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koebatja's review against another edition
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
nicolemhewitt's review
The Art of Running Away tells the complicated story of a girl who learns that her family loyalties might be misplaced and struggles with how to make sense of a new reality. When Maisie's parents learn that their art business is in trouble, they send Maisie off to go spend the summer with her aunt in Scotland so they can deal with the problem. But when she gets there, she is confronted with her long-lost brother who ran away when Maisie was only six. Maisie has spent years resenting her brother for leaving and causing turmoil in her family, but she soon realizes that the story is a lot more complicated than she was led to believe--and that her parents may actually bear the brunt of the blame for the rift. The book focuses on LGBTQ+ issues and brings to light complicated family relationships. A great read for kids who might be struggling with these same issues.
***Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley for review purposes. No other compensation was given and all opinions are my own.***
***Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley for review purposes. No other compensation was given and all opinions are my own.***
chelseayedinak's review
5.0
* I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review *
These characters frustrated me at times and made me so proud at others. I really appreciate when middle grade books not only show some of the issues and larger problems that their reading age group could face, but break down the ideas behind those issues and demonstrate better ways to handle them. The plot is a little hard to quickly summarize, but essentially, Maisie is sent to Edinburgh to live with her aunt for the summer, but when her older brother Calum (who ran away from home six years ago) shows up and wants to get to know her better, she runs away with him to London and learns more about her family's past and makes decisions for her future. I was not a fan of the parents, although obviously their mistakes and shortcomings are part of the central conflict in the plot, so that makes sense. I got frustrated with Maisie at times, but she is a 12-year-old girl who is dealing with heavy issues for the first time, so she gets some grace, too.
For me, what stood out about this book were Calum and his roommates. All three of them work as mentors for Maisie in different ways and help her as she figures out that her parents aren't perfect people, but they're also not terrible and could potentially earn back her trust. Learning your parents are humans who make mistakes is a difficult lesson at any age, which is why I was especially impressed with how the author broke things down for Maisie and for the reader. I think this could be a good book for kids and families dealing with the fallout from homophobia, learning that not all homophobic behavior is necessarily open and obvious, and wondering how they can support those in their lives who might deal with issues similar to Calum and Maisie.
TW: homophobia
These characters frustrated me at times and made me so proud at others. I really appreciate when middle grade books not only show some of the issues and larger problems that their reading age group could face, but break down the ideas behind those issues and demonstrate better ways to handle them. The plot is a little hard to quickly summarize, but essentially, Maisie is sent to Edinburgh to live with her aunt for the summer, but when her older brother Calum (who ran away from home six years ago) shows up and wants to get to know her better, she runs away with him to London and learns more about her family's past and makes decisions for her future. I was not a fan of the parents, although obviously their mistakes and shortcomings are part of the central conflict in the plot, so that makes sense. I got frustrated with Maisie at times, but she is a 12-year-old girl who is dealing with heavy issues for the first time, so she gets some grace, too.
For me, what stood out about this book were Calum and his roommates. All three of them work as mentors for Maisie in different ways and help her as she figures out that her parents aren't perfect people, but they're also not terrible and could potentially earn back her trust. Learning your parents are humans who make mistakes is a difficult lesson at any age, which is why I was especially impressed with how the author broke things down for Maisie and for the reader. I think this could be a good book for kids and families dealing with the fallout from homophobia, learning that not all homophobic behavior is necessarily open and obvious, and wondering how they can support those in their lives who might deal with issues similar to Calum and Maisie.
TW: homophobia
angiew23's review
4.0
This is an interesting middle grade book that deals with growing up. Breaking out of your comfort zone, as well as running away are both topics which are also woven throughout. I would say this book would be interesting/a good fit for preteens and teens in the 11-14 year old range, so an older middle grade/middle school fiction. The story is fairly interesting and I think that many young people would enjoy this book.
jugglingpup's review
4.0
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I got an ARC of this book.
I honestly didn’t expect much from this book. I expected cute and pretty fast. Instead I was given deep and powerful. This book is not what I imagine when I imagine middle grade, instead it is now one of the standards I have for middle grade novels.
The big themes are being true to yourself and what it means to love someone. The sort of themes I always want and always seek out. The true to yourself plot is really about Maisie learning how to do her own art and how to separate herself from those around her. Her art is identical to her dad’s. She sees her and her best friend as pretty much the same person, so any growth is seen as scary and difficult. It was a really wonderful and deep look at growing up and the differences between growing apart and growing together. Maisie has to confront her own feelings of inadequacies and learn that she still has a place in her best friend’s life even if her best friend is now dating.
I love that a lot of Maisie’s growth is supported by a character that I wasn’t expecting. Her brother’s boyfriend! He really is the voice of reason, well him and their flat mate. It was wonderful that Calum is still hurting and that he is not perfectly fine after being away for six years. Instead he is human. He is allowed to be flawed and he is allowed to have complicated feelings, even though it made the ending not have the perfect bow wrapped around it. I just adored Calum, no matter if he was 117 or not.
The only real issue I have with this book is the cutting off contact with family. Maisie is twelve. She turns off her phone a lot and ignores her parents. Her parents did not immediately send Lisa to check on her. Lisa does not immediately go and get her. This seems so odd. This is especially odd when Maisie’s mom even says that if she does it again there will be big consequences, but then there aren’t. It felt like a plot hole. It took me out of the story enough to drop this book a whole star. It happened so often.
