that author’s note… oof.

this book made me feel how a good episode of girl meets world used to make me feel, but with good autism and lgbtq rep. it gives you those core-friend-group-figuring-out-themselves-and-the-world feels with characters you’ll absolutely adore. i want to wrap them up and protect them all omg.

i’ve never been to barcelona but it was so easy to become immersed in this story; it was like being flung back to my s2 trip to paris, where as a matter of fact i was in the middle of a strangely similar friendship dynamic to ellen… i’ll need to process that later.

i also need to talk about how well aj sass depicted sensory overload as well as how he approached queerness in this novel in a way that felt really unique to me, but im struggling to come up with the words right now so hopefully i’ll be able to discuss these further in my full review.

anyway im lowkey annoyed i don’t get to follow these characters into their next 4 years of school bc i love them so much… so i’ll just be headcanoning that they live happy, healthy lives surrounded by people who love them and friends who accept them for who they are <3 isa especially i hope ur doing well.

thanks to Little, Brown Books for Young Readers for providing me with an eArc of this book! all opinions provided are my own.

This story is great! Ellen is such a fantastic character, and as someone who's neurodivergent, I really connected with her. Isa was also incredible, and I admired their confidence to just be themselves. I really wish I had books like this when I was a kid. The characters felt so real, and the plot kept me hooked the whole time. I can't wait to check out more from A.J. Sass!

There is something so healing about queer neurodivergent middle grade books for me. There were so many moments during the story that I wanted to cry because everything was just so simple for these kids. Like for example just Ellen being autistic is widely accepted from her peers. Of course there is a couple instances where it isn't, but for the most part they're there for her. There's one particular scene where her friends help her through a panic attack that I had to pause the book for a minute because I was so overwhelmed by how wholesome it was. There's another scene where queer identities are disclosed and the kids just accept it and move on. There's very little to no pushback and it's just a thing. It is part of what makes this book so exceptional but also part of why I'm really excited for this next generation to grow up.

Anyway, moving on beyond my overemotional traumatized adult millennial feelings, this book is super great. It takes place on a school trip and Ellen ends up not paired with her friend but instead paired with a new non-binary kid in a group of four. Her Dad is one of the chaperones and they're just really trying to figure out how to understand some new dynamics outside of binary thinking. Ellen is Jewish and autistic and queer and she is just doing her best to be a middle schooler. Trying to navigate new friendships and old friendships and new spaces and sensory situations and new identities. I loved this book so much. That wasn't a surprise since I also loved Ana on the Edge and Camp Quiltbag, but I'm so happy to have another absolutely stellar middle grade to recommend.

I do want to mention that in the audiobook there are instances where Ellen has sensory overload that the narrator/production team chose to make it a full experience. What I mean by that is that they layered lots of sounds over one another and as an autistic person listening to the audiobook it was overwhelming. It kind of rips you out of the story which is not a pleasant thing to have happen. I do wish a little bit more care would have been taken in considering neurodivergent readers / listeners when producing the audiobook.

Thank you, NetGalley and Little, Brown, for the E-ARC!

Completely fast-paced, with the cool concept of going on a trip with your classmates. The diversity found within the characters is amazing, and I love all of this identity finding with these young characters. I loved seeing the relationship with Ellen and their father blossom and them finding independence with each other. The friendship that’s found between everyone is heartwarming, and even delves deeper through difficult situations.

Ellen Outside the Lines is such an affirming middle grade read with an autistic, queer, and Jewish main character. Ellen Katz feels best when life follows a predictable pattern. But with a surprise scavenger hunt and changing friendships, Ellen’s class trip to Barcelona is anything but predictable. As Ellen explores the city, they learn to embrace parts of themself that aren’t so easily defined.
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Friends, Ellen has my whole heart 💜 Here are my top 5 reasons to read Ellen Outside the Lines:
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1. Discovering queerness
As an autistic and queer person, it makes me so happy to see a main character like Ellen in a book for young readers. It’s amazing to see an autistic kid learning about gender, pronouns, and queer identity on the page.

2. Autistic joy
Ellen stims, flaps, focuses on tiny details, and takes in the beauty of Barcelona at their own pace.
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3. Exploring Jewish identity
Ellen’s Jewish faith is at the heart of the story, and I Ioved how Ellen and her dad talk about their relationship with Judaism and observance.
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4. Supportive family
Ellen’s parents focus on giving her tools to cope, not pushing her to fit in. This is so important for neurodivergent kids, especially in middle school when friendships are evolving.
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5. Scavenger hunt adventures in Barcelona
Big feelings on growing up autistic aside…Ellen Outside the Lines is a fun travel story that’s sure to keep kids (and adults) guessing until the end!

Ellen Outside the Lines gives us insight into the mind of a neurodivergent middle-grader who is stretching her wings and reaching past her perceived boundaries for the first time. Ellen is autistic. She likes routines and rules and her comfort zone, which includes her best friend Laurel. So, when she takes a trip to Barcelona and the chaperones throw a whole lot of “new” into the mix, including putting her in a group that doesn’t include her best friend, Ellen is thrown. She isn’t sure if she can navigate the situation, and she doesn’t know how to approach these kids who don’t truly know or understand her. One thing I loved about this book is that it showed both sides of the coin: both Ellen learning and growing and finding ways to navigate the world and her friends (new and old) learning and growing and discovering how they can support her. Add to that Ellen’s new nonbinary friend who challenges her structured view of gender, and you have a compelling story. This book will expand kids’ view of the world and help them find compassion and understanding for those who are different (and it also gives neurodiverse kids a positive view of themselves). Definitely recommend!

***Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley for review. No compensation was given and all opinions are my own.***

If you enjoyed A.J. Sass's debut, you will absolutely love this book too. (And anyone who hasn't read Sass's work definitely should.) What a beautiful story. Sass is a genius with word-play and language, and I loved the summer trip/scavenger hunt aspects as well as Ellen's relationship with her family. Sass also does a great job of capturing what it's like for neurodivergent students who excell academically but struggle socially. (This was me at that age, and this book would have been very helpful to me growing up.) Sass also depicts queer characters with loveable authenticity, especially Ellen, who I was rooting for pretty much from the first page. School and public libraries would definitely benefit from having this on the shelf, as it offers a educational look into the country and culture of Spain. Highly recommended.

Ellen from Outside the Lines was such an amazing story! I’m excited to see how influential this book will be for middle-grade readers who are struggling to understand identity. It also makes for a great and informative read for adults who are looking to learn more about these aspects of life.

The representation in this film was phenomenal. There were several queer characters (from gay to trans to unlabeled) as well as autistic characters, Jewish characters, and characters with ADHD. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing the different perspectives and experiences that these characters had to offer.

I would have to say that one of the things I liked most about this novel was how it handled conflict. The characters in Ellen from Outside the Lines are far from perfect. They’re young pre-teens and teenagers who are, understandably, struggling to figure out how they fit into the world. Yet, each time one of them makes a mistake to the detriment of others, they are challenged (in extremely kind ways at that) and quickly begin to make amends.

The story has a bit of an open, but hopeful, ending. Not everything in life is going to go the way that you hope, but as humans, all we can really do is try our best.

Ellen is about to go on a trip to Barcelona with her Spanish class. Her best friend Laurel will be there too, which Ellen is very happy about because they've been growing apart lately and she really wants to make things right.
Once they arrive in Barcelona, however, the kids find out they won't be attending normal classes like it had happened last year (which sends all Ellen's schedules and laid out plans up in the air), but Señor L has something else in mind: a scavenger hunt, where each clue will lead the teams (yes, teams) to a landmark or famous touristic place of the city.
As if that wasn't already enough, Ellen and Laurel end up being part of different teams, which puts Ellen in many uncomfortable, socially tough to navigate yet often positively surprising situations that make her second guess her friendships, her identity and how to express what she wants.

My God, this book. It should be on every middle grade school's reading list.

That take shoud be enough, but let's dig deeper.

Ellen is Jewish and autistic and each of those parts of her identity was explored and portrayed so well; they aren't checked-off items on her character's personality list, they're quintessential elements of her being and they influence both her mentality and her behaviour.
And she isn't some perfect heroine, your typical protagonist who always does what's right. She makes mistakes - and some pretty bad ones, at that - and she hurts people and it takes time for her to reflect and try to make up for all of it and figure out how to be her best self while actually being herself and not some toned down, fake but more socially acceptable version of it.

Her team was the best and I loved all of them. I loved Andy's enthusiasm and kindness, Gibs' uhm boyshness accompanied by the a good loyal heart and Isa's confidence and quiet yet loud presence.
I literally teared up at how welcoming and accepting they were, how they genuinely asked questions about Isa's pronouns and consequently each added their own pronouns next to their names in the group chat; how they created a safe space for Isa and Ellen to be themselves, how they supported each other, whether it was a serious moment or when teasing and joking around.

And that is because (and I will never get tired of repeating it, scream it at the top of my lungs if necessary): kids can understand and accept anything. Death, racism, diversity, lgbt+ couples... ANYTHING, as long as they are treated with respect and kindness and they are showed and told everything in a clear, unembarrassed and mature way. Adults and their thick close-minded heads are the problem.

Anyways. I loved the representation, I loved the writing style, I loved how funny and adventurous the book was without lacking deeper moments. There was a scene where Ellen was in La Rambla with her teammates and she was so overwhelemed by the noises, lights, colors, crowd of people (due to her SPD, aka Sensory Processing Disorder) she couldn't move, couldn't speak, and that scene touched my heartstrings, it was so powerful it felt like my senses were in overload.
The descriptions and colors of Barcelona made me ache to go back to the city and explore its life and streets and explosive vitality!

If you can't tell, I loved every single page of this! <3
One of the best reads of this year, this book will stay in my mind and in my heart for a looong time!

"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.

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I am absolutely in love with this book. The writing is absolutely wonderful, and Ellen’s voice is utterly charming. This book is a game changer - something that kids are sure to love as much as I do!

Ellen Outside The Lines follows Ellen Katz on a two week school trip to Barcelona. Ellen, who is Autistic, thinks this trip will be the perfect chance to spend more time with her best friend Laurel, who has been distant this summer with a busy schedule.

Ellen, with a lot of help from friends and family, learns a lot about different identities and in turn about her own. This was a great read and A. J. Sass managed to juggle multiple plot threads very well. Through Ellen's eyes, he gives readers a sense of Barcelona, plus an introduction to gender identity and religion.

A great read and very suitable for its intended middle-grade audience. Readers get to see autism from an internal perspective and understand some of the trials and joys that can come with being neurodiverse

Thanks so much Netgalley and Little Brown for providing an ARC!

This is such a sweet read that shines a light on topics that we need to understand better and accept. The writing was beautifully done and really gives a voice to those with autism as well as gender identification. Ellen, sweet Ellen, she really has relied on her bestie for so long, and now has to learn how to stand on her own, and use her own voice. This book really touched me as both of these topics are highly supported in our household.

It's not often a book so seamlessly incorporates multiple cultures and identities with such thoughtful treatment, but Sass has done it in such an engaging way that every line serves to further the heartfelt narrative. The thoughtful balance between external scavenger hunt intrigue and accessible internal tension pays off, making ELLEN a solid page-turner.

I especially appreciated how Ellen's journey in learning to pinpoint her own needs and courageously communicate them to the people in her life was explored with a beautiful balance of self-compassion and owning her responsibility to others. It's a rare study in empathetic exploration, nested in plenty of relatable middle school social angst and missteps to keep young readers hooked. All the stars!!

Characters

One of my favorite things in this book was the characters. All the characters had interesting backstories, and they all had personalities that I wanted to read more about. My favorite character was Ellen, not because she was the main character in the story, but because she went on a journey. Ellen’s growth over the novel was absolutely amazing, and I loved reading about how much she grew over the course of the story. I loved the supporting cast.They were all very well crafted characters, and they all supported Ellen on her journey to find herself. In the end, there was an understanding between all of the characters, and that was fantastic.

Plot

Most of the story took place in Spain, and I just loved seeing Spain from the eyes of Ellen and her friends. The scavenger hunt was an interesting plot element and one that kept me guessing, wondering how it was going to end in the story. Another major element of the plot was the journey that Ellen found herself, and I loved seeing how much the story helped Ellen find herself. Friendships come and go, especially in Middle-School, and this was an authentic story about friends, old and new, coming together, which I loved.

Writing

The writing of this novel was excellent, and I loved how the writing worked to tell the story. The lighter tone was welcome during the more light-hearted and fun scenes, where the group was bonding, and getting to know each other. This was a story that also had some heavy scenes and the writing during the heavy scenes in the story and the more honest scenes set the tone for the rest of the story.

Friendship

Friendship plays a big role in Ellen Outside the lines, and I loved the friend group. Laurel was Ellen’s best friend but as a friendship goes, Laurel started hanging out with two other girls, without Ellen, and Ellen misses the way it used to be. Ellen’s team was made up of Isa, Gibs, and Andy, and as a team, they all worked very well together. The end of the novel was sweet because both friend groups talked, and they came up with a plan where they could all hang out together. Ellen also learned that she could make other friends over the course of the story.

Enjoyment/ Recommend for

I loved this story so much. I believe that anyone who enjoys Middle-Grade Contemporary, LGBTQ+ stories, and stories about friendship, would enjoy this novel.

Not me trying to come up with good starting lines when writing a review. My creative cells have shriveled up with the impending disaster that the universe has planned for me. But I really want those creative cells to revive because this book deserves everything. I am not kidding. I devoured it when I was supposed to pay attention in class (ofc I am not suggesting to be inattentive in class), when I was supposed to finish my assigns and also when I was supposed to sleep. A point came when I refused to give my time to any other book because I was so taken up by this one!

I really loved reading through Ellen’s story and going along the scavenger hunt. She was very honest in her friendships and the way she contributed to the clues was amazing. They were really my favorite character along with Isa! Oh boy the way I looked forward to reading any exchanges with Isa. Like Ellen whenever I saw Ellen’s team working together and being together, a warm feeling spread through me. The book was very well written and it was really easy to connect with the characters. The way it had an amazing queer cast had me ❤

One thing that felt off to me was how manipulative Laurel, Sophie-Ann and Madison were. It’s like, some things aren’t in your hand but I didn’t feel good how hard Laurel was trying to fit in with them. The story wasn’t about her but I was really looking forward for things to get sorted between her and Ellen. But I guess most often not all friendships are able to sustain… which is alright. This was one of the messages that the book put forth. Another was how there’s nothing wrong with being true to yourself. The way Isa called out casual queerphobia and made sure Ellen didn’t feel out of place really made me feel good. The familial relationship along with friendships that the book discusses is truly amazing! I cannot wait to read other works by A.J. Sass!

CW: Outing of a queer character, emotional manipulation

I’ve always been a big fan of middle grade novels, and Ellen Outside the Lines captured everything I love about the genre. Ellen was such a wonderful protagonist and I greatly enjoyed watching their journey of self-discovery. While Ellen’s character might have been my favorite part of this book, there’s also so much to love here. The discussion of gender and sexuality, the meaning of friends and family, and the fun times had in Barcelona made for such an exciting read that was hard to put down.

Before going any further, I simply have to praise the autism representation in this book. Finding authentic and genuine autistic rep is so difficult, even in 2022, but Ellen’s story felt so personal and relatable. Something I completely loved was the way Ellen had to follow rules and couldn’t understand why others wouldn’t. She got very overwhelmed and confused when pressured to do otherwise. As someone who has always seen rules as hard lines to follow, rather than “simply suggestions” as my peers seemed to think, I could totally empathize with Ellen and their uncertainty and hesitation. Her need to keep things the same and consistent put them in some tricky situations, and my heart hurt for her, because I know how that feels. Ellen was torn between their loyalty and routines with Laurel, and their newfound comradery with Isa, Andy, and Gibbs. This put her into some uncomfortable situations where she had no idea what to do or how to proceed in fear of hurting either party. I know Ellen made some mistakes towards the end, but I could never truly be mad, because her heart was always in the right place. She didn’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings, and she desperately wanted to avoid conflict. This is something I deeply related to, so getting to see Ellen figure all of this out and contemplate the best course of action was so personal.

I also loved the addition of stimming! I feel like a lot of books with autistic characters don’t actually include much stimming, and if they do, they don’t actually refer to it as stimming. I guess I understand why, but it made me so happy when Ellen was describing their different types of stims. I also flap when I’m excited and rock when I’m nervous or uncomfortable, and reading some of these scenes had me wanting to flap along with them.

In addition to adoring Ellen as a protagonist, I also really enjoyed reading about her friendship with Andy, Gibbs, and Isa. This group helped Ellen to put certain things in perspective, helped her feel accepted, and let her know it’s okay to be themself. Before meeting Isa, Ellen had never really heard about non-binary people or any gender other than male or female, so they definitely went through a learning experience, one I think will be excellent for young readers to share and educate themselves with. Isa’s character was wonderful. They were so confident, so fully themself, and they wouldn’t take any disrespect from anyone. When someone did something wrong, Isa called them out on it. It was so great to see. Andy and Gibbs were also a wonderful addition to the team and really rounded out the group.

Another thing I can’t praise enough about Ellen Outside the Lines is the representation. Not even just the autism representation, but the gay representation, the non-binary representation, the ADHD representation, the Jewish representation, and the Catalan representation. There’s so much packed into this story, and all of it is explained in easy-to-understand terms for younger readers, but never does it feel forced or put into the story simply for educational purposes. All of it felt so natural, which is how representation should be. It was so good!
Honestly, I could go on and on about Ellen Outside the Lines. It brought me so much joy to read Ellen’s journey. I just wish I’d had a book like this when I was younger; however, I am so grateful that young readers today will get the change to experience it. I can’t recommend this book enough!

At the beginning of each year I like to go through Goodreads and pick out Middle Grade Books and add them to my wishlist so I can buy when the book is out.

So I was aware of Ellen Outside the LInes and jumped at the chance to go on the tour TBR Tours & Beyond had set up. I was so excited when I was approved which I am grateful for having this chance. I had a feeling that this book was going to be good but instead it beat my expectations to a pulp.

Here we have Ellen who is ND and is about to have life changing summer with her Father at her side. I just loved Ellen as a character and even though she had this condition to deal with she handled things in my view pretty well and I loved the encouragement her Parents gave her.

The bulk of the story is set in Spain and AJ did an amazing job of describing the sites and sounds it made me feel as if I was there. I also felt Ellen's loss when she realised that her only Best Friend Laurel wanted different things but I must say the way she treated Ellen actually pulled at my heartstrings but then my heart soared when Ellen was beginning to make friends with Isa who was nonbinary, Gibs who had ADHD and Andy after ending up on the scavenger team.

I just want to say there are only two authors who have literally destroyed me and turn me into a sobbing wreck through their writing and they are Elle McNichol and now A J Sass. For all these reasons AJ gets 5 stars and now I will be auto buying their books

- MIDDLE-GRADE AUTISTIC MAIN CHARACTER
- MIDDLE-GRADE AUTISTIC MAIN CHARACTER
- MIDDLE-GRADE AUTISTIC MAIN CHARACTER
- AUTISTIC. JEWISH. LESBIAN. AUTISTIC. MAIN CHARACTER.
- Yeah I think you should read this book
-Good rep! Great job! Would recommend!

Five stars. Also there is a nonbinary important character. Also there is bullet journaling. I think this book is fantastic.

Everyone needs to read this because it's beautifully written. It's set in Barcelona, one of the coolest cities. The characters are unforgettable! I wish I'd had this book before I became a teacher so I could better understand my students and know what they needed from me. Going forward, I now get it. I understand non binary and better understand autism. Thank you, A.J. Sass!