During Kate Messner's keynote at a conference in Chicago, she shared the story behind Breakout and parts of her writing process. Hearing the background made me excited to read the book and I was not disappointed. I loved how the story is told through texts, letters, and other documents and tackles topics like race and privilege in an accessible way. I couldn't put it down!

Exceptional! I loved the format of this. The story is told in letters, text exchanges, transcribed conversations, printed news articles, poems and comics. (I did not have access to all the art in my review copy) This book digs into racial issues, which I was not expecting. But I loved how they were explored. I really connected with the character Nora's development over the course of the story. I highly recommend this for every 5th/6th/middle school classroom, school libraries and home collections. Another terrific story from Kate Messner.

How I’d Describe This Book to a Friend
Breakout is told in a largely epistolary style, with other forms of media (comics, transcribed audio interviews, text messages) sprinkled in. The premise is this: Wolf Creek Middle School is putting together a time capsule, and the seventh graders are tasked with filling it up with assorted things (letters, mementos, etc – you know, the usual time capsule stuff). Our main character Nora is a reporter for the school paper, so she chooses to view this as a journalistic opportunity, and writes about the important things in her life – her best friend Lizzie, her mom and dad and her two brothers. Wolf Creek is populated largely by a huge, centralized prison that employs the vast majority of adults, including Nora’s father, who is the warden. Field Day is coming up – it’s early June, and in Wolf Creek school gets out in mid-June – and everyone is abuzz with talk of the big race taking place that goes back generations. Nora’s biggest worry is not winning that race like her mother did, and her older brother.

But everything changes when two prisoners escape from their cells and are on the lam in Wolf Creek.

We get a third perspective as well, Elidee, a young African-American girl whose mother is a nurse and whose father passed away when she was very small. Her older brother is in prison in Wolf Creek, and so she and her mother moved here to be closer to him. Elidee is used to New York City proper – the gritty, downtown feel of it, not this upstate New York bourgeois. Before leaving the city, Elidee’s school got to go see a production of Hamilton, and it’s been burned into her brain. She is in love with poetry and the written word, and struggles greatly in Wolf Creek because she is part of one of two – count ’em, two – black families in her school. Elidee’s mother works long hours, and she spends her free time writing poetry reminiscent of Hamilton, and Black Girl Dreaming. Elidee is such a sweet character, and her developing bond with Nora and Lizzie is organic and flows well.

On top of the “hey there are two convicts on the loose” issues, there runs a thread of race relations. Nora and Lizzie’s world views are challenged when they are asked to leave their backpacks at the front of the local convenience store – something they’ve never had to do when Elidee was not in tow. Elidee also does not want to thank the local police for their service in helping find these escaped convicts – what’s up with that? Why would Elidee not like the police? There is no shortage of teachable moments here, folks.

The Bottom Line
Kids who read this book will learn about everything from peaceful protest to rumrunners (the speakeasy guys, not the alcoholic beverage). There is no end to the information hidden within this book’s whopping 400+ pages, and let me tell you – it was worth every single turn of the page. I absolutely adored Nora, Lizzie and Elidee, and I reveled in their successes and felt the wind sigh out of my lungs at their defeats. Whether they are cub reporting at a press release, running a relay race, or baking cookies, you’ll be enamored by these characters and their quiet life together in Wolf Creek. I recommend a trip there, too – just make sure you don’t go in June or you might run into an escaped prisoner.

Interest Level: 5-8

What if your quiet, uneventful, dull town was one day turned upside down and what once felts safe, not so much anymore? What if that same town that you grew up in all of your life was known for being a welcoming, friendly town, but not so much anymore? This is what is happening in Wolf Creek, a town that lives in the shadows of the Wolf Creek Correctional Facility. It is the end of the school year and all Nora can think about is Field Day, sleepovers with her best friend Lizzie, and swimming in the creek. All of that changes when two inmates from the prison escape and turn this quiet little town into a national media frenzy. Doors are locked that were never locked before, rules were set about being outside, and school events were cancelled for the safety of the students. Nora and Lizzie are excited at first because of all the excitement. Nora wants to be a journalist and Lizzie a comedian, so they both write about all of the action. Days and days go by without the inmates being caught and the excitement goes from fun to fear. Elidee Jones and her mom moves from New York City to Wolf Creek to be closer to her brother in the prison. Elidee soon learns that this small, friendly town is not so friendly when your skin color is different from theirs. As Nora, Lizzie, and Elidee become friends Nora's eyes are opened to the racial prejudice in her town. Nora is not happy about it and fights for the unjust way her friend is treated. Will the inmates ever be caught so this small town can go back to the way it was, living without fear? Can Nora alone open this town's eyes to its racial bias? Breakout is a must read of 2018!

