Ellen Outside The Lines
by A. J. Sass
Release date: March 22nd 2022
Setting: Mostly Barcelona, Spain
Genre: Middle grade fiction
Means of reading: E-book ARC
OwnVoices rep: Autism, LGBTQ+, Jewish
Review:
Ellen thinks her upcoming class trip to Barcelona will be the perfect chance to spend more time with her best friend Laurel, who has had a busy schedule over the summer. When the trip plans get changed around from the previous year's itinerary, Ellen is forced to let go of her expectations and work within a group without her best friend to complete a scavenger hunt of touristy clues, not so easy when she’s forced so far out of her autism comfort bubble. However, friendship blossoms with the new student in the class, Isa, who is non-binary. Isa begins educating Ellen about different LGBTQ+ identities, which helps her begin exploring her own and leads to some tender moments between her classmates and with her own father, who is one of the trip’s chaperones.
Some parts of the novel were hard to experience alongside Ellen - she learns many life lessons in these two weeks - but ultimately it all adds to a fantastic read. The first-person perspective heightens our experiences of Ellen’s internal perspective and how and when she may be struggling with sensory overload, anxiety, or other emotions she’s unsure how to process. On the flip side, we also get to see the joys that come with being neurodiverse and celebrate alongside Ellen as she begins thinking of her first independent steps into the world.
Besides this, Ellen’s relationship with her dad filled my heart with warmth. It feels so rare to read a novel with strong father-daughter bonds which are rarely challenged throughout the novel. As a Jewish family, it was wonderful to see those bonds reinforced during family times and how they navigated their Jewish identities while away from home. Spanish and Hebrew phrases and words are used throughout the novel without translation, which is a trend I’m loving seeing more of. I’m also very impressed that Ellen’s school had a two-week international trip when they were just 12 years old; the day-long coach trip my year took to Belgium in Year 9 pales by comparison!
If you have young people in your life you’d like to recommend a good neurodiverse #OwnVoices book too, this should be at the top of your list. If you’re looking for a fun but great read yourself, also super suitable!