Breakout Hardcover – June 5, 2018

I read this book as a follow up to Jewell Parker Rhodes "Ghost Boys." In short, "Breakout" is the rated G, 3rd grader-friendly version of books with racial themes that are becoming more and more popular in YA novels (and rightfully so). From the very first page, I waited for Nora, Lizzie, and Elodie dig deep into the problems that go beyond the prisoner escape in their community. Yes, Messner uses words like "racial profiling" and "racial bias", but we never see the characters in this novel think and reflect upon their implications.Nora's brother is the only one who really tries to grapple with race, but already has to look forward to escaping Wolf Creek in order to have those tough conversations. Even at the end of the book, when Nora circles back around to an earlier dinner conversation revolving around the prison system being "broken and racially biased" (426), her father (the adult) is unwilling to truly reflect on the happenings of the entire novel (that he was directly involved in) and avoids having a real conversation. With the plethora of deep, thought-provoking and conversation starting YA novels currently available, Breakout will not have a space in my read aloud selection in the classroom this year.

Set in a small town in New York State, BREAKOUT is a wonderful middle-grade read that explores unjust judgments, fear, and self-awareness. I love how the novel is a composition of the artifacts included in the school’s time capsule; letters, newspaper articles, and first-hand accounts of the weeks in which this small town was essentially in lockdown because two inmates escaped the federal prison located in the small town. The main characters had a personal connection to the prison. A dad that was warden to a brother that was an inmate. Through this stressful time and self-reflection, growth was made. Change was made. BREAKOUT would be a perfect read aloud for grades 5 and up. A must-have for school and classroom libraries.

Couldn't put BREAKOUT down -- first, because it was such a great read and second, because my 13 year old son kept stealing it from me. Loved the voices in this book, captured and shared through various documents -- letters, texts, comics, satirical news, poems, announcements, student news articles, media news reports, transcribed recordings of conversations -- compiled as part of a time capsule project. BREAKOUT does an amazing job at comparing/contrasting rural v. city life and the microaggressions that a black family faces in a predominantly white town. The poems that Elidee creates based on Jackie Woodson's BROWN GIRL DREAMING and lyrics from Hamilton are a beautiful way to convey Elidee's frustrations with her family's situation and her new community. BREAKOUT will no doubt create amazing conversations among readers in living rooms, classrooms, and book clubs. While the suspense of the manhunt kept me turning pages, the beauty of the characters and the commentary on how we can be better humans will be the reason I keep BREAKOUT in my head and heart. Highly recommend for entertainment value and empathy building.

This book is amazing on so many levels. The depth of the characters, the setting, the use of various methods of story telling. All come together to tell what happens to a small town when escaped prisoners are on the loose. I prefer in my reviews not to get into too many story details, I don’t like to give plot away, etc. The book is told from 3 points of view. Nora, Lizzie and Elidee. All three girls have well defined personalities and are capable of being funny and thoughtful. Kate does a wonderful job of describing fear and how fear isn’t always an emotion that comes in big doses. It can be a fear that’s smoldered for a long time. The author did posts on her blog describing the way she went about writing this book, which added another layer to the story for me. It’s worth checking them out, it makes you appreciate even more this fine book.Perhaps Kate will give us another story someday with Nora, Lizzie and Elidee, three tough, vulnerable, funny, young women.

Kate Messner's novels never disappoint, and this one was no different. I appreciate how unpredictable in content her storytelling is from book to book. She knows how to tackle topics that our kids (and adults) desperately need, in a way that is appropriate, accurate, and necessary.Breakout tells the stories of Nora and Elidee as they muddle through a summer interrupted by a prison break (inspired by the real life prison break in upstate New York in 2015) and the realities of being who they are, where they are.Through the use of a variety of text including prose, comic sketches, text messages, poetry, school announcements, letters, new stories, and conversations, Breakout shares a variety of perspectives that will encourage the reader to consider that what we see in front of us may not be the whole story.My own sons, ages 10 and 13, enjoyed this book for many reasons, and I look forward to putting it in the hands of my students this fall. Given the format of the book and the fact that it hits on a topic that is generally unexplored in MG lit, I expect it to be a huge hit! Thank you, Kate Messner!

Breakout by Kate Messner is a contemporary story. It is about members of a community reacting to the prison breakout of two inmates. The voices of the the community are many and we hear mostly from three seventh grade girls. Two white and one black. They process the many dynamics of a community’s response. Messner does an excellent job of bringing many perspectives into the consciousness of these young people. Part of what is dealt with is the privilege and dominant perspectives of the culture of the community. This story engages the reader to think for her or himself and examine what might be ways to think and act that can bring out the best of who they are. This is a book that begs to be discussed by those reading it. I see it as a family read aloud or classroom assignment or read aloud.