The Trans-Fer Student

by Elise Himes

Rachael is just like any other girl… except she was born a boy.

When her family is forced to move due to bullying, she is accepted into a privileged girls’ school. Her fantasy quickly becomes a nightmare as rumors spread about one of the new students being transgender. Paranoia, deceit, and backstabbing rule the day as their “witch” will be found, no matter who suffers.

Genres: Transgender, Young Adult, LGBT, Fiction, Teen, Queer, Contemporary

255 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2014

Reviews

[Jenni Frencham · Rating 3 out of 5]

Himes, Elise. The Trans-fer Student. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. 2014. $9.99. 252p. SC 9781494733445.

Rachael and her family have moved to a new town, and Rachael is now attending a private, all-girls school. Once the rumor begins to circulate that one of the new students is transgender, Rachael knows she has to keep her secret deeply hidden. Rachael is terrified that the witch hunt at her school will end with her burning at the stake.

There have been more young adult books published with transgender characters recently than ever before, but many of the books center around the trans* teen discovering that s/he is trans* or attempting to come out to his/her family. This book takes a different tack, in that Rachael is already out to her family and is attending a new school in stealth mode. Setting aside the idea that her parents would allow her to present as female and attend an all-girls school but would not seek medical advice or put her on hormone blockers or estrogen, the story’s focus on the ridicule and stress of trying to survive high school reads as genuine.

With stock characters that could easily be found in any teen novel or after-school special, this story has a realistic feel, if not a unique one. Readers who enjoy high school drama will find the pace perfect and the personal writing style hints that this book may be at least partially autobiographical. With additional editing and a different title, this book would appeal to many teens who enjoy reading problem novels.

This novel fills a niche that has not yet been filled at a time when diverse books are desperately needed in young adult literature. Recommended for public and school libraries.

[Lectus · Rating 1 out of 5]

A really insipid story about a trans boy. Well, Bryan feels more like a she, so when their parents switch town because, oh! get this: One day Bryan goes to school dressed like a girl. Can you think of anything more stupid? All of the sudden, Bryan shows up in school with makeup and high heels... of course everybody is going to make fun of him. That is NOT the way to change gender.

Anyways, because of this, the family moves to another city where Bryan gets to start over as a girl, Rachael. The only problem? That she now attends an all-girls private school. Way to fit!

The most stupid and unbelievable thing is that the first day school the principal has a welcome speech in which she says that they welcome all girls.... including trans.

Say what? In what world does an announcement like that happens? "yes girls, welcome, but, oh! by the way, there is a boy amongst you passing as a.girl." Way to take fiction the ridiculous way Himes.

Obviously, after this announcement the entire school is out to discover who the she-him is. As a result, Rachael turns into a wallflower. She won't even open her mouth scared that they'd find out what or who she really is.

Rachael is really an annoying character that won't produce one complete sentence.

The story is a bunch of blah blah blah including another student crying because she was labeled Japanese because of her features, but she is not really Japanese because she was born and raised in USA and she hasn't even been in Japan... Hello! Heritage pride, anyone?

Whatever. This book is so silly that is not even worth it the $2.00 something I paid on Kindle.

If you decide to read it, don't even think for a little that it will go into some meaningful inside about being transgender means, or the life of a trans. This is just another high school crap that doesn't amount to anything.

I abandoned the book at 60% because one day Rachael goes to visit her cousin, but she goes as Bryan. At some point during her visit she tells her cousin the truth: that she is now a she. And her cousin screams in ecstasy and hugs her so happy for her. Uhummmm, that is how we react. Right. It reminded me of the book Obsidian that, when the main character finds out her neighbors are aliens, she screamed excitedly "really? So cool!"

Pathetic. Really.

I could go on and on about how superficial and empty this story is but I have better books to get to.

Via http://onlectus.blogspot.com/2014/02/...

[Brandon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book gives a pure example Of what a Transgender Individual goes through in life, especially at a young age. The main character Rachel is a great character with strengths and weaknesses that some of us have around her age during the events of the story. Most people often don't understand what these individuals (transgenders) go through on a regular basis, so usually people on the outside who don't know them, will often judge them harshly. After you read this fantastic book, You will get a clearer picture of what they have to go through like family, friends, and public places (such as a school or just walking down the street).

I won't reveal any story spoilers because any future reader should enjoy this book in full. You'll have emotion for the character's actions and consequences around them as the plot unfolds. There's a lot to keep you engaged with story and even if your not interested in the story, reading this alone will help the reader to understand transgenders more.

[A. Powers · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely adored this book! The story of a transgendered girl who has just moved to a new city with her family and started at a new school – an all-girls school – to begin her life again as the girl she was meant to be... This story is very realistic, probably based on a real-life experience, and I absolutely loved the characters. There were maybe a few too many characters in the story (it was a bit confusing to keep up with them at times), and the book could use another pass with proofreading/editing, but it is still impossible not to love this story. I am so glad that I had the chance to read this book!

[Kyle]

This book has an original idea, transposing the Salem Witch Trials onto a private girls' high school where instead of witchcraft, the students are searching for the trans girl in their midst. I liked that the story was more focused on the interpersonal dynamics of Rachael's school, friend group, and family and less on her personal identity. I also appreciated that the main character was already trans-identified when the story opens, since coming-out stories are overdone. Overall it's a very sad story, but there are some light moments with a happy ending.

[Hezekiah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was incredibly gripping. There were some minor spelling errors, but none that distracted me too much from the story. The pacing toward the end suddenly speeds up in a way that felt unnatural to me while reading, which didn't do the end-events justice. I give this book four stars because it's a story that needs telling, and because as I was reading, Rachael felt extremely real to me. Rachael's character was extremely well-developed. I chose to read this book because I was looking for YA books about trans girls that are actually narrated by trans girls, and I was not disappointed!

[Forever Young Adult]

Graded By: Brian
Cover Story: Stock Photo #33461a
Drinking Buddy: Just a Small Town Girl...
Testosterone Estrogen Level: High
Talky Talk: Subtlety of a Sledgehammer
Bonus Factors: LGBTQ, Cast of Thousands
Bromance Status: That Kid That Tries Too Hard

Read the full book report here.

[Cindy Cunningham · Rating 3 out of 5]

Important subject and worth reading

This is a quick read but one with lots of depth. The issues involved with being a young teen and a transgendered youth are addressed openly and with grace. At times I was asking myself how I would have behaved in these various situations and I did not have an answer. As a small note, the many typos did detract...

[Anne Mouse · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book that for the first part I found hard to really get into. That was probably setting up a web of interacting relationships that were important to the overall story. All of the girls needed to find their place within the school hierarchy. I was amazed how well the second half of the story was to read while still keeping up that overall feel of danger at every turn.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Intriguing story but the author could have had a better editing team. It may be that I read the Kindle version which was not the finalized print version, but there were numerous typos, misspelt words, and times when it seemed she confused the characters.

[Alayna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book, bad grammar

The book was good, and I love a happy ending, but the author did no editing at all. Sentence fragments galore.