The Clean Getaway is a hard to define book.  Is it coming of age, historical fiction, and even adventure or crime with the road trip and revelations of the family's past?  The novel does take on racism and segregation in the United States both in the past and current times.  I love this road trip adventure with discovery and heart.

Nic Stone is brilliant, and this story is heartwarming and delightful and emotional. Perfect for younger readers.

I loved this book! It was such a fun read and I loved Scoob’s grandmother so much! They have such a special relationship. Sweet and sad and so real for so many of us. I chose it as a small group book with my fifth graders and they loved it too!

A wonderful story of adventure, relationships, and understanding your past. The characters were well-drawn and relatable, the humor helped balance the serious issues that the characters faced. Absolutely a wonderful read for middle school.

An important look at intersectional issues that are relevant today. The Green Book and what it meant for African Americans and  the struggles that interracial  couples faced in the past.

Nic Stone, Dear Martin author, doesn't disappoint in this middle grade novel.  Woven through one boy's road trip adventure weekend is part civil rights history, part family history, and part challenging family dynamics.  Meet William.  His mother is long gone.  His father is too hard on him.  His one saving grace is his grandmother.  She's always been the one to be his champion, his safe place to land.  One day she shows up at his house, announces she's sold her home, purchased a brand new Winnebago, and wants to sneak him away on a road trip.  What begins as a journey through the present also becomes a journey through the past.  What is going on with G-ma?  Why does she sneak around in camo clothes?  Why is she calling him his dad's name. half the time?  Where will the road trip end?  Read to find out in Clean Getaway.

Nic Stone's middle-grade debut does not disappoint. The characters are chock full of wonderful personalities which keeps the storyline moving at a swift pace. There are some tender moments in this book and ones that will hopefully initiate important classroom conversations. I loved that while William was having a new adventure and creating new memories, G'Ma was revisiting some old buried ones. I applaud Ms. Stone for introducing the Green Book to middle schoolers as well. I feel like this is one of many new middle-grade titles to introduce lesser-known facts about our nation's history. I am of the belief that it's important to talk about these topics with children as early as possible. This is a book that should be a part of every classroom and school library.

I am reviewing this book as part of the Notable Books for a Global Society Committee. As we have not yet met as a committee on this title, it would not be appropriate for me to make personal comments at this time.

This is a sweet middle-grade book that I know a lot of students are going to love. With a fun plot (Grandma and Jimmy are on a trip .. or are they escaping?) that includes elements of true stories and race relations in the south, this is a book that teachers will  want in their classrooms.

Sometimes growing up means seeing the difficult truth about someone you love…Scoob takes a spontaneous road trip with his beloved G’ma in her new camper, escaping his dad’s spring break punishment. As they visit places from his G’ma’s past, their trip turns out differently than he expects. What begins as only a fun adventure turns into a revelation of current and historical racial prejudices (Scoob is black and his grandmother is white). What’s more, things become strange and confusing as Scoob notices more weird behaviors from G’ma. Was she trying to steal jewelry in the store? And why are there stacks of cash hidden in the camper? Perfect pacing, an intriguing plot, and memorable characters make this a top pick for 2020 middle grade and #ownvoices.

This middle grade novel was  adorable and kept me on my toes. I was just as invested as William in trying to figure his grandmother and this adventure out! Can’t wait to share this one with my kiddos one day!

Clean Getaway is a great book about the relationship between a young boy and his grandma. These two character go on an unexpected road trip and he learns a lot about some things his g’ma has been hiding, who is grandpa really is, and what it was like to be black when his grandma was young. Prepare to be surprised! Hand to kids who enjoy reading books by Jason Reynolds, Jacqueline Woodson, and Torrey Maldonado.

William "Scoob" Lamar is in trouble ... with the school and with his father. All Scoob is trying to do is stop a bully from picking on Drake, his best friend's little brother. Bryce has been consistently tormenting Drake, a younger student with epilepsy. Bryce even goes so far as to mock Bryce's seizures and Scoob just kinda snaps. The next thing he knows, the principal is pulling Scoob off of Bryce, stopping him from punching the bully. Then the principal and his dad are handing out a lecture and a three-day suspension from school, though Bryce doesn't get in trouble at all. Scoob's father tells him, fair or not, boys like Scoob (African American) will be held to a different standard of behavior.  "Do you think a police officer will care about you <i>defending a friend</i> when they toss you in jail for aggravated assault?"

So when G'ma arrives in a motor home announcing that she has sold her house and wants Scoob to go with her on an adventure, it sounds like a great idea to Scoob. And G'ma has an agenda. She is going to take the trip that she and G'pop started on that they never got to finish. It is a trip that was going to be guided by the <i>Travelers' Green Book</i> "For Vacation without Aggravation." You see G'ma is white and G'pop was black, so travelling through the south during the 1960s could be perilous, indeed. That's one reason why they never finished their journey. Now G'pop is dead and G'ma wants to finish that journey in his honor. "It's my chance at redemption. To finish what your Grandpop and I started fifty-one years ago."

