I've read Sophie Labelle's comics and so when I saw she had a book coming out, I had to grab an ARC.

This is a cute slice-of-life novel about entering high school as a nonbinary teen. I feel like the author really hit the uncertainties of freshman year well, with stress regarding coming out again to teachers, gender presentation, and keeping and making friends.

This book was really comprehensive in it's portrayal of being trans. Ciel, the main character, is half-Brazillain and nonbinary, but doesn't mind being perceived as feminine and will use Alessandra in classes. They're friends with Stephie, a trans girl who wants to go stealth in high school and later means Liam, a trans boy, who swims competitively. They represent a wide array of how people can be trans and I really appreciated that. Also, I think all of these characters are on hormone blockers, so I'm really excited that that was entirely normalized!

One complaint I had was that the secondary characters didn't have very fleshed out storylines and I feel there was more potential for that, especially with Liam and Stephie. Some dialogue and narration felt weirdly worded as well, but not enough to take away my enjoyment of the story.

I rated this book 3.5 stars! This is the middle grade trans book I've been waiting for, and I'm excited there are trans kids who are going to be able to read this!

I am so glad I picked Ciel up! A friend of mine said they had heard about the original French version and how amazing it was and I absolutely loved the translation!
Ciel is a wonderful story that deals with all topics surrounding trans people finally getting the spotlight they deserve, what it means to be nonbinary, the fear one has to fit in when they tell the world about how they identify and finding friends that are worth sticking up for.
I loved how Ciel had so much going on and how their YouTube channel grew throughout the book and how they did their paper round to be able to afford a new camera to produce better quality content. The first hints that we got at a friendship between them and Liam was also great and I wish we would have found out more about Liam.
But since this is a slice of life kind of story without a real beginning or ending, I was more than satisfied to share a bit of time with Ciel, their family and their friends!
Definitely recommend this book especially to younger readers who want to learn more about being trans or nonbinary!

This is a character-driven, slice-of-life, coming-of-age novel featuring a gender nonconforming trans kid named Ciel as they start their first year of high school in Montreal. For my fellow American readers (I had to google this myself), that covers ages 12-17. Ciel and their friends are on the lower end of that age range, so this is solidly a middle grade novel. Kids will relate to the excitement and anxieties that come with being in a new school, making new friends, having crushes, further exploring one's own identity, and having the courage to be themselves. Ciel's inner dialogue will resonate really well with tweens and young teens. Best of all, trans and nonbinary kids get to see themselves in a happy, wholesome, feel-good read.

Review by Lisa Pineo

*I received this eARC from NetGalley and Edelweiss+ in return for an honest review.
My ratings: * I hated it ** It was okay *** I liked it **** Really good ***** Great
TW (trigger warnings): transphobia, misgendering

Ciel by Sophie Labelle is a contemporary middle grade/YA novel with great LGBTQ representation but a problematic story. 4 stars

Description from the publisher:
Ciel is excited to start high school. A gender non-conforming trans kid, Ciel has a YouTube channel and dreams of getting a better camera to really make their mark. Ciel can always rely on their best friend, Stephie, a trans girl who also happens to be a huge nerd. But their friendship begins to feel distant when Stephie makes it clear she wants the fact that she’s trans to be less visible now that they’re in high school. While navigating this new dynamic with Stephie, Ciel is also trying to make a long-distance relationship work with their boyfriend Eiríkur, who just moved back to Iceland. Add to the mix a cute swim star named Liam, and Ciel’s life is becoming more complicated by the minute!

I had high hopes for this book because I love Sophie Labelle's Assigned Male comics. For me, reading the whole book as one idea wasn't as satisfying as reading the comic strip online, or even a whole comic book. The narrator seemed like a tween (which she was) but was dealing with teen issues. The author had her starting high school which for some kids is at 13 (my kids go to elementary from age 5 to 12 and high school from 13 to 18, meaning they start high school in grade 8) but most kids have middle school. This, along with 12 year olds being in long term relationships, pre-teens having years of time on social media, and dealing with heartbreak, but then making childish comments about it being “unfair and selfish” of her boyfriend's parents to move back to their hometown and not consider her and her 12 year old BF's relationship, made the book jarring.

