Marvelous Middle Grade Monday: Clean Getaway, by Nic Stone
Participating in the Marvelous Middle Grade Mondays blog hop, hosted by Greg Pattrige of Always in the Middle, with loads of reviews of Middle Grade fiction (books for roughly ages 8-12).
This is a review of the audio book.
Title: Clean Getaway
Author: Nic Stone, read by Dion Graham
Publication Info: Penguin Random House audio, 2020, 4 hours. Hardback by Crown Books for Young Readers, 2020, 240 pages.
Source: Library
Publisher's Blurb:
How to Go on an Unplanned Road Trip with Your Grandma:
* Grab a Suitcase: Prepacked from the big spring break trip that got CANCELLED.
* Fasten Your Seatbelt: G'ma's never conventional, so this trip won't be either.
* Use the Green Book: G'ma's most treasured possession. It holds history, memories, and, most important, the way home.
What Not to Bring:
* A Cell Phone: Avoid contact with Dad at all costs. Even when G'ma starts acting stranger than usual.
Set
against the backdrop of the segregation history of the American South,
take a trip with New York Times bestselling Nic Stone and an
eleven-year-old boy who is about to discover the world hasn't always
been a welcoming place for kids like him, and things aren't always what
they seem--his G'ma included.
My Review:
Honestly, I'm not sure what I think of this book. It was an engaging story and I was happy to keep listening when I should have been doing other things. At first I thought we had a standard story of a kid who needs a more caring adult in his life, getting one. Then things start to go sideways, and I'm not quite sure what I think about it.
I felt at first that the narrator, "Scoob," was quite a bit older than eleven. Maybe it was the bit about the cell phone, maybe something about the way he speaks of the trouble he got into (the reason that spring break trip was cancelled). As the trip goes on and things spin out of control, Scoob falls into place in my mind as a kid, unsure what to do when the adult isn't acting right.
One thing is clear: while sticking with a contemporary setting, the book makes the racist history of our country clear to the reader, young or old, and doesn't pull any punches. Scoob is shocked by some of what he learns, maybe in part because when it is talked about in school, it's history, but he's learning his grandparents lived it. Suddenly the things his father says about him having to be better than the other kids make sense.
I don't know how that revelation--that as a black male, Scoob is subject to distrust and a presumption of guilt--reads to the middle-grade kids the book is aimed at. I guess the children of color are nodding their heads, already knowing that. The white kids may be surprised or unbelieving. And me? It made me want to cry.
My Recommendation:
Some elements of this book may make adults uncomfortable. None of us like to be reminded of the injustice that pervades our society. That's why I think it's a worthwhile read, even while I also felt it was a little heavy-handed with the lessons.
FTC Disclosure: I checked Clean Getaway out of my library, and received nothing from the writer or publisher for my honest review. The opinions expressed are my own and those of no one else. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."
©Rebecca M. Douglass, 2024 As always, please ask permission to use any photos or text. Link-backs appreciated.
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My students like the action and adventure; I think some of the message goes over their heads, which might be why it seemed heavy handed. Road trip books are always a good bet for my readers. Thanks for joining MMGM!
ReplyDeleteHey, road trips movies are always a hit with the grown-ups, so it makes sense, right?
DeleteI agree with Ms. Yingling about road trip stories being appealing, especially with summer approaching. And we need to be reminded of our country's painful past. Thanks for sharing your honest thoughts about this book.
ReplyDeleteI absolutely agree that none of us can afford to ignore history.
DeleteThis does sound interesting and as Natalie said, I'm sure it will appeal as a summertime read. Happy MMGM happy to see that you've joined in.
ReplyDeleteI hadn't even thought about it as a summer thing, but of course!
DeleteWhat better way to learn about the past than through the eyes of a gramma who lived it. This sounds like an appealing read. I applaud you for reviewing it from an audio book. That's hard. Great share!
ReplyDeleteI do a lot of audio books. Usually I try to comment on the reading. When I don't it usually means that it was good enough I didn't really notice it :)
DeleteI enjoyed this book and your review brought back some of the same feelings. I not only like a good road trip book but ones where Grandma or Grandpa play a key role in the story line. Thanks for being a part of MMGM this week.
ReplyDeleteThanks for hosting!
DeleteThis sounds like a great way to teach this unhappy time to kids. I will look for a copy. Thanks for your review. I hadn't heard of this book.
ReplyDeleteSometimes my random wanderings through the library's offerings turn up great stuff!
DeleteI haven't read this book, but I read Nic Stone's YA novel Dear Martin a few years back and definitely found it to be eye-opening, and painful, and really beautiful and well-written. It's startling to think about how, beyond racism still permeating our society today, segregation was still legal in the age of our grandparents—I can imagine that realization hits hard for Scoob, knowing his own grandparents went through that. Thank you so much for your thoughtful review, Rebecca, and enjoy your week!
ReplyDeleteI was alive for most of those "historic" events in the book, though not old enough to remember them :D
DeleteThis sounds interesting. I've seen it around and will have to check it out. I do like a good road trip book and the the Green Book angle sounds interesting to me. Makes me curious about how it will all work out.
ReplyDeleteYou'll have to read it ;)
DeleteThis sounds like a great adventure rounded out by the history of our country (that too many people would like to ignore). I'd heard of the Green Book, but not read any MG books touching on how hard travel was (and in some cases still is). Thanks for sharing it.
ReplyDeleteYes, there are some moments when Scoob discovers not all that prejudice has gone away--especially when a black kid is traveling with a white grandma.
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