience. And the cover is absolutely cute. And I absolutely believe that kids should have as much access to diverse representations as possible, in this case different queer kids.
I appreciated that the author brought attention to the damage caused by TERFs, that allyship isn’t a shield - you can be liberal, you can be an ally of one group and still be an asshole towards another group.
But it was just so very hard for me to connect to the characters. Not even halfway through, and the characters have gone through such repeated motions, with repeated conversations in their heads, that it is a burden for me to continue reading. At least by the time I shelved this, Daniel had started to realize that he was being completely selfish and that his overly emotional outbursts weren’t the responsibility of his friends to constantly rush to his side and comfort him over. But after 164 pages, I read about 15 different emotional outbursts Daniel had, that he was upset that nobody came in comforted him over. I hope that it got resolved by the end of the book, but I’m not even halfway through and I was just really done with reading about him. Every single thing he thought of was completely self-centered (even taking care of Chewbarka the dog didn’t feel entirely selfless) and it was beyond aggravating. Maybe it wouldn’t have been so bad if this book had been shorter. But this book is almost 400 pages, there are some middle grade epic fantasies that aren’t even that long, and much of the bulk of the book is the same thoughts repeated in EVERY chapter. I just cannot buckle in for a long ride.
Ash was better, but some of their internal dialogue was so full of Internet speak it drove me bonkers. It just really came off as trying to be cool for the kids and just sometimes didn’t even feel authentic to me. But I did appreciate their struggles with identity, how scary it can be, and I liked their interactions with their friend Griff… They had a support system, and they even were part of the queer club in school, I just wish that had this book had been shorter. SO much REPETITION.
However - One of my biggest problems with the book was that it portrayed the saving of the elderly Pomeranian dog as this grand gesture of kindness. But…? They literally left a senior, severely high needs dog alone in the woods in a tent for a week. That is just straight up abusive, especially for an animal that is senior, that literally peed all over itself (honestly, the book describes the smell of pee about 20 times and it made me want to scream) and pee all over where it lives… Those are the kind of hoarding situations that animals are rescued FROM, not something that should be portrayed as good??? Maybe I am too logical, but I have no problems with humane euthanasia, especially if this poor dog’s alternative is to be trapped in a tent alone without anyone around in the woods for a week?? It just seems like an arbitrary thing, to value forcing something to live over its quality of life. I just could not stomach abuse portrayed as good. A senior dog should definitely not be euthanized for arbitrary reasons - if it can’t play anymore. But the dog was described as senile, it didn’t know where it was, who anyone was, It was constantly peeing on itself… And who knows if it was having kidney failure and was in pain? I don’t know, I just thought it was a really strange conflict to have two characters bond over. Why couldn’t the dog just be six years old and the owner gave it up because it didn’t play like a puppy anymore? That happens, and it at least doesn’t come off cruel like forcing an old dog to live simply because you want it to. The entire thing made me so anxious, and this might be the first book I’ve ever read where I hope the dog dies in the end. There is literally nothing humane about forcing a poor old dog to be alone in a tent in the woods for a week. I just cannot even get over it.
Four stars because the representation is important but I cannot read one more description of how pee smells.
I really wanted to like this book. They were so many things to like about it. It seems to be one of the first books about being genderfluid for a middle school audience. And the cover is absolutely cute. And I absolutely believe that kids should have as much access to diverse representations as possible, in this case different queer kids.
I appreciated that the author brought attention to the damage caused by TERFs, that allyship isn’t a shield - you can be liberal, you can be an ally of one group and still be an asshole towards another group.
But it was just so very hard for me to connect to the characters. Not even halfway through, and the characters have gone through such repeated motions, with repeated conversations in their heads, that it is a burden for me to continue reading. At least by the time I shelved this, Daniel had started to realize that he was being completely selfish and that his overly emotional outbursts weren’t the responsibility of his friends to constantly rush to his side and comfort him over. But after 164 pages, I read about 15 different emotional outbursts Daniel had, that he was upset that nobody came in comforted him over. I hope that it got resolved by the end of the book, but I’m not even halfway through and I was just really done with reading about him. Every single thing he thought of was completely self-centered (even taking care of Chewbarka the dog didn’t feel entirely selfless) and it was beyond aggravating. Maybe it wouldn’t have been so bad if this book had been shorter. But this book is almost 400 pages, there are some middle grade epic fantasies that aren’t even that long, and much of the bulk of the book is the same thoughts repeated in EVERY chapter. I just cannot buckle in for a long ride.
