I Am J — Cris Beam

"Hola, Jeni." J spun. His stomach clenched hard, as though he'd been hit. It was just the neighbor lady Mercedes. J couldn't muster a "hello" back, not now; he didn't care that she'd tell his mom he'd been rude. She should know better. Nobody, calls me Jeni anymore.

J always felt different. When he was younger, he'd been certain that eventually everyone would understand who he really was: a boy mistakenly born as a girl. Yet as he grew up, his body began to betray him. Eventually, J stopped praying to wake up a "real boy" and started covering up his body, keeping himself invisible -- from his family, from his friends . . . from the world. But after being deserted by the best friend he thought would always be by his side, J decides that he's done hiding -- it's time to be who he really is. And this time he is determined not to give up, no matter the cost.

I Am J is an inspiring story of self-discovery, of choosing to stand up for yourself, and of finding your own path. Readers will recognize a part of themselves in J's struggle to love his true self.