Reviews tagging 'Kidnapping'

Clean Getaway by Nic Stone

5 reviews

mnerd63's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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nytephoenyx's review against another edition

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lighthearted reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Clean Getaway is a short book. It’s a middle grade novel that, in audiobook format, runs for just about four hours. It astounds me that in such a short span, Nic Stone is able to explore such complicated relationships with so much meaning and depth. I shouldn’t be surprised – this is Nic Stone, an incredible author, who writes with so much heart and passion. Clean Getaway is an example of how you can have a middle grade book that is sad, meaningful, heartwarming, and educational. It’s phenomenal.

Scoob is fighting with his dad, so when his grandmother shows up in an RV, he doesn’t ask questions, he just climbs in and goes along with her. That fateful moment turns out to be the beginning of an adventure. Over the course of the novel, Scoob learns about his family, Black history in America, and begins to understand that the people he loves are far more deep and complex than he thought. Clean Getaway is an adventure in an RV with Scoob’s G’Ma, for sure, but more than that… it shows a transition from childhood innocence and to a broader, young adult view of the world.

Nic Stone is one of those authors who does a really good job balancing internal and external conflicts. Internally, Scoob struggles with the latest disagreement between him and his father, and trying to understand what he needs to do to be safe, and learning empathy for those who have had different life experiences than him. Externally, Scoob has the extreme challenge of being wingman to his grandmother, who does not always seem like herself. Both storylines are written incredibly well. It’s challenging in a middle grade book to see character growth without being too tacky and without sacrificing atmosphere. Nic Stone has achieved perfect balance, allowing Scoob to grow (even in just the span of a few days) while maintaining an immersive story.

This book is excellent for middle grade readers, particularly the more advanced ones. That said, I don’t think young adults or adults should bypass it. While the protagonist of the book is younger, the themes and story told are prevalent to any age. It’s an enjoyable read, and a quick one. This is one I can easily recommend and would purchase to put in my Little Free Library. 
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morganperks's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional informative sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0


I'm not sure how to explain my thoughts. I liked the road trip aspect. I liked Scoob. He was a good kid. You see from his internal reflection and conversations with his grandmother that he's contemplated his actions. Scoob has clearly learned from his mistakes at school and wants to be better. I also liked how Scoob talked about his dad. He recognized that his dad loved him and wanted to protect him. I thought the commentary on traveling through the south during the civil rights era was well done and informative, much needed in middle grade. I liked the moral/ethical questions the book brought up.
It aggravated me how G'ma was painted as this civil rights activist throughout the book. Then reveals that she let her black husband (the alleged love of her life) go to prison for a crime she committed. Don't even get me started on her list of petty crimes. It's completely selfish and inconsiderate to admit all of this to her 11-year-old grandson, leaving him with either the guilt of carrying these family secrets or the burden of telling his dad. It might have been fine if the above events still happened as long as we got to see a resolution. I don't need a happy ever after, but there must be a sense of closure. At the very least, there needed to be some internal thoughts of Scoob working through the traumatic (yes, very traumatic) information he now knows. Also, G'ma continued to steal jewelry with her Black grandchild after what happened to her husband. She chose to put him in danger of being wrongly accused because of his skin color WHILE educating him on the history of racism in the south. Idk about you, but that seems a little Get Out to me.


I picked this up as a potential read-aloud but I'm not sure I would use it. I do think the kids would like the story and it does lend itself to some good discussion questions but I'm not sure if I could get through this one again.
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foreverinastory's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This was such a great book.

Clean Getaway is a middle grade contemporary about Scoob. He's recently gotten in trouble even though he wasn't the one actually cheating. His dad has cancelled his spring break trip and grounded him. But when his beloved G-ma asks if he wants to go on a surprise trip with her, he doesn't hesitate to get in the RV.

I love Nic Stone and everything she writes. Her characters are always dynamic and fleshed out. This one is more of a character driven story, but I really enjoyed Scoob's journey into his family history and reconciling the segregation of the past with what being a Black boy now means. Racism is a big theme in the book, and while police violence is something discussed, there are no scenes of it on page in this book.

The dynamic between Scoob and his G-ma was so interesting. They have so many fascinating conversations about race and history. It's only made more complicated by the fact that his G-ma is white. I loved that there was a lot of history in this book, but it's presented in an engaging way that is sure to be easy for kids to consume.

The ending was a little heartbreaking but it was also heartwarming. I loved this story about family bonds and history.

Rep: Biracial Black cishet male MC, biracial black cishet male side character, elderly white cishet female side character, Black female side character, side character with epilepsy.

CWs: Racism, discussions of segregation, Jim Crow laws and lynching. Moderate: Kidnapping, cancer, death, death of parent, bullying, ableism, violence. 
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mandkips's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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