Ash was better, but some of their internal dialogue was so full of Internet speak it drove me bonkers. It just really came off as trying to be cool for the kids and just sometimes didn’t even feel authentic to me. But I did appreciate their struggles with identity, how scary it can be, and I liked their interactions with their friend Griff… They had a support system, and they even were part of the queer club in school, I just wish that had this book had been shorter. SO much REPETITION.
However - One of my biggest problems with the book was that it portrayed the saving of the elderly Pomeranian dog as this grand gesture of kindness. But…? They literally left a senior, severely high needs dog alone in the woods in a tent for a week. That is just straight up abusive, especially for an animal that is senior, that literally peed all over itself (honestly, the book describes the smell of pee about 20 times and it made me want to scream) and pee all over where it lives… Those are the kind of hoarding situations that animals are rescued FROM, not something that should be portrayed as good??? Maybe I am too logical, but I have no problems with humane euthanasia, especially if this poor dog’s alternative is to be trapped in a tent alone without anyone around in the woods for a week?? It just seems like an arbitrary thing, to value forcing something to live over its quality of life. I just could not stomach abuse portrayed as good. A senior dog should definitely not be euthanized for arbitrary reasons - if it can’t play anymore. But the dog was described as senile, it didn’t know where it was, who anyone was, It was constantly peeing on itself… And who knows if it was having kidney failure and was in pain? I don’t know, I just thought it was a really strange conflict to have two characters bond over. Why couldn’t the dog just be six years old and the owner gave it up because it didn’t play like a puppy anymore? That happens, and it at least doesn’t come off cruel like forcing an old dog to live simply because you want it to. The entire thing made me so anxious, and this might be the first book I’ve ever read where I hope the dog dies in the end. There is literally nothing humane about forcing a poor old dog to be alone in a tent in the woods for a week. I just cannot even get over it.
Four stars because the representation is important but I cannot read one more description of how pee smells.
April 6, 2023
I loved this book so much! It’s told from the point of view of a non-binary kid, the emotional, sensitive boy who falls for them and the cute dog that brings them together. So many feels and just such a positive story. A great LGBTQIA+ book for ages 10+
August 3, 2021
This was a highly anticipated release for me! Queer middle grade can get me right in the feels and I love that. This one wasn't quite a disappointment, it did have its moments, but I still have mixed feelings about it.
So, stuff I loved. I loved that this had an old dog as part of the central storyline, it was so sweet. I loved that you get a genderfluid/gnc main character and another main character who is a boy who is very emotional and cries a lot. So they end up both struggling with gender roles in different ways. The drawings in Ash's chapters were cool, I loved that we got illustrations of their music/shapes synesthesia to help visualize it. There's a lot about art in this book: music, photography, fashion, cross-stitching! It's really fun and sweet.
I was on the fence about a few things though. The voice didn't feel super authentic to teens/preteens. Like the internet talk... I'm not sure kids would talk like this in real life. Some of the dialog felt stilted too.
It's also a book that goes to great lengths not to reveal Ash's assigned gender at birth, and I'm not sure how I feel about it. I feel like it's great for kids to read a book like this, but that as a trans adult the ways this was avoided just felt too big and obvious and weird. But like I'm not the target audience so *shrugs*
What I was super meh about was the emphasis on "labels suck!! just be you!! labels are barely ever helpful and always limiting!!!" and "you need to come out to be happier, and own that you were bullied" It was just... ugh. Not outright terrible but there was definitely not enough of another perspective to challenge that.
The main relationship was cute, I loved the secondary storylines about fixing friendships and other relationships. I enjoyed the way you get to see Ash's thinking get less and less influenced by their dad's binary thinking. It had some really good stuff, and the ending got me in the feels a bit, but there's some messaging that I found pretty meh in there.
