Beautiful Music for Ugly Children by Kirstin Cronn-Mills

Gabe spins Elvis, Devo, and Prince on the radio, and old media meets new as his fans come together via Facebook. Cronn-Mills never minimizes those challenges (Gabe faces some terrifying abuse), avoiding a too-happy ending, but Gabe and Paige’s supportive friendship and Gabe’s love of music shine through. So much so, in fact, that the book sometimes feels like a PSA exposing the challenges a trans teen faces. Gabe’s difficulties-from dealing with freaked-out parents and bigoted classmates to navigating love, sex, and whether to use the men’s or women’s room-are well documented. Cronn-Mills, whose The Sky Always Hears Me and the Hills Don’t Mind featured a teenage girl grappling with her sexuality, has clearly done her research. Overshadowing it all: everyone knows him as Elizabeth. He’s about to graduate from high school, he’s just started hosting a radio show, and he’s got a crush on his best friend Paige. 'A new kind of hero: Cronn-Mills' latest book features a transsexual protagonist'. ^ a b Kent, Tanner (September 1, 2014).^ a b '25th Annual Lambda Literary Award Winners Announced!'.Lambda Literary Award for Children's and Young Adult Literature Young Adult Library Service Association's Popular Paperbacks for Young AdultsĪmerican Library Association Rainbow ListĪmerican Library Association's Best Fiction for Young Adults Independent Publisher Book Awards for LGBT+ Fiction Accolades for Beautiful Music for Ugly Children Year Reception īeautiful Music for Ugly Children received positive reviews from Booklist, Kirkus Reviews, Publishers Weekly, and School Library Journal. When Cronn-Mills was writing the book, she frequently visited RECLAIM, 'a Twin Cities-based organization that offers counseling and other services to transsexual and LGBT youth.' Anyone who donated at least ten dollars to the organization received a copy of Beautiful Music for Ugly Children. It received various awards and was a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award for Children's and Young Adult Literature.

The book tells the story of Gabe, a transgender youth.

Beautiful Music for Ugly Children is a young adult novel by Kirstin Cronn-Mills, published October 8, 2012, by North Star Editions.

Beautiful Music for Ugly Children by Kirstin Cronn-Mills