The Art of Being Normal by Lisa Williamson

Book of the Week: 7 February 2016

Ever since he was eight years old, David has wanted to be a girl. When asked in primary school what he wanted to be when he grew up, this is was his answer. Since then, he has learned not to mention it and now he is fourteen only his best friends, Felix and Essie, know his secret. Even his affectionate and supportive parents have no idea.

David spends his time at school trying to keep a low profile and avoiding the attentions of the class bully, Harry Beaumont, who calls him ‘Freak Show’.

When Leo, who is rumoured to have been expelled from his previous school for chopping off a teacher’s finger with a hacksaw, joins David’s school he is intrigued by his surly good looks and tries unsuccessfully to make friends. David gives up until one day Leo stands up for him in a fight and the ice is broken. But something has happened in Leo’s past and his background is very different from that of most students at Eden Park School, so he is not sure that he wants to make new friends.

The story is told alternately by David and by Leo and is one of the few for young people to feature a central character who is transgender. It is to the author’s credit that this never overwhelms a sympathetically told story with sparky dialogue, identifiable situations and likeable characters.

To read more about the book and its author, Lisa Williamson’s website can be found here.