Overall, this was a surprising book and I highly recommend it.
I got an ARC of this book.
I honestly didn’t expect much from this book. I expected cute and pretty fast. Instead I was given deep and powerful. This book is not what I imagine when I imagine middle grade, instead it is now one of the standards I have for middle grade novels.
The big themes are being true to yourself and what it means to love someone. The sort of themes I always want and always seek out. The true to yourself plot is really about Maisie learning how to do her own art and how to separate herself from those around her. Her art is identical to her dad’s. She sees her and her best friend as pretty much the same person, so any growth is seen as scary and difficult. It was a really wonderful and deep look at growing up and the differences between growing apart and growing together. Maisie has to confront her own feelings of inadequacies and learn that she still has a place in her best friend’s life even if her best friend is now dating.
I love that a lot of Maisie’s growth is supported by a character that I wasn’t expecting. Her brother’s boyfriend! He really is the voice of reason, well him and their flat mate. It was wonderful that Calum is still hurting and that he is not perfectly fine after being away for six years. Instead he is human. He is allowed to be flawed and he is allowed to have complicated feelings, even though it made the ending not have the perfect bow wrapped around it. I just adored Calum, no matter if he was 117 or not.
The only real issue I have with this book is the cutting off contact with family. Maisie is twelve. She turns off her phone a lot and ignores her parents. Her parents did not immediately send Lisa to check on her. Lisa does not immediately go and get her. This seems so odd. This is especially odd when Maisie’s mom even says that if she does it again there will be big consequences, but then there aren’t. It felt like a plot hole. It took me out of the story enough to drop this book a whole star. It happened so often.
Overall, this was a surprising book and I highly recommend it.
shannonsnextchapter's review
4.0
A colourful story of art, family, and identity, The Art of Running Away by Sabrina Kleckner follows twelve-year-old Maisie all the way to the United Kingdom, where she sets out to make amends with her estranged brother and discover her own creative style.
megsib's review
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
One of the middle grade rainbow list winners. This was a great story about talent, passion, art, and found family. The kids and young adults in the book are really dynamic and interesting. The adults are quite stark. They have some complexity, which I appreciated, but compared to the kids in the book, their characters don't have much of an appeal, which works for the book... I think? As a parent, the parents' ongoing choices were bewildering, and it was clear why the main character was confused and angered by them.
The story of understanding allyship and the work it takes is wonderful and compelling. It made the story very meaningful.
The story of understanding allyship and the work it takes is wonderful and compelling. It made the story very meaningful.
ritareadstrash's review
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I think this a great book. There's a lot of material here to start a conversation with kids on how to be an ally. There's also a lot of great emotionally deep moments, that I feel tweens get overlooked for having the capacity to handle. I greatly enjoyed the discussion on the impact of forgiveness on trust.
a_blue_box_full_of_books's review
5.0
Maisie is passionate about art. She spends hours in Glenna’s , the familial art shop. But one evening, her world collapses, as her parents tell her she will spend the summer in Scotland, with an aunt she never met before. Little does she know that this foreign adventure will allow her to reunite with her brother, who ran away from home when she was six.
I loved the relationship between twelve-year-old Maisie and her big brother Calum. It is absolutely sweet, and feels at the same time so reel. I was deeply touched by how they learn to know each other after many years of silence. I was impressed by how the author subtly included the LGBT topic : with simple words she goes through what it means to be an ally, and how feeling different can sometimes hurt. The Art of Running Away is a book meant to be shared, and talked about, especially between adult and younger readers. It is a discussion opener, not only about LGBT topics, but also about what makes you, YOU. Young Maisie is passionate about art, but has a hard time finding what her path is. She grows a lot during the novel, both emotionally and mentally.
I loved the Art of Running away so much ! This middle grade novel will speak to the art of many readers. It is Sabrina Kleckner's first novel, and what a debut novel ! This book has everything, from being extremely well written, having wonderful characters, to discussing difficult topics. I will certainly look into Sabrina’s future books !
nadiacoleccionista's review
Thank you so much Netgalley for the copy in exchange for an honest review.
we have a middle grade story in which our main character is involved in the art world and the art store that her grandmother started and is now going through hard times; and after her parents send her to her aunt to find other hobbies, she runs into her brother who she hasn't seen in years and ponders whether to go with him or stay with her aunt, but believes her brother may hold the key to saving the art store.
The plot explores culture, art, the relationship between parents and teens, coming of age, sibling bonding and friendship. I think each of these topics were covered in a good way that I liked, but I feel like the parents who are the people with the "wiser" advice didn't play a good role and that threw me off a bit.
I highly recommend it for all ages, it has interesting and important topics that it covers in a good way, the main character is curious and easy to like and it's a pretty light read:)
we have a middle grade story in which our main character is involved in the art world and the art store that her grandmother started and is now going through hard times; and after her parents send her to her aunt to find other hobbies, she runs into her brother who she hasn't seen in years and ponders whether to go with him or stay with her aunt, but believes her brother may hold the key to saving the art store.
The plot explores culture, art, the relationship between parents and teens, coming of age, sibling bonding and friendship. I think each of these topics were covered in a good way that I liked, but I feel like the parents who are the people with the "wiser" advice didn't play a good role and that threw me off a bit.
I highly recommend it for all ages, it has interesting and important topics that it covers in a good way, the main character is curious and easy to like and it's a pretty light read:)