Zack's Story: Growing Up with Same-Sex Parents (Meeting the Challenge) [Library Binding]

Keith Elliot Greenberg (Author), Carol Halebian (Photographer)

Book Description

Age Level: 7 and up | Grade Level: 2 and up | Series: Meeting the Challenge

An eleven-year-old boy describes life as part of a family made up of himself, his mother and her lesbian partner.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-7. Another in a series on growing up in complex families, this full-color photo-essay is narrated by Zack, 11. His parents are divorced; he lives with his mother and her partner, Margie. His father lives within walking distance with his new wife and their baby. Zack feels lucky that, "My dad and my mom are still friendly. He's really cool, and never says ignorant things about gay people." Some of his friends do, though, and he has to confront this. He also dispels the myth that gay parents automatically have gay kids: "I'm not my mother. I'm me. I plan to get married to a woman and have my own family one day." Zack skates in the gay pride parade in New York City with his mothers (they walk), goes to Shea Stadium with his dad, is a regular kid. He calls Margie his "second mother" and says her parents "are like my grandparents." By the book's end, Zack has a second little sister, Margie's child by "a medical procedure, sort of like an operation, but not as complicated. When it was over, Margie was pregnant." In an appendix, artificial insemination is defined as a medical procedure in which "a woman becomes pregnant without any sexual contact." Ann Heron and Meredith Maran's How Would You Feel If Your Dad Was Gay (Alyson, 1991) is fictionalized, and its black-and-white line drawings are not as attractive. A useful addition.?Nancy Schimmel, formerly at San Mateo County Library, CA
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Gr. 5^-7. Eleven-year-old Zack talks about his life with his lesbian mother and his "second mother" in an attractively appointed photo-essay that is part of the Meeting the Challenge series. Pictures catch Zack at home, at school, at the Gay Pride Parade in New York City, and with his dad and his dad's other family. Zack mentions how he feels when he hears "bad stuff about gays" at school and how he's handled a few uncomfortable situations ("One day, one of my friends used the word `faggot'" ), but that's a very small part of this cheerful, rather slick portrait of family life. Zack's voice isn't particularly authentic, sounding occasionally more like an adult's lecture than an 11-year-old's ingenuous telling. And because the pictures aren't captioned, it's not immediately clear which of the women shown is actually Zack's mom. But with positive nonfiction portraits of family structures like Zack's almost nonexistent for middle readers, this will be of value till something a little less preachy comes along. Carolyn's Story, an equally cheerful book about an adopted Honduran child, is listed in this issue's Series Roundup. Stephanie Zvirin

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 7 and up
  
• Library Binding: 40 pages
• Publisher: Lerner Publishing Group (October 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 082252581X
• ISBN-13: 978-0822525813
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 8 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,699,685 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars You might like it, March 26, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Zack's Story: Growing Up with Same-Sex Parents (Meeting the Challenge) (Library Binding)

This is an autobiographical-like story told by young Zack about his very full and well rounded life with his lesbian parents. It is illustrated but with photographs rather than drawings. I prefer fictional stories with colorful and creative illustrations. But if you or your child want something more reality based this book could be for you.

3 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent!, September 3, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Zack's Story: Growing Up with Same-Sex Parents (Meeting the Challenge) (Library Binding)

This book is an excellent resource for same-sex parents in explaining their lifestyle to their children. My partner, Pat, and I found this invaluable in explaining to my daughter, Mary, about her Mommy's alternative lifestyle. Mary really seemed to understand and absorb the story. Sure, she is going as a lumberjack instead of a princess for Halloween this year, but I see nothing wrong with letting her express her masculine side. I'm so proud - she says that she too would like to be a lesbian when she grows up.

I can't wait for Part 2 in this series - "Mommy, Why is My Daddy a Test Tube?"