A. J. SassRecensioner

Gr 3–7—Ellen Katz is an autistic, queer, Jewish 13-year-old who loves routine, but spending two weeks on a class
trip in Barcelona helps her realize that it is okay to try new things and make new friends. A heartwarming story of
identity, friendship, and first crushes

This is an adorable book about 13 year old Ellen's school trip to Barcelona, where they make new friends, and discover more about themselves. There is lots of representation, exploring sexuality and gender, and also what it is like for Ellen to be autistic and jewish. The book is a lot of fun and an easy read and gently heartwarming. It reminded me of Remember Me To Harold Square½

3.75

Twelve-year-old Jewish Chinese-American Ana is a champion figure skater who lives with her mom, who works hard to pay for lessons, costumes, and choreography. But there are a lot of changes happening this summer: Ana is switching rinks, away from her best friend Tamar; she meets Hayden, who is trans, and he mistakes her for a boy; and she gets to work with a new choreographer, but the Sleeping Beauty program Miss Lydia develops for Ana doesn't feel right for her. Ana struggles to figure out why she feels so uncomfortable wearing a skirt and having people think she's a girl, when she IS a girl...right? Through Hayden, she learns about pronouns in English and other languages, and learns the term nonbinary, but it takes her some time to tell her coach Alex, her mom, Tamar, and Hayden. Like many young, disciplined athletes, Ana is more mature than many other kids her age, and ultimately she finds a way to tell the truth and mend fences with old and new friends.

See also: Different Kinds of Fruit by Kyle Lukoff

Quotes

"Whenever I need to ask my mom for something, I make sure she's in a really good mood first. Then I tell her why it's important to me, so she knows I'm serious. Maybe you could do something like that with your parents?" (Ana to Faith, 192)

I'm still hiding who I am from all the people who matter. (218)

It may be the perfect size for me, but it definitely doesn't feel like a good fit. (223)

I know lying is never okay, but maybe sometimes it's necessary. (228)

Every choice I make costs something. (284)

How long will I have to keep pretending if I never speak up? (303)

"Sometimes the people we love form ideas about who we are that don't fit with the reality they've just discovered." (Alex to Ana, 314)

This is an adorable book for late primary / early secondary school readers about an ice skater discovering their non-binary identity. It is a lovely blend of the excitement of competitive figure skating, the difficulties of being poor in a sport mostly done by rich people, the challenges of keeping old friends while making new friends, and how to come out to the people who love you.

It is very well pitched for the target age group, with the flip-side of this being that to my cynical brought-up-in-the-time-of-section-28 it is amazingly rose tinted. Maybe this is what coming out as a 12 year old in San Francisco really is like nowadays. Maybe it's not at all what it's like, but the book wants to paint an optimistic vision of what it should be like, to have your friends and family love you and accept you. There is mild interpersonal tension, but most of the problems are in Ana's head, trying to pluck up courage to tell people, and when they finally do tell their mum, she says she's not sure she understands, but it is immediately big hugs, and I love you, and a walk on the beach to have a heart to heart. Maybe it is good to give people a template about how they should support people who are coming out. Maybe fluffy feel good books are a nice comfort read. It does feel a little unrealistic though, and like the harder bits of Ana's coming out are swept under the carpet.½

That was an excellent middle-grade/intermediate LBGTQIA novel. It never felt 'educational' as Ana explored her gender identity. When she learned about gender identity and what this might mean for her it felt natural and gentle, but also incredibly meaningful. The family and friendship connections were done well and I really enjoyed the figure skating descriptions as well. I thoroughly recommend adding this to middle grade/intermediate libraries.

Ellen thrives on planning, knowing what’s going to happen, and strict categories. When she must confront sudden changes during a school trip to Barcelona, including distance from her best friend, a new non-binary classmate, and a scavenger hunt through the city, Ellen must learn to think outside the lines. (Sydney Taylor Middle Grade Honor)

On a school trip to Barcelona, 13-year-old Ellen looks forward to spending a lot of time with her best friend Laurel, seeing the sights in a beautiful city. Her dad has come along as a chaperone, she's got the itinerary written down in her bullet journal, and she knows just what to expect. When things start to go differently from what she has planned almost immediately, it will be a challenge for Ellen to adapt. Laurel is interested in also spending time with some of her other friends, the teacher has changed the format of the trip from previous years, and there's a new student who challenges a lot of Ellen's lists and categories.

