The Transition

Gr 9 Up–Transgender teen Hunter is finally living as a boy. Having top surgery was the last major step in his medical transition, and he is ready to finish high school with his best guy friend, Gabe, and continue working part-time at the local movie theater with his best girl friend, Mars. One night, while hanging out with Gabe, Hunter is viciously attacked and bitten in the leg by a large, wolflike creature. The wound doesn’t immediately heal, and Hunter’s body starts to revert slowly back to some of his pre-transition characteristics; to his horror, he sees himself being slowly transformed by the bite in more ways than one. As a commanding voice in his mind begins to compel Hunter, he realizes that the werewolf who bit him is summoning him to form part of a new pack. Kisner weaves an interesting semi-graphic depiction of a trans teen going through a different kind of a transformation: becoming a werewolf. This is an intriguing lens through which to broach the subject of a character’s body going through a radical change via surgical as well as supernatural means, and the novel never comes off as preachy or condescending. It offers an interesting vantage point into the idea of feeling out of control of one’s body and the emotional fallout it can cause. Hunter’s growing closeness with Gabe and how their feelings develop over time make for an interesting subplot that will draw in readers looking for an unlikely romance.