Things I did like: the main character is nonbinary and uses they/them pronouns, there are two other secondary trans kids as well as multiple other LGBTQ characters. Transphobia, misgendering, problems with using the school's gendered washrooms, having teachers use different names for Ciel (but not her chosen name), kids being at different levels of comfortableness with their identity and how many people know about it, are all dealt with realistically and I felt the authenticity of the situations as the author is transgender herself.

All in all, I did enjoy the book as there are only a few well written middle grade books with transgender characters and would recommend this novel to people looking for that specific genre.

TW for transphobia, homophobia

Thanks to Netgalley and Second Story Press for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Ciel is an adorably heartwarming story about being a trans kid going into high school amid sudden YouTube fame and finding and losing friends. It’s an equally a beautiful, happy story about friendship and an incredibly poignant look at the challenges trans kids often face both in school and online.

One of my favourite things about this story was the slice of life aspect. This isn’t a super emotional coming out story, nor does it entirely focus on transphobia- we get to see our main character Ciel do ‘regular life things’, like freaking out about their first day of high school, having sleepovers with their best friend, and keeping in touch with their long distance boyfriend. No trans persons’ life entirely revolves around transphobia and coming out, and this story was perfectly balanced in that aspect.

I also really enjoyed how the author tackled multiple different trans experiences through the different trans characters: Stephie, with wanting to be stealth at school and starting hormone therapy, Liam, a trans boy competing in sports and the backlash from that, and Ciel themself, wanting to be comfortable at school without having to explain everything to everyone (and inevitably encountering resistance). And then on top of each character’s individual problems, they had to deal with normal 14-15 year old stuff like homework and friend groups. Overall, this is just a really cute story about trans kids living their lives and being (mostly) happy.

***MILD SPOILERS***

The one thing that didn’t quite sit right with me was that the story felt a little aimless. Don’t get me wrong, I love stories about trans kids just living their lives, but there were little side plots that felt either unnecessary or not explored enough. I wanted to know more about Frank and his relationship to Stephie, and I wanted to see a resolution to Stephie asking Ciel not to talk about trans stuff at school. I also felt Ciel’s boyfriend Eirikur was a bit of a throwaway character- I understand how he was big in Ciel’s life, and that we didn’t really get to see him before he left, but we barely got to know him before he just fully disappeared. And Ciel didn’t seem to learn anything special from him breaking up with them- they were sad for a little while and then they got over it like nothing happened, which made me wonder why the breakup was in the story in the first place. But, I suppose, without a true overarching plot, it is kind of difficult to understand why any choices were made within the book.

Overall, I loved the amount of trans characters within the book (the more the better in my opinion!) but the book as a whole felt incomplete. To create completeness, I think the book needed a more concrete plot, just something that could come to fruition at the end of the book. The whole story didn’t need to be tied up in a perfect bow, but maybe one or two tied and curled ribbons would have been nice. I do think that this book will be incredibly important to lots of kids in the world, both for discovering who they are and helping them better understand the experiences of the people around them, and I would definitely recommend it to the middle grade readers out there in the world.

(this review was posted to GoodReads)

INCOMING: REVIEW BY ACTUAL NONBINARY BISEXUAL PERSON!
For the trans people who hate scrolling for hours trying to get a review from someone who knows what they're talking about. Also, very cool that there's a book out about a kid younger than I was when I realized I was bisexual... who already knows they're both bisexual and nonbinary.


My actual rating for this book is 3.5, and it was a hard one to come to. I thought this over for several days, because this book is so many things it's difficult to rate. I will definitely say that if the overall rating was at a 3, I would've rated at 4 on GR.

Firstly: trans book. It has to be said. There are precious few trans books out there, and rating them can be difficult because there's rarely something better. In terms of trans stuff, this book is great! I like that Ciel uses both she and they pronouns, which is rare to see. They're actually friends with fellow trans people, which is something I desperately want to see more of in books. They espouse a lot of beliefs I've had-- for example, that it would be so much easier if the whole school was trans. In terms of trans rep, I honestly don't think you can get much better than this.

