angelbabe_cj's review
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
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
jackie_reads_314's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Incredible. It was such a delight to read and experience the support that Ellen's parents exhibited throughout the read. The comedic relief was well written, the scenes that discussed gender and sexuality were sincere and informative, without feeling like a lecture. The author captured the experience of growing apart from lifelong friends just as well as they captured finally being accepted, quirks and all, by others. Though the ending was not a "happily ever after" set up, I feel that the ambiguity, and the acceptance thereof, showed how much the character has grown.
cassiahf's review
lighthearted
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? No
5.0
mixtercharlie's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This was an adorable middle grade novel about navigating changing friendships as an autistic person that I wish I’d had as a kid. Great book, and I’d highly recommend to middle-grade (3/4th grade-7th grade) readers, but also wonderful book for any teenagers or older adults.
lolasreviews's review
5.0
Ellen Outside the Lines was a wonderful story about an autistic thirteen-year-old who goes on a school trip to Barcelona. She makes new friends and deals with her changing friendship with her best friend while discovering Barcelona. I really liked this book and it got hooked me from the first chapter with it's realistic and relatable main character. I really liked how the author wrote about Ellen and how they wrote about her being autistic. Besides that there is a side character Gibbs who has ADHD, someone who recently discovered he's gay and Isa who is non-binary. It all was handled well and I liked reading about these characters, how they interacts with each other and figure out things about their own identity.
This book is very character driven, following their journey and perspectives and getting to know them. Then there are changing and developing friendships and exploring Barcelona. There's also a scavenger hunt, which was surprisingly fun to read about. There are lots of great themes and topics all interwoven into the story, from acceptance to neurodivergence, to gender identity, friendships and more. I thought it was all wonderfully handled and woven throughout the story. The ending is a bit open, but after some consideration I actually thought worked really well. There's no vision of the future or showcase of what comes next and I thought that somehow fit the book well.
Ellen the main character is great to read about, I thought the author wrote her really well. She's autistic and it's part of her personality and it felt very natural and realistic the way it was described. I really liked reading about her and at times really felt for her with her struggles and the way other people don't always understand so she couldn't always act how she wanted too and I thought that was sad. I liked her insight into being autistic and how she was very self aware and sometimes had to remind herself of her therapists' advice and work through things. She got some parts of her worldview challenged and I liked how she absorbed the new information and how that fit into what she knew. There are times where she makes mistakes, but I liked how she realizes this and apologizes even though it's tough.
This book is filled with great side characters too. Isa who is non-binary shines from the pages the first time they appear. They're clearly comfortable in their own skin and I liked reading about them. Andy and Gibbs were very likeable too. I thought Gibbs would be an annoying judging character at first, but I quickly figured out that wasn't the direction he was going in at all. He isn't afraid to ask questions, but I also felt like he really listened to answers and changed his behavior and thoughts based on that. Abba is Ellen's father who is along with this trip and I liked how supportive he was and gave Ellen space but also was there when she needed help or talk things through and help her udnerstand things. And then there is Laurel who is Ellen's best friend and I thought she felt pretty realistic too, even though she and Ellen struggle sometimes with their changing friendship and I didn't always like her, I felt she was written well and felt realistic.
I liked reading about how all the characters interacted and how different their friendships are. I especially liked how accepting Ellen's scavenger hunt team was and how they all work together to solve the clues. They really felt like a team and it was great to read about it.
It was fun to visit Barcelona alongside Ellen and her friends. I've never visited the city, but thought the author described it really well so it really felt like I was there alongside the characters and I could visualize what everything looked like.
To summarize: This was a wonderful book about a an autistic thirteen year old who visits Barcelona on a school trip. It felts very real, realistic and relatable. The story deals with a variety of themes and topics that are all woven throughout the story of their Barcelona visit and scavenger hunt there. It's about diversity in all it's forms, there's the autistic main character, someone with ADHD, someone's whose gay and a non-binary character. It's all handled well and made for an engaging story. There are themes of figuring out your identity, acceptance and also the struggles that come with being different. It could be a bit sad at times when people judged Ellen or she couldn't be fully herself, but there are plenty of scenes with people being wonderfully understanding and accepting too. I liked reading about the scavenger hunt and visiting Barcelona alongside the characters. I could visualize the city and the places they visit well thanks to the way the author describes things. Ellen is a great main character and I enjoyed reading about them. There are plenty of realistic and interesting side characters too and I liked reading about them and their interactions with each other. I really enjoyed reading this book and will be checking out more of this authors books for sure.
