when i heard that we had to read a book about a girl who wants to become a boy for english class, my first instinct was that the book would be bad, a simple stereotypical novel that would fail to convey more than that. in fact, it turned out to be quite the contrary. i should have had more faith in my teacher. anyway, this book is simply marvelous. the story is about so much more than just Mary/Martin; the quest for identity affects Tim and Walter as well. all the characters in this book are so real and each amazing in his or her own way. i know this is a poor review and does not do the novel justice, but i just wanted to add my 5 stars to the average. this book is not to be missed.