Secondly: plot. Here's where I ran into some trouble. I couldn't tell you seriously what this book was majorly about, because it's about Ciel. There's no one big conflict. It's just slice of life Ciel going to school and making friends and doing their paper route. And in the end... well, that's fine. I was a little uninterested early on because there's no real 'hook', but as I kept reading I found it increasingly entertaining. So it's not boring by any means. You can tell I am still not sure what I thought! I need to get away from thinking only in terms of what's 'expected', I guess.

Thirdly: politics. This is not going to be like George or... struggles to think of another trans book. Well, a non-preachy trans book, anyway. And, honestly, I was fine with that. Ciel thinks about politics and policy and transphobia because they ARE trans, and though I'm sure some may take issue with the open political talk, it's nowhere near as overt as Assigned Male (which I will personally admit is quite soapboxy) and it fits in fairly well. It's mostly Ciel going "hey, why ARE cis people rude about that?!" in a very age-appropriate way. It's endearing.

I'm just going to get into everything else now, because I think those are the most important general thoughts I had, and you know I'm going to nitpick. (If I leave a review under 5 stars, I intend to tell the author why, so they can decide for themself what they want to do in future works.)

First, I want to list some things I really liked. Again, the amount of trans characters. It was wonderful to have a cast with this many trans people AND this many supportive cis people! It's also common for cis writers to go "there are two kinds of parents of trans kids: Pure Evil and Perfect Ally," which is obviously not true. It's refreshing to read a trans person's narrative because Labelle actually knows what this is like, and she's open with the differences in approaches by different parents. She's also able to maintain characters who may be misinformed, but not pure evil.

Stephie goes undercover, and Ciel struggles. They understand why Stephie wants to just act cis, but... they're nonbinary! What can they do? I actually wish that this was better summed-up, because it ends up kind of being a collection of 'moments' (eg not knowing what name to use for themself, pretending to be a cis lesbian (?) at the GSA to avoid coming out as nonbinary, etc) rather than a meditation on how this sort of issue might be handled. That said, it is a real problem for many-- so I'm glad just to see it addressed.

Ciel's little details are wonderful. The book opens telling us about how they always wake up two minutes before their alarm, and they continue to be quirky and adorable throughout. It's a wonderful touch for a middle grade book-- Ciel seems like a real kid, with real uniqueness. Their paper route and their Icelandic boyfriend and their emails are all great touches.

Okay now I nitpick.

My first odd little moment was having no idea how high school worked. When I was fifteen, I got my first partner, and it ended badly because I was fifteen. These kids have dated before? MULTIPLE TIMES? To be fair, I'm very out of touch with both the original comic and the Kids These Days, but... multiple boyfriends by the age of 15... I guess this is not a nitpick so much as a ?! moment. It's not necessarily unbelievable, just.... ?!. Especially because this is a middle grade book, so I went back and forth thinking "how is this romance they're just a boy and girl who are friends" and "well it's a middle-grade book what do I expect them to do." Also mildly odd that, well, I couldn't really get a handle on whether Stephie or Ciel were ever friends with guys. Each time either of them meets a guy, it is Romanceville. But why?! But again this is mostly ?! and has very little to do with my rating.

The translation is... odd. Or perhaps it's the phrasing. It just doesn't sound like an English-language middle grade book. Perhaps it is just the translation; it doesn't sound like a kid with their slang. Especially little things like "Stephie is eating with her girlfriends." Younger kids almost never say that, especially not now. You'd just say "Stephie is eating with her friends" or something to that effect. This doesn't ruin the book, but it affects one's reading experience.

My real issue, which cost this book about a star. The YouTube Channel. Why does Ciel, a freshman in high school, have a YouTube channel. Throughout the book, they run into trouble with it-- I'll put it under a spoiler bracket, but if you've ever so much as heard of YouTube, you can guess. (view spoiler)

My question is... why do they keep this channel. It doesn't appear to actually do them any good, and especially with the problems Society At Large is having right now with famous children and famous children online specifically, one would think promoting seeking fame as a trans child would be avoided at all costs. But no. The book, despite presenting a hundred negative results of this channel, doesn't at all address the idea of... maybe not having it. Privating it. Having a series of videos for Ciel's friends to watch. Having the channel without comments on (permanently.) Having a channel monitored by their dad (who seems to have no idea about it.) This put a major dent in the book for me, because it's a kids' book. Kids are going to read this. I would not recommend any books promoting online drama or fame-seeking.

That said... I still read the book myself. And it was cute and it was good and I don't feel that I wasted my time or would've been better off reading something else. It was worth that read, even if I don't read it again, and if you're a trans book completionist... well, keep reading.


DO I RECOMMEND THIS BOOK?

To kids: probably not, for the aforementioned YouTube channel. I'm sorry. It squicks me out. I would not trust them to pick up on the nuance.

To adults: sure, if you like the comic; part of the reason I requested was that I know the comic. Otherwise, it's certainly written in a middle-grade style, so I'm (waves hand noncommittally) in terms of adult readers. Oh, and if you're looking for anything trans! That's definitely the main reason I read it, and I wasn't disappointed there. So, again, trans book completionists-- it's a great book if you're looking to read every well-written book about trans people.

I received an ARC of this book via NetGalley and I’m very thankful!

Love me some own voices trans nonbinary rep, SPECIALLY in a middle-grade <3 And so cute, and light-hearted, and in a kinda positive tone. Love this to heaven and back.

That being said: I was very lost for the first… 15% of the story, and I remained somewhat lost after that, only that I didn’t care anymore because the story just lets you keep reading without worries. BUT midway through the book I felt like maybe this would work better as a comic book. And it’s because I found no substantial, book deep plotline. Now, don’t get me wrong, it’s not because I think comics have less plot than a MG novel, it’s just that this book in particular is… daily events based. It’s a chronicle of the first two weeks of the protagonist’s first year of high school, and it really would have worked GREAT in a comic format. That I thought BEFORE knowing who the author was and her previous work and I wasn’t surprised when I read about it.

Also, I feel like I didn’t get to know the characters, and some plotlines went to nothing (like Martin, or Stephie’s boyfriend??? Or the mean youtuber?), and I would love to, because Ciel is a great protagonist. They’re strong minded and determined, and they’re in that age where they’re forming themselves and I would have really loved to explore them more deeply.

Anyway; the most positive notes of this book are, obviously, the rep (trans boy, trans girl, nonbinary kid, and we even got some latino rep, which I always appreciate) and the themes of family and friendship and the importance of having people who understand and loves you, beautifully approached. I specially loved the ‘new friends’ issue: making friends in HS can be hard for any kid, and Ciel’s worries and concerns are VERY valid.
I liked the youtube subplot and I think lots of kids are gonna feel connected with that aspect of Ciel’s life, I’d have loved to see more of that as well.

I will definitely be on alert with this book and recommend it to everyone!

I was actually a little disappointed by this one. I really enjoy Sophie Labelle's comics and so I jumped at the chance to read this one early, but I had some issues with it.

The characters feel so young! They're in their freshman year of high school, so I guess they are young, and I think this is aimed at middle-grade readers, but then they talk about being in love and dating for two years and like, they're children.

Also, it's like one long stream-of-consciousness (with multiple topic jumps per paragraph) of a 12-13 year-old on a massive sugar high. It's a bit hard to get into because of that. It also... meanders without a clear plot. It's more of a this happened, then this happened, then this happened, the end. So it feels both authentic to the experience of a young teenager but also not the most satisfying thing to read as nothing really wraps up and not much changes. I think it would have actually worked better as a series of comics.

The thing I really like about this book is that it deals with some important issues: what it's like to be trans and nonbinary when a freshman in high school and how to decide whether to be visibly out or not. The different ways Stephie and Ciel approached that were interesting to explore. And the message I got from it of being your authentic self and not being afraid of standing out is a good one. It also deals well with the topic of subtle and more overt transphobia.

I would definitely give it to middle-grade and high school kids who are questioning their gender identity - and really any kids in maybe 6th-12th grade who could use a broadening of perspective. I do think it wouldn't be as jarring to read for them as it was for me since it's been a while since I was in high school.

Ciel is a non-binary trans kid who is starting high school and is very worried about their friendship with Stephie, who is also trans and doesn't want people at their new school to know.