Despite this, I still think it's a great book for kids, as long as it's not the only queer/trans MG they can access. It's fine to celebrate coming out as something empowering and people who don't find labels useful, but it can't be the only perspective. But also you can't always put everything in a single book so. The book isn't bad. It's one perspective only, though.
So, stuff I loved. I loved that this had an old dog as part of the central storyline, it was so sweet. I loved that you get a genderfluid/gnc main character and another main character who is a boy who is very emotional and cries a lot. So they end up both struggling with gender roles in different ways. The drawings in Ash's chapters were cool, I loved that we got illustrations of their music/shapes synesthesia to help visualize it. There's a lot about art in this book: music, photography, fashion, cross-stitching! It's really fun and sweet.
I was on the fence about a few things though. The voice didn't feel super authentic to teens/preteens. Like the internet talk... I'm not sure kids would talk like this in real life. Some of the dialog felt stilted too.
It's also a book that goes to great lengths not to reveal Ash's assigned gender at birth, and I'm not sure how I feel about it. I feel like it's great for kids to read a book like this, but that as a trans adult the ways this was avoided just felt too big and obvious and weird. But like I'm not the target audience so *shrugs*
What I was super meh about was the emphasis on "labels suck!! just be you!! labels are barely ever helpful and always limiting!!!" and "you need to come out to be happier, and own that you were bullied" It was just... ugh. Not outright terrible but there was definitely not enough of another perspective to challenge that.
The main relationship was cute, I loved the secondary storylines about fixing friendships and other relationships. I enjoyed the way you get to see Ash's thinking get less and less influenced by their dad's binary thinking. It had some really good stuff, and the ending got me in the feels a bit, but there's some messaging that I found pretty meh in there.
Despite this, I still think it's a great book for kids, as long as it's not the only queer/trans MG they can access. It's fine to celebrate coming out as something empowering and people who don't find labels useful, but it can't be the only perspective. But also you can't always put everything in a single book so. The book isn't bad. It's one perspective only, though.
December 18, 2023
(3) cute little story dealing with important issues such as finding out about your gender and self, what makes a person masculine/feminine, being a child of divorced parents, and toxic masculinity. This is the sort of representation I would have loved to read about when I was younger, and while there are some darker themes such as outing and animal euthanasia, it remains quite lighthearted, yet not boring.
August 23, 2021
This was a very sweet book that explored difficult family relationships, friendship, and the importance of dogs. I also loved how a middle grade book explored gender in a complex but very accessible way, I’m so glad that more children will be able to learn more about gender either to help themselves or support others. This book felt like it lacked a little heart at times, so I just didn’t fall in love with the characters or the book itself. I liked the relationship between the two main characters, it was beautiful seeing their friendship blossom. I’m glad this book exists, it just wasn’t the most enjoyable book for me.
November 11, 2021
Disappointed. Really wanted to recommend this one. But the gender fluidity felt like propaganda forced into a sweet story about two kids who rescue a dog. Why are we still talking about male and female gender roles in stereotypical ways? Why are feelings and activities assigned as male or female within the same person? Can't one person feel and be both without labeling them as 'now I'm a boy' and 'now I'm a girl'? Feels confusing if you ask me. Sorry to burst your bubble.
October 9, 2022
such a cute book omg
it had very realistic characters, but that doesn't mean i could stand them most of the time,,
sometimes ash made me cringe a bit but its so real like yeah!! thats how kids act!!!
plus i love seeing queer books for kids its so sweet c:
anyways it wasn't like groundbreaking or anything but i think if i was in the age range this was written for i'd LOVE it and thats all that matters tbh
it had very realistic characters, but that doesn't mean i could stand them most of the time,,
sometimes ash made me cringe a bit but its so real like yeah!! thats how kids act!!!
plus i love seeing queer books for kids its so sweet c:
anyways it wasn't like groundbreaking or anything but i think if i was in the age range this was written for i'd LOVE it and thats all that matters tbh
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