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A review by chelseayedinak
The Art of Running Away by Sabrina Kleckner
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