This is a book that's exactly what I love: not a lot of action, just characters having normal days and talking about themselves. We only get to see the first two weeks of Ciel's high school year, but in those days the author manages to tell us about Ciel's friends, family, boyfriend, job and YouTube channel without making it too much.

I don't know if Ciel is going to be a kid we'll get to know more about, but I'd love it if this became a series. I strongly believe this is the type of book a young trans kid would need in order to know there are people like them out there in the world. The adults in the story are nice and real, which I consider is something that MG/YA books that I read don't usually have.

Overall, I just wished the story was a little bit longer so we could get to know more about characters like the rest of the people at school and Stephie's parents. Still, I'm really impressed on how the ending didn't feel abrupt being such a short final chapter. I hope I get to know more about Ciel soon!

First, I want to thank NetGalley and Second Story Press for giving me early access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

I greatly enjoyed this story. It is a very character driven story that follows the main character Ciel through the first few weeks of high school. The ending style was not at all what I normally except, especially for books aimed at younger readers, but, I think it was a perfect way to end this particular book. And while the ending doesn't suggest at a sequel, I do hope that Labelle will write about these characters again.

Many of the emotions and types of thoughts Ciel goes through are ones that anyone who is a teenager, or an adult who can remember what it was like to be a teenager, can relate to: how to make and keep friends, how much of your true self do you feel comfortable revealing to others, etc. Though, some of the specific things Ciel deals with are specific to those who identify as nonbinary or transgender.

Sometimes, in books that have a younger main character, they can come across as a child/teenager as imaged by an adult. However, I think Labelle did an excellent job capturing the voice of a teenager. Since Ciel is at that age when all people, even those who aren't exploring or questioning their gender identity, are still trying to learn and understand about themselves and others better, there is a decent amount of Ciel explaining about themselves and their identity. If they were an older character who already understood more about their identity, the time spent exploring Ciel's mind on identity might have made the book feel like it was aimed at a non-LGBTQ audience. But, considering the age group this book is aimed it, it feels more like it is a book that could help those who are trying to better understand their identity know that it's okay to question and that they aren't alone.

Ciel is not a girl or a boy; Ciel uses they/them pronouns. Their best friend is Stephie, a girl who happens to be trans. This middle grade book written by Sophie Labelle is a snapshot into the lives of trans and non-binary middle schoolers. Ciel is a relatable character; they have an annoying sibling, they struggle with their teachers, and they also have a vlog. Readers can learn more about LGBT terms while relating to characters like Ciel, Stephie, and Liam. I highly recommend this book.

While I loved the general premise of this story and thought the “bones” were good, the translation made Ciel’s character come off as stilted and plastic. Additionally, having the setting in Montreal was wonderful; however, I’m not sure the foreign setting would help my American middle schoolers follow the oftentimes convoluted storyLine compounded with the awkward translation.

I found the writing style of this book was very stilted and boring to read. There's no plot or development in this book. Many of the events in this book are completely unbelievable. I ended up DNFing about 75% through because I was so bored and annoyed with the writing. I also found this book to be very preachy, and kinda guilt tripping the reader in ways. I felt like this book was more to educate cis readers, instead of for trans kids to see representation.

This was such a soft story. It's a nice mix of serious and lighthearted, which I think trans teens really need. CIEL describes trans identities, specifically being nonbinary, in a way that is easy to understand for cis readers interested in learning more about trans people, but not so dulled down that it's boring for trans readers or cis readers who already have the basic trans vocabulary. The struggles that Ciel faces are respected and treated as serious, without needing to be life-threatening. It's a short but sweet glimpse into the life of a young nonbinary teen.

Ciel by Sophie Labelle is a middle grade novel about a young person living in Canada named Ciel. Ciel's pronouns are they/them and they are trans, and their family is supportive. Their best friend, Stephie, is a transgender girl. Ciel has a boyfriend who recently moved away, and the two of them are keeping a long distance relationship.

This was a very character driven story, and if that's something you like then you'll like this novel. If you aren't knowledgable about issues facing trans people, especially trans youth, this novel will explain them in a way that you can understand. I am a cis woman who is knowledgable about trans issues, but I cannot speak to how trans people will feel about this representation, but the author herself is trans, and in my opinion this was a great novel.

