This book is everything! Scoob takes off on a cross country trip with his grandma after he's been grounded for a misunderstood bulling incident. Gma is trying to right some wrongs by taking a trip she meant to take years ago, uncovering her history as well as Scoob's. The Green Book plot line is perfection, Gma is hilarious and Scoob is a good kid trying to get by in a society that wants to see the worst from him. Required reading in my opinion.

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Nic Stone is a master middle grade author. I loved this mysterious, road trip family story. I read this one with my kids for homeschool during the pandemic lockdown and immediately ordered it for the school library too!

Clean Getaway is Nic Stone’s first jump into middle grade fiction after writing several young adult novels, including the New York Times bestseller Dear Martin. Clean Getaway follows Scoob and his Grandma (G’Ma) on a cross-country adventure in G’Ma’s newly acquired RV. Scoob is excited to go with G’Ma since it makes up for his cancelled spring break trip and gets him away from his Dad. Even when things start to take a turn and G’ma starts acting stranger than usual, Scoob is along for the ride.

I was excited to read Clean Getaway after reading and loving Dear Martin. I was also excited to be reading this book on audio with narrator Dion Graham, who narrated Milo Imagines the World and Dear Martin, two books that I enjoyed. Graham brought life to the characters and kept me hooked the entire time.

Clean Getaway was not what I expected. I didn’t know much about the story going in, other than it being about a young boy going on a road trip with his grandmother through the south. I anticipated this book covering some of the same topics that Dear Martin did (racism in America) and was excited to see how Nic Stone would cover this for younger readers. I love how she didn’t shy away from sharing difficult truths with younger readers, explaining both how the south wasn’t a safe place for G’Ma (a white woman) and her husband (a Black man) and how the south can continue to be an unsafe place- which Scoob experiences first-hand while traveling. What I didn’t expect was a mystery surrounding a 1960’s jewelry heist and wrongful imprisonment.

I didn’t love the ending of the story. After following Scoob and G’Ma across the country, with Scoob seeing G’Ma’s behavior get stranger and dodging his Dad’s attempts to contact him, we’re left with a quick story about Scoob’s grandfather. We learn that he went to prison for a crime he didn’t commit and that G’Ma cut all ties with him because she knew that she was pregnant with Scoob’s dad. We also learn that G’Ma was the one to commit the crime and while she seems sorry about it, there wasn’t really a broader discussion about how this information will impact Scoob and his dad, who believed that his father was a criminal for his whole life. I would have liked a further chapter or two where Scoob could process this information with his Dad or some other adult so he isn’t just carrying this heavy information on his own.

Overall, