cover image Exit Strategy

Exit Strategy

Lauren Allbright. Aladdin, $16.99 (176p) ISBN 978-1-4814-7912-7

In Allbright’s entertaining debut novel, an itinerant middle schooler gets a humorous lesson in building relationships and putting down roots. Ross Stevens hasn’t just moved 11 times: he has made a grand exit from each school he’s attended, often involving a big prank that would’ve gotten him suspended if he had stayed. It’s a solid track record of what he calls “exit-lence,” but when Ross’s grandfather falls ill, the commitment-phobic 12-year-old is forced to settle down. Unaccustomed to forging real friendships beyond those involving his family and one childhood best friend, Ross has to learn how to get to know people—and think about how he wants to be known. While researching “how to be funny” for a science fair project, Ross learns how humor can bring people together or tear friends apart. Allbright’s fresh take on middle school social dynamics is genuine and sweet without being saccharine. Readers learn alongside Ross just how rewarding it can be to take risks and show one’s true self to the world. Ages 9–13. Agent: Emily Keyes, Fuse Literary. [em](June) [/em]