Scoob begins to learn things about history and about his family that he never knew before. They visit the church in Birmingham that was bombed, they visit the house of Medgar Evers where he was assassinated ... so much injustice. G'ma tells Scoob about her young life with Scoob's G'pop and how he was arrested for a crime he didn't commit, dying in prison. She explains to Scoob that his father is an angry man, which is why he is always so tough on Scoob. But there's something more that G'ma isn't telling Scoob, he's sure of it. G'ma won't even return phone calls from Scoob's dad to let him know where they are. And why does she keep changing their license plates? And as her behavior becomes increasingly erratic, Scoob begins to worry more about what is really going on. What is it that G'ma is trying to change? "Was there something fixable about G'pop going to prison?"
 
A powerful look at how our history affects us even in the present. An amazing story about a family learning about each other, revealing secrets and finding redemption in their actions. Scoob's journey is one of self discovery, as well, starting to understand his father and their relationship.

Great road trip adventure with grandma and her eleven year old grandson. Explores racism, segregation, along with his family history. We are adding this to our 2021 Battle of the Books.

I really do feel like had I read this at a different time, I would’ve really enjoyed it. I don’t think it’s necessarily a bad book by any means, I just didn’t enjoy it at the time and so therefore, didn’t feel like it was for me.

That said, I do see people enjoying this book.

Scoob and his grandma take an unannounced road trip. While Scoob is trying to get away from his father's oppressive rules, his grandma has sold her house and bought a Winnebago. She plans to travel across the south to relive the road trip she was supposed to take with Scoob's grandfather. However, the south was a difficult place for a black man and white woman traveling together, though Scoob (who appears black) and his white grandma are finding that maybe things haven't really changed so much at all.


Stone is a solid writer and this book is no different. She is appealing to the younger readers, about socially relevant issues. Her narrative is appropriate for the age group and represents their tone of voice.

I love books about rambunctious grandmothers and their grandchildren so I was hooked through this whole story. I can't wait to get this in the hands of my 5th graders. While our main character causes a bit of trouble, the redemption is a great portion of this story!

I received an advance copy and all thoughts are my own.

Love that we now have a middle grade from Nic Stone!!! This book is perfect for my upper elementary kids who are ready to read bigger books, but still need shorter for their reading skills. And this one is so fun with the bit of a mystery aspect with grandma. And the cover is validating for many of my students.

Ready for an adventure with G'ma and her 11 yr. old grandson?  This book will definitely appeal to middle-schoolers in several aspects.  Grandchildren will be fascinated by this road trip between a grandma and grandson and the love and bond that exists between them. 
The story includes so much more. Segregation and the Green Book, as detailed in the plot, will serve to further the reader's understanding of American history.  The role of aging grandparents and their lives, both positive and negative, are examined.  It's certain to be in demand.

For context, here's the publisher blurb about this book: 
"How to Go on an Unplanned Road Trip with Your Grandma:
Grab a Suitcase: Prepacked from the big spring break trip that got CANCELLED.
Fasten Your Seatbelt: G'ma's never conventional, so this trip won't be either.
Use the Green Book: G'ma's most treasured possession. It holds history, memories, and most important, the way home.

What Not to Bring:
A Cell Phone: Avoid contact with Dad at all costs. Even when G'ma starts acting stranger than usual.

Set against the backdrop of the segregation history of the American South, take a trip with New York Times bestselling Nic Stone and an eleven-year-old boy who is about to discover that the world hasn't always been a welcoming place for kids like him, and things aren't always what they seem--his G'ma included."

also, because I think it adds more context, the epigraph of the book:
"Each of us is more than the worst thing we've ever done."  -Bryan Stevenson

There is so much going on in this book, but Stone weaves it together well. She captures the confusing, swirling emotions of childhood in a believable way, especially how baffling the behavior of adults can be. Scoob does a lot of growing up on this journey- he learns that even the best people can do really bad things, he comes to understand his father better, and he learns about what it was like for G'ma, a white woman, and G'pop, a black man, to be together during the Sixties. The reader gets a history lesson along with Scoob, done in a way that feels natural, and not like info dumps, and contrasts the history with the world today, showing how far our country has come, and how it hasn't come far enough. The reader also gets to see and feel Scoob's inner turmoil, wanting to keep G'ma safe while wanting to get in touch with his father because he doesn't feel exactly safe himself. The ending is bittersweet as Scoob finally learns all of G'ma's secrets, and helps her finish her journey in his own way. This book gave me lots of feels, broke my heart in several ways, and I highly recommend it.

#CleanGetaway #NetGalley