Kate Messner did an amazing job with Breakout! The book was inspired by the real-life manhunt for two inmates that broke out of Clinton Correctional Facility in 2015. Kate used her experiences and those around her to inspire her writing. The book is unique in that it is written in the format of letters, poems, text messages, video recordings, and drawings. This book also has so many educational opportunities tied to it. Do not miss this phenomenal book!!
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Kate Messner uses a school assignment for filling a time capsule to tell the story of a town living through a prison break. Nora Tucker is the prison superintendent's daughter who dreams of becoming a journalist. Her best friend Lizzie Bruno is more interested in parody and graphics. Elidee Jones has moved to Wolf Creek with her mom to be closer to her brother who is incarcerated there. As Elidee makes friends with Nora, she brings a new consciousness of race and privilege in Wolf Creek. She is only the second person of color in her class.
The town is living in fear as days pass and the escapees are not found. Told through letters, text messages, transcripts of recorded conversations, poetry, rap, emails, graphics, and more, the voice of each character is strong. Owen (Nora's little brother) and Noah develop a graphic master plan for catching the criminals that demonstrates the depth of the fear pervading the community. Elidee is missing her brother since no visitors are allowed into the prison until after the escapees are found. Her mom works extra long hours. Elidee writes poetry based on Jacqueline Woodson's Brown Girl Dreaming which is especially well done. There is so much to love about the book. Students will appreciate the multiple voices along with the ways they communicate.
I gave this four stars because it felt long, However, the story is so multilayered that I couldn't imagine removing any part of it. I will definitely be purchasing this for my middle school library.
Thank you NetGalley for the advance copy.

A great read aloud for students to stimulate discussion on race relations, because the first step to understanding the issues is talking about them.

This is a 500 page book that I couldn’t put down and read so quickly! It is so special. I loved the variety of formats within the narrative and the multiple and diverse points of view. It is so applicable for many ages and it brings up issues for conversation in a respectable yet clear way. And it is such a darn good story!

Life in Wolf Creek is relatively calm and peaceful - friendly, warm, safe - especially considering the maximum security prison. That all changes when 2 men escape and everything is thrown into chaos as the manhunt begins and continues for weeks.
Told through letters, notes, poems that are intended for a time capsule program from Nora Tucker, the prison superintendent's daughter, her best friend Lizzie, and Elidee, who has just moved to town to be near her incarcerated brother, this book tackles prison issues, racism, and how people react to stressful situations.
I really enjoyed the book and the format is engaging. My one caveat was the fact that Kate Messner, obviously white, is writing about the perspectives and in the voice of Elidee who is African American. In reading the author's note I was pleased about the amount of work, research, and consultation she did in "getting it right". But, I would love to see a review that reflects whether she did indeed "get it right".

This book tackled tough topics, such as racism and white privilege, in an accessible and relatable way for all readers. The multiple characters are distinct and fleshed out. The story is compelling, I felt like I couldn't stop reading. The style of including multiple perspectives through articles, poems, cartoons, etc, is unique and I can think of quite a few readers who will gravitate toward this style.

Wow! Powerful issues and themes such as racism, the Black Lives Matter movement, criminal justice system, bullying, loss of innocence, and examining the present through the lens of the future via a time capsule makes this book a great choice for middle school book clubs. Combine that with the multi-genre format which pays homage to letters, texts, poetry, theatre, quotes, cartoons, news stories, and voice transcriptions - this book has a lot to offer. And it is suspenseful with some lovable characters!

Kate Messner is amazing. I don't think she can write a mediocre book. Every one is amazing, this one included. I loved the format with letters, texts, comics and newspaper clippings to tell the story of how we need to see who we accept and welcome at home. Pick up and read this book today!

BREAKOUT is an absolutely fantastic, thought-provoking, and important book. I loved the story of Nora, Lizzie, and Elidee against the background of a prison breakout manhunt, based on the 2015 manhunt that took place in upstate NY. The story is told in documents, which at first I found a little bit distracting, but grew to love by the end of the book. I think my students are going to adore BREAKOUT.

A timely and important story. Whenever a middle grade book tries to tackle difficult racial and social issues, it can be easy for either the story to get lost or for everything to get bogged down. Messner has found a way to address everything she aims to in a way that is perfect for the audience. Hopefully many children will read this and be able to learn something important about the world we live in.

The three main characters are all very different, and give three fabulous viewpoints for the unfolding of the plot. I enjoyed the epistolary-ish style as well. I think this will be an easy sell in the library and kids will love it.

This was absolutely spectacular. I can’t wait to share this with middle schoolers. I'm consistently a Kate Messner fan, but the format and topics for this one were just perfect.