I really enjoyed this book, both for the great setting and for the sensitive and insightful handling of interpersonal relationships. The characters and their interactions were very believable and real. It definitely made me want to travel to Barcelona, too!

Mentioned in a blog post at https://booksbeyondbinaries.blog/2020/05/25/be-our-guest/

This book is featured in a blog post at https://booksbeyondbinaries.blog/2020/11/09/meet-a-j-and-ana/

Very cool to read a story so embedded in high level competitive ice skating -- felt like a very realistic depiction and seems to be based on author's experience. Also a very cool and realistic exploration of a young person coming into their identity and figuring out what that might be. in this case, Ana is 12 and discovering that she is nonbinary, as an overly feminine skating costume and routine and a new trans friend prompt her to figure out why things feel off. Really well written, a bit on the long side.

Understanding self-identity is beautifully incorporated into this astonishing coming-of-age story.

Ellen Katz and Laurel McKinley have been best friends forever. Now in high school, Laurel is interested in gymnastics, cheerleading, boys, makeup, and fitting in with the popular girls. Ellen, autistic and learning successful coping methods to deal with daily life, feels Laurel is drifting away from their friendship. Both girls are signed up for a school trip to Barcelona with their Spanish class, and Ellen is looking forward to the trip renewing their former close, comfortable relationship. She’s also glad to have her father along on the trip as one of the class’s parent chaperones.

A new student joins the group at the airport. Isa Martinez is a fresh face, not only because of coming from the Bronx or the purple hair but because Isa uses the pronouns “they/them” in their introduction to the class. She is a positive and bold spirit.

When the group arrives and settles into their hotel in Barcelona, the students are assigned to smaller groups with an adult chaperone. Ellen and Laurel discover they have been assigned to different teams. Ellen must step outside the comfort of her safe relationship with Laurel to work with her new team: Isa and two boys, Andy and Gibs, on the trip assignment – a scavenger hunt through Barcelona with clues to the locations they must find in Spanish. Ellen must reassess her understanding of friendship and how relationships can change over time while dealing with the sensory overload she experiences in the vibrant and busy tourist town. As her beliefs about friendship are tested, she is also awakened to the reality that not everyone fits neatly into the categories society has created to classify people.

Ellen Outside the Lines is a warm and wonderful story of an autistic teenager coming-of-age while on a summer school trip to Barcelona. The view inside Ellen’s thoughts and feelings had me enthralled from the first page as I witnessed how the world appeared to her. The support and understanding of her experiences by her closest classmates were astonishing to me, and I hope it is true-to-life because I didn’t expect that level of caring and compassion from schoolmates of that age. Of course, there were examples of those that weren’t so caring or compassionate. I ached for Ellen’s disappointments and missteps but cheered as she recognized where she went wrong or could have done better.

Besides her journey through her relationships with others, including her father, the story presented intriguing glimpses into her family’s life and religious observations of the Jewish faith. Her mother and her hobbies while husband and daughter were away provided fun little side surprises. I particularly liked the inclusion of the Hebrew language sprinkled throughout the dialogue between father and daughter.

The setting in Barcelona was exotic, vivid, and exciting. I loved the Spanish teacher’s device of the scavenger hunt to get his students out experiencing the city and expanding their vocabulary rather than just shopping and hanging out at the beach.

The characters are a wonderful yet cohesive mix of diverse individuals who were very relatable. I found the author’s use of language delightful and feel it will resonate exceptionally well with young readers.

I recommend ELLEN OUTSIDE THE LINES to YA and middle-grade audiences or adults wanting a better understanding of what it means to be autistic or neurodivergent.

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy from TBR and Beyond Tours.