Paula McMillen, Ph.D. (Children's Literature)
I need you to do me a favor,” writes an anonymous commentator as a prelude to chapter One. The reader is asked to reach over the top of his or her head and touch the opposite ear. We’re then told that Georgie can’t do that, “even if he wanted to.” Through these short assignments at the beginning of every chapter, we are made aware how the simple actions we take for granted are not options for our intrepid fourth- grade protagonist, Georgie. It turns out Georgie is a dwarf, a small person in a big world, and he’s doing very well, thank you, with a great best friend, Andy, who handles the really big dogs in their dog-walking business, and two loving parents who are symphony musicians. But then Georgie learns his mom is going to have a baby, who might grow up to play an instrument the way his parents hoped he would, his best friend seems to have found a new best friend and business partner, and the girl who has taunted him since kindergarten, Jeanie the Meanie, is now his partner for a big school project and apparently still determined to make his life miserable. It all seems like just too much, but help shows up from an unexpected quarter and Georgie figures out that he can look beyond his limitations to his strengths, as others already have. Short chapters, credible preadolescent dialogue, and engaging male and female protagonists make this is an accessible book for learning about living with and looking beyond differences. It would have been greatly enhanced by providing a few select resources about dwarfism as supplemental material since the subject certainly arouses the reader’s curiosity. 2006, Laura Geringer Books/HarperCollins Publishers, $15.99. Ages 8 to 12.

Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, December 15, 2006 (Vol. 74, No. 24))
Georgie is a dwarf, and Andy, his best friend, doesn’t seem to care. The two are practically inseparable and even have a dog-walking business together. They have their own interests too; Georgie, for example, loves classical music even though his short fingers prevent him from playing the instruments his musician parents do. Overall, life is good. Then Georgie finds out his parents are going to have a baby who may quickly outgrow him—and be able to share music with their parents in a way that he can’t. He and Andy have a fight when Andy invites another friend to join their dog-walking business. Finally, Georgie is paired with Jeanie the Meanie, his nemesis, for a school project. How much can one fourth-grader take? A likable hero, Georgie is realistically drawn, and inventive suggestions at the start of many chapters will help readers understand some aspects of life as a little person. If a trifle earnest—every problem clearly presents an opportunity for Georgie to learn and grow—this is nonetheless a compelling portrayal of dwarfism, differences and growing up. 2007, HarperCollins, 224p, $15.99. Category: Fiction. Ages 8 to 10. © 2006 Kirkus Reviews/VNU eMedia, Inc. All rights reserved.

Gretchen Black (Kutztown Book Review, Fall 2007)
This book is geared toward middle school and is about a young boy who is a dwarf who finds his life changing dramatically when he gets in a fight with his best friend that he has had since he was a baby. He starts to feel isolated and different, something he has never felt, even though he is different. His friend starts hanging out with other kids and he starts up an unlikely friendship with a girl the kids call Jeanie the meanie. She is a big girl that is a tomboy and he is a dwarf, so they make an odd combination. When he finds out his parents are expecting another child he has to come to grips with his place in the world. This is a very good book about what it’s like to be different. Category: Realistic Fiction. 2006, Laura Geringer Books, $15.99. Ages 11 to 14.

Hope Morrison (The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books, April 2007 (Vol. 60, No. 8))
The “thing about Georgie” is that Georgie is a dwarf. Now in fourth grade, Georgie is comfortable in his slightly modified world (a stool by the blackboard just for him, a lever on his light switch, a milk crate under his desk), but he soon finds himself buffeted by a ripple of change. First he finds out his parents are having a baby, then he and his best friend, Andy, get into a terrible fight, and to top it off he is assigned to a class project with Jeanie, a.k.a. “Jeanie the Meanie.” This is a remarkable story of maturation, featuring a boy whose growing up is not evident on the tape measure he keeps hidden in the back of his closet. Georgie’s anxieties ring absolutely true, from his fears at making new friends to his worry that an average-sized sibling will outshine him, and readers will readily embrace the complexity of concerns running through Georgie’s head. Throughout the novel, handwritten entries invite the reader to participate in different exercises that aid in understanding Georgie’s world, from performing physical tasks that are difficult for Georgie (e.g., holding a pencil, tying shoelaces) to staring at a drawing of Georgie for thirty seconds (just to get the staring out of the way). The final chapter reveals that Jeanie, who doesn’t prove to be such a “meanie” after all, is the writer of these passages, and she has actually been working hard to understand what it is like to be Georgie. At the heart of the novel lies the message that no one “thing” about anyone is wholly definitive and that everyone is made up of lots of different characteristics, traits and “things.” Especially likely to draw fans of the TLC series Little People, Big World, this entertaining and thoughtful read will encourage youngsters to consider the true nature of growth. Review Code: R -- Recommended. (c) Copyright 2006, The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. 2007, Geringer/HarperCollins, 220p., $16.89 and $15.99. Grades 3-6.

Horn Book (The Horn Book Guide, Fall 2007)
The novel introduces its main character by having readers touch their left ears with their right hands, something Georgie cannot do because he is a dwarf. What could have been heavy-handed becomes a way for readers to empathize with Georgie as he faces sibling rivalry and a falling-out with a friend. Graff has created a likable, realistic fourth grader. Category: Intermediate Fiction. 2007, HarperCollins/Geringer, 220pp, 15.99, 16.89. Ages 9 to 12. Rating: 2: Superior, well above average.