Sam Waver’s big brother Jason is his hero. He has always been there for him ever since he was small. Jason has never minded his company, unless he has his pretty girlfriend around, and has always been patient and helpful to Sam with his reading problems and dyslexia.

But lately something has changed. Jason is moody, teary and acting strange. One night he asks their high flying politician mum and her private secretary (their dad) to sit in the lounge. He needs to tell them something. Something important.

None of them saw what was coming. Sure, Jason had grown his hair long. Sure he tied it up in a girl’s scrunchy. But Jason was the best football player at his school. He’d even been invited to train at the Arsenal Academy. So what he told his family couldn’t be true. How could he possibly think he should have been born a girl?

Sam’s life at school implodes with the teasing about Jason, and family life isn’t so hot either. His mum is aiming high, and she’s got a good shot at being Prime Minister. Life is just too busy to deal with Jason’s identity crisis. But at what cost?

This young man’s desperation to reveal his true self to his family is heartbreaking. His parents have their eyes and all of their attention on their own high aspirations, neglecting their son’s turmoil and struggle to be the person he was meant to be. I wanted to climb into the novel and shake his parents!

John Boyne is a brilliant author and this view into a family turned upside down is one of his best novels for young people yet.

Author – John Boyne

Age – 13+

Novel Extract here

(Transgender, LGBTQ, Family, Understanding, Politician, Workload, Identity, Prime Minister, Teasing, School)