And with the cover art and interior illustrations by Dawud Anyabwile, this is the sort of book that they will be compelled to pick up. Some Middle Grade books can be incredibly long and while there are many students who do borrow lengthy books from our library, most of my students are inclined to pick up the shorter reads. The chapters are short and at only 223 pages, it is the perfect length. I also appreciated the historical nuggets that are peppered throughout for our students to glean from. The relationship G’ma and Scoob shared made me smile. Clean Getaway is relatable, funny, and heart-warming. Nic Stone nails Middle Grade and I am grateful to Jason Reynolds for inspiring her to go for it. It may not have entirely been the clean getaway that G’ma was hoping for, but it was a trip that William “Scoob-a-Doob” Lamar would never forget. They visited the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama, made a stop by Medgar Evers home in Jackson, Mississippi, and made it as far as Texas before anyone could ever catch up to them. Along the way, Scoob learns about the Green Book and how it was once used to help keep Black travelers safe. They’re sort of off the grid and William’s Dad grows more worried by the hour but G’ma is on a mission, crossing multiple state lines to see it through to the end.
In Clean Getaway the reader gets to buckle up as a passenger aboard G’ma’s RV with her grandson William “Scoob-a-Doob” Lamar, as the two venture off on an impromptu road trip with a grip of money, a treasure box, and a whole lot of family secrets.
She has a way of telling a story that pulls the reader in deep, to the point where they are fully engrossed as the journey unfolds making the reader an intimate friend living out the experience alongside the characters. One that I spoke of and shared widely because, for me, Justyce McAllister was just like my son and through its pages, Dear Martin echoed the cries of my heart for social justice and change. Nic Stone is a New York Times Best Selling Author whose work I first experienced when I read her debut YA novel, Dear Martin in 2017. Note: This review can also be found at the Middle Grade Book Village.
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