Library Class and Subject Guides: Meet the Author of Beautiful Music for Ugly Children: About the Book

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Live streaming of the event funded by Maverick Visual Productions, a service of ITS, and Library Services.

Book Trailer

Summary of the Book from the Author--Kirstin Cronn-Mills

If you are unfamiliar with Gabe’s world and need a basic synopsis of the book, here you go:

BEAUTIFUL MUSIC FOR UGLY CHILDREN is the story of how Gabe learns to be a guy so he can leave Elizabeth behind. Some good things happen in the course of his summer—Gabe graduates, gets asked out, and gets loved by the fans of his show. But he also gets outed and threatened, and he must defend himself against violence that’s rooted in fear. In essence, Gabe’s journey to find himself is the same one we all take. His is just electrified, amplified, and broadcast into the night.

Extracted from the author's website

Listen to a Book Reading by Author

Beautiful Music for Ugly Children Meet-the-Author Book Reading
from TeachingBooks.net

Checkout the Book's Playlist

Beautiful Music for Ugly Children Playlist
Listen to the music from the book.

Checkout the Book from the MSU, Mankato Library

Beautiful Music for Ugly Children by Kirstin Cronn-Mills
"This is Beautiful Music for Ugly Children, on community radio 90.3, KZUK. I'm Gabe. Welcome to my show." My birth name is Elizabeth, but I'm a guy. Gabe. My parents think I've gone crazy and the rest of the world is happy to agree with them, but I know I'm right. I've been a boy my whole life. When you think about it, I'm like a record. Elizabeth is my A side, the song everybody knows, and Gabe is my B side--not heard as often, but just as good. It's time to let my B side play. Winner of the 2014 Stonewall Book Award for Children's and Young Adult Literature.