I loved the character of Liam! His mother is in a wheelchair, and the novel does not describe her as 'wheelchair-bound', which is nice to see.

I very much enjoyed Ciel. I found the characters especially Ciel to be very refreshing, not as jaded as some of the books I’ve been reading lately. This book made me laugh and also made my heart ache at times. I adored the relation Ciel had with their father and best friend Stephie. Overall a fantastically, heartwarming story.

This book is about Ciel, a gender non-conforming trans kid. Their best friend, Stephie, is a trans girl and they also have a boyfriend, who is bisexual. We also meet other trans kids.

The cast is diverse and shines some light on issues every trans kid faces on a daily basis and it was great to educate myself on the subject.

My only cons is that writing in some parts seems a little bit too childish. I know this is middle grade so it's targeted to a younger audience but at the same time it could be better. Also the action keeps it simple but I guess it's what works for this story.

I couldn't connect with the characters at the beginning but I guess that must be on my part because I'm twice the age of the characters in this book. Eventually the book grew on me and I actually really enjoyed reading it and I ended up giving it a 4 stars rating, compared to the 3 stars I initially wanted to give it.

I've said this before and I'll say it again: it's really such a special thing to see your identity represented in middlegrade. I've read a few books with non-binary main characters so far, but never one in middlegrade, and it really means a lot. It's just such a healing experience.

This book did a really great job at finding a balance between showing the more subtle and heavier transphobia trans people deal with in their day-to-day lives while also showing the love and support and just the happy moments. In that way, it dealt with important and very real themes while being an inherently pretty uplifting and really empowering book. Ciel was a really lovely main character, and one I could really see myself in. And it was great to see multiple trans characters in one book as well, because it shows how there are so many different ways to be trans.

CWs: transphobia, misgendering

I find it important when reading middle grade to keep in mind the audience it was written for. In this case this book is written for ages – and it is very apparent throughout the book which is a great thing. Something that did throw me off about this book was how many
opportunities this book had to go deeper into certain topics but it only touched the surface. I think it would have been better if it focused on one thing and not many little things going on in Ciel’s life.

Something that is brought up in this book is the difference in experiences between a non-binary and a binary trans person. Through Ciel and Stephie’s experiences in school and with their friends you see the difference in how they interact with the world and also with each other. I think that the distinction between the two is important to include because it is not just a different experience but also they each view their trans identity differently.

Something else they show by having these different characters is the difference between a trans person who is clearly trans and one who is stealth. I think that this distinction is important to dhowcase in order to show the privilege someone has in others not knowing you are trans. I recognize there are many layers that go into how someone is seen by society and the way they wish to be seen yet I find it important to recognize the privilege that can come with society thinking your cisgender.
I like how Ciel is also an YouTube and how that plays a role in their life. I thought it was important to view their reaction to negative comments and transphobia online. I thought their response was good for their age and love the way they explain those comments to their brother.

There’s several instances of transphobia throughout the book yet most of these moments explain why they are wrong. There were moments in which Ciel would explain to the reader why something was transphobic or they would try and insert themselves in those moments to correct someone.

While I did enjoy this book and find it good the intended age range, I do feel like the end is unfinished. There was no real plot and the problems that did arise didn’t really solve themselves. The end felt like there was more of the story that needed to be told and so many of the problems that arose were either dismissed or not fully solved.

Characters: I like each of the characters that are introduced into the book and like that a majority of the main characters are transgender. Ciel is a latinx non binary person, Stephie is a trans girl, and Liam is a trans boy. I found each of the characters likable but would have liked to see a little bit more of their development.

Writing style: I like how Ciel explains a lot of the terminology that they use as words are introduced into the book. I thought that was a great way to educate the audience without distracting from the story. I also thought it was a good way to introduce identities as they appeared in the story through the different

This book was adorable. I loved seeing younger trans youth dealing with not just trans issues but also just living their lives. It was a great mixture of different life experiences and a refreshing break from the outside world. I really thought the main character was relatable and so were the trans friends. And the family relationships were so spot on. At times it was a little cliched, but overall it was really enjoyable and a book I'd recommend especially for LGBTQA+ youth.