I love how Lewis includes his family in his graphic novel: both in terms of highlighting that they didn't understand what trans meant back when he was a teen, but also with a lot of love and empathy. A very hard-hitting graphic memoir about Lewis' struggles with gender dysphoria and anorexia as he grew up in the late 90s/early 2000s not really knowing that there was a name for how he felt. With the rise in mental health topics in children’s books, and studies showing the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and social media on young people’s wellbeing, it is notable that we see reflections on mental health and identity on the shortlists.

Though past-Lewis knows he’s a boy, any attempt on the narrator’s part to provide comfort or advice is rebuffed. Hancox’s story feels all the more grounded for its use of regional dialect, and its recognisable comic-of-age motifs that are universal despite the specificity of its subject matter.

The first half of the book focusses on his high school days, as Lois struggles to come to terms with her dysphoria, to fit into the social rituals of the school environment when she can’t express her true gender identity, and deal with feeling an outcast within her peer group. Note: this could also be number 8 in Book Riot's challenge, "Read a graphic novel/comic/manga if you haven’t before; or read one that is a different genre than you normally read. I found out about this graphic novel approximately 2 hours ago and decided I needed to read it so I downloaded the kindle app and bought it. To think so many people grew up feeling so alone, like nobody would ever understand, but we were all going through the exact same thing without knowing each other.

Another teenage character describes receiving a puberty blocker prescription as having “got the key”, while other scenes feature boasts about life on testosterone medication, stopping periods and breast-binding using a sports bra. It was interesting to see Lewis’ journey during a time when there was less understanding of what it meant to be trans in the general public. In the event that the prize is awarded to a partnership, the prize money will be split equally between the joint winners. Kirja avaa hyvin Lewisin pohdintoja ja hämmennystä, mutta toisaalta antaa äänen myös hänen ympärillään olleille läheisille.The UK perspective was new for me and I imagine this book will be very important for young trans people there! The heroes who fought against this and provided support to and within the Japanese American community, such as Fred Korematsu, the 442nd Regiment, Herbert Nicholson, and the ACLU’s Wayne Collins, are also highlighted, but the focus always remains on the many sacrifices that Takei’s parents made to ensure the safety and survival of their family while shielding their children from knowing the depths of the hatred they faced and danger they were in.