This book is very character driven, following their journey and perspectives and getting to know them. Then there are changing and developing friendships and exploring Barcelona. There's also a scavenger hunt, which was surprisingly fun to read about. There are lots of great themes and topics all interwoven into the story, from acceptance to neurodivergence, to gender identity, friendships and more. I thought it was all wonderfully handled and woven throughout the story. The ending is a bit open, but after some consideration I actually thought worked really well. There's no vision of the future or showcase of what comes next and I thought that somehow fit the book well.
Ellen the main character is great to read about, I thought the author wrote her really well. She's autistic and it's part of her personality and it felt very natural and realistic the way it was described. I really liked reading about her and at times really felt for her with her struggles and the way other people don't always understand so she couldn't always act how she wanted too and I thought that was sad. I liked her insight into being autistic and how she was very self aware and sometimes had to remind herself of her therapists' advice and work through things. She got some parts of her worldview challenged and I liked how she absorbed the new information and how that fit into what she knew. There are times where she makes mistakes, but I liked how she realizes this and apologizes even though it's tough.
This book is filled with great side characters too. Isa who is non-binary shines from the pages the first time they appear. They're clearly comfortable in their own skin and I liked reading about them. Andy and Gibbs were very likeable too. I thought Gibbs would be an annoying judging character at first, but I quickly figured out that wasn't the direction he was going in at all. He isn't afraid to ask questions, but I also felt like he really listened to answers and changed his behavior and thoughts based on that. Abba is Ellen's father who is along with this trip and I liked how supportive he was and gave Ellen space but also was there when she needed help or talk things through and help her udnerstand things. And then there is Laurel who is Ellen's best friend and I thought she felt pretty realistic too, even though she and Ellen struggle sometimes with their changing friendship and I didn't always like her, I felt she was written well and felt realistic.
I liked reading about how all the characters interacted and how different their friendships are. I especially liked how accepting Ellen's scavenger hunt team was and how they all work together to solve the clues. They really felt like a team and it was great to read about it.
It was fun to visit Barcelona alongside Ellen and her friends. I've never visited the city, but thought the author described it really well so it really felt like I was there alongside the characters and I could visualize what everything looked like.
To summarize: This was a wonderful book about a an autistic thirteen year old who visits Barcelona on a school trip. It felts very real, realistic and relatable. The story deals with a variety of themes and topics that are all woven throughout the story of their Barcelona visit and scavenger hunt there. It's about diversity in all it's forms, there's the autistic main character, someone with ADHD, someone's whose gay and a non-binary character. It's all handled well and made for an engaging story. There are themes of figuring out your identity, acceptance and also the struggles that come with being different. It could be a bit sad at times when people judged Ellen or she couldn't be fully herself, but there are plenty of scenes with people being wonderfully understanding and accepting too. I liked reading about the scavenger hunt and visiting Barcelona alongside the characters. I could visualize the city and the places they visit well thanks to the way the author describes things. Ellen is a great main character and I enjoyed reading about them. There are plenty of realistic and interesting side characters too and I liked reading about them and their interactions with each other. I really enjoyed reading this book and will be checking out more of this authors books for sure.
chess__bored's review
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
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
4.75
since realizing i am autistic, i've been seeking out books with autie main characters and this has to be one of my favorites! stimming is mentioned, and the MC wears headphones, flaps their hands, loves to organize things in a notebook, and gets overstimulated just like me! I lost sleep thinking about how seen I felt in this book and reading more about the friends the MC makes and how much more accommodating they are to her sensory needs
thereserose's review
adventurous
lighthearted
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
4.25
kayladaila's review
adventurous
emotional
informative
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0