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
Identities of major characters: 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. 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 Ellen explore her own and leads to some tender moments between Ellen and her classmates, plus her father, who is one of the trip’s chaperones. Their strong father-daughter bond was a gorgeous addition to the novel, as well as what it means to be a Jewish family with individual Jewish identities.

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 neurodivergent and celebrate alongside Ellen as she begins thinking of her first independent steps into the world.