Wolf Creek is a prison town. The majority of the residents are actually in prison and those that aren’t generally work at the prison. So when there is a prison break it is big news. The prison break corresponds to a time capsule project where the students at the local school are supposed to write letters to the future residents of Wolf Creek. Nora Tucker is a budding journalist and sees this as an opportunity report on what is going on. Her friend Lizzie likes comedy and infographics more than she likes journalism. And newcomer Elidee, who has moved to town to be closer to her brother in prison, doesn’t want much to do with any of it. As the prisoners remain on the loose tensions rise in the town. The story is told through a series of time capsule letters, text messages and poetry.

I generally like Kate Messner’s books and this one was pretty interesting. However, I am not sure the format was the most successful. The multiple formats and multiple narrators did at times make it hard to follow what was going on. I think the strength was in the discussion of race and implicit bias. Edilee and her family are pretty much the only people of color in predominately white Wolf Creek and they encounter a lot of racism. This makes Nora rethink her own biases and those of the people around her. There is a lot of good discussion on whether people realize they are being racist and how to discuss racism with family.

It's almost summer break and students in Wolf Creek are looking forward to the typical outdoor summer activities. Things quickly change when two inmates escape from the prison and the whole town is on locked down. This story is told from the perspectives of 3 friends: Nora, whose Dad is superintendent of the prison, Lizzie, whose grandmother is suspected of providing contraband to the two escapees, and Elidee, one of two black students at the school whose brother is an inmate at the prison. The girls are tasked with providing items for a Wolf Creek Community time capsule, and the book is written as entries in a time capsule project through letters, notes, and transcribed recordings.

I enjoyed this book and the way it was formatted as the girls' writing and entries. I felt the way Messner handled racism in the book was carefully thought out and addressed in a way that the target audience of this book would be able to understand.

I really wanted to love this book. I was so excited for it. And there was a lot of good things about it. But I was really taken out of the story by Elidee's verse chapters. I think I understand what the author was trying to do, and believe me I love the Hamilton lyrics most of them were based on, but it felt sort of forced. And also, I wanted to hear more from Nora as she became aware of the way Elidee was treated. It felt a bit unresolved to me.

When two inmates escape from the local jail, an extended manhunt causes Nora to think twice about her small, safe and friendly town. Nora and her journalist buddy Lizzie set out to listen and report on the situation which we read about via letters, texts, and transcripts for the town time capsule. What they learn is that people are more than the choices they make. They also discover that their quiet little town was more racially biased than they imagined. Kate Messner does a brilliant job of gently weaving race into the storyline. Nora begins to look at her town through a lens of race and privilege that she didn't see before. Kate Messner leaves readers with thought-provoking questions about the choices we make and the way we view others around us.

Due to technical difficulties, I read this entire book on my phone screen. The fact that I persevered on should tell you I liked it. This story is perfect for middle-grade readers not quite ready for Angie Thomas and Jason Reynolds books.

Anyone that reads my blog on a regular basis knows that I love the new crop of books 16CEC2CB-E553-400A-81FD-D02E19FEB1B3being written by middle grade and young adult writers. I am a HUGE fan of the author Kate Messner. Marty Maguire is a must read aloud first book of the school year for me. In my classroom library, she has her own book bin, with many of her novels. Not only does Kate write with much variety; her books are all very different; but she is also active on social media. She has been the first author to tweet at us this year and my students claim that they are famous because of her. When an author tweets at your class, it is reading gold. Students read more!

I was given the opportunity to preview her new book Breakout and I jumped at the chance. I just turned the last page and I had to blog about it. It is brilliant! Absolutely brilliant! I felt every emotion possible as I devoured the book. I laughed, I cried, I was mortified, I was shocked but most of all, I was sad to see the characters go.

As a teacher, I knew that the writing style would appeal to all students; it is told from three different perspectives, Lizzie and Nora (two best friends) and Elidee (an African America seventh grader who moves to the town with her mom because her brother is in the prison). It is two weeks before the end of the school year and the characters need to contribute to a time capsule. While they are doing this, there is a prison breakout of two inmates. The prison is located in a 99% white suburb.

The story is told through letters, text messages,drawings, poems and recorded conversations (to name a few). I totally felt like I was seeing the story unfold. Each main character had a definite voice, however, so did the secondary characters. All the characters are playing in my head right now as I process this fabulous book. The writing type will keep even our more reluctant reader entertain.

As Kate weaves the story, lessons are subtlety spun throughout. She interweaves history and facts to help the reader get the full picture of the message she is trying to portray.

I hope that this blog post doesn’t appear to be jumping all over the place, as I process the brilliance! This book will definitely have a place on my library shelf! Kate Messner has proven yet again why she is one of my favorite middle grade writers!