Ellen Outside the Lines by A. J. Sass

Abstract

Reviewed by: Ellen Outside the Lines by A. J. Sass Elizabeth Bush Sass, A. J. Ellen Outside the Lines. Little, 2022 [336p] Trade ed. ISBN 9780759556270 $16.99 E-book ed. ISBN 9780759556300 $9.99 Reviewed from digital galleys R Gr. 5-8 With practical guidance and strong support from a therapist and loving parents, Ellen Katz, who has autism, has been navigating adolescence quite well. The adults recognize, though, that it’s time for Ellen to level up, and a summer trip to Barcelona for rising eighth graders, chaperoned by Ellen’s father, is an opportunity for Ellen to stretch her wings. She prepares for the trip with expectations and strategies that have thus far served her well, but these promptly fall apart when her copious lists and schedules—based on information about previous Barcelona trips—prove to be outdated. Meanwhile, best friend Laurel wants to widen their friend group, and Mr. Katz seems determined to step back rather than swoop in and help Ellen. The students are divided into small groups and sent out on a city-wide scavenger hunt, and Ellen, squirming under enforced separation from Laurel, now has to rely on her teammates. However, she’s got support from Isa, a non-binary transfer student, whose category-eschewing identity first confuses pigeonhole-reliant Ellen but ultimately opens her mind to a world more complex than her cocooned life has yet introduced. There’s a lot of ambient subplotting around Barcelona sightseeing, teammates’ crushes, and Katz parent backstories that can get distracting, but Ellen’s enriching summer not only marks her own growth, it also encourages readers to rethink and soften any rigid social categories that narrow their own worldviews. An author’s note about Sass’ experiences as an autistic person is appended. Copyright © 2022 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois