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brittneyw9's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
5.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Racism, Cancer, Death of parent, Bullying, and Grief
morganperks's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I'm not sure how to explain my thoughts. I liked the road trip aspect. I liked Scoob. He was a good kid. You see from his internal reflection and conversations with his grandmother that he's contemplated his actions. Scoob has clearly learned from his mistakes at school and wants to be better. I also liked how Scoob talked about his dad. He recognized that his dad loved him and wanted to protect him. I thought the commentary on traveling through the south during the civil rights era was well done and informative, much needed in middle grade. I liked the moral/ethical questions the book brought up.
It aggravated me how G'ma was painted as this civil rights activist throughout the book. Then reveals that she let her black husband (the alleged love of her life) go to prison for a crime she committed. Don't even get me started on her list of petty crimes. It's completely selfish and inconsiderate to admit all of this to her 11-year-old grandson, leaving him with either the guilt of carrying these family secrets or the burden of telling his dad. It might have been fine if the above events still happened as long as we got to see a resolution. I don't need a happy ever after, but there must be a sense of closure. At the very least, there needed to be some internal thoughts of Scoob working through the traumatic (yes, very traumatic) information he now knows. Also, G'ma continued to steal jewelry with her Black grandchild after what happened to her husband. She chose to put him in danger of being wrongly accused because of his skin color WHILE educating him on the history of racism in the south. Idk about you, but that seems a little Get Out to me.
I picked this up as a potential read-aloud but I'm not sure I would use it. I do think the kids would like the story and it does lend itself to some good discussion questions but I'm not sure if I could get through this one again.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism
Moderate: Death, Cancer, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Bullying, Ableism, Abandonment, Hate crime, and Murder
Minor: Blood and Pregnancy
kiarelia's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
informative
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
This book was good, and enjoyable ^^
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism
Moderate: Cancer, Bullying, Death, and Abandonment
Minor: Pregnancy and Blood
foreverinastory's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This was such a great book.
Clean Getaway is a middle grade contemporary about Scoob. He's recently gotten in trouble even though he wasn't the one actually cheating. His dad has cancelled his spring break trip and grounded him. But when his beloved G-ma asks if he wants to go on a surprise trip with her, he doesn't hesitate to get in the RV.
I love Nic Stone and everything she writes. Her characters are always dynamic and fleshed out. This one is more of a character driven story, but I really enjoyed Scoob's journey into his family history and reconciling the segregation of the past with what being a Black boy now means. Racism is a big theme in the book, and while police violence is something discussed, there are no scenes of it on page in this book.
The dynamic between Scoob and his G-ma was so interesting. They have so many fascinating conversations about race and history. It's only made more complicated by the fact that his G-ma is white. I loved that there was a lot of history in this book, but it's presented in an engaging way that is sure to be easy for kids to consume.
The ending was a little heartbreaking but it was also heartwarming. I loved this story about family bonds and history.
Rep: Biracial Black cishet male MC, biracial black cishet male side character, elderly white cishet female side character, Black female side character, side character with epilepsy.
CWs: Racism, discussions of segregation, Jim Crow laws and lynching. Moderate: Kidnapping, cancer, death, death of parent, bullying, ableism, violence.
Clean Getaway is a middle grade contemporary about Scoob. He's recently gotten in trouble even though he wasn't the one actually cheating. His dad has cancelled his spring break trip and grounded him. But when his beloved G-ma asks if he wants to go on a surprise trip with her, he doesn't hesitate to get in the RV.
I love Nic Stone and everything she writes. Her characters are always dynamic and fleshed out. This one is more of a character driven story, but I really enjoyed Scoob's journey into his family history and reconciling the segregation of the past with what being a Black boy now means. Racism is a big theme in the book, and while police violence is something discussed, there are no scenes of it on page in this book.
The dynamic between Scoob and his G-ma was so interesting. They have so many fascinating conversations about race and history. It's only made more complicated by the fact that his G-ma is white. I loved that there was a lot of history in this book, but it's presented in an engaging way that is sure to be easy for kids to consume.
The ending was a little heartbreaking but it was also heartwarming. I loved this story about family bonds and history.
Rep: Biracial Black cishet male MC, biracial black cishet male side character, elderly white cishet female side character, Black female side character, side character with epilepsy.
CWs: Racism, discussions of segregation, Jim Crow laws and lynching. Moderate: Kidnapping, cancer, death, death of parent, bullying, ableism, violence.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism
Moderate: Death, Bullying, Ableism, Cancer, Death of parent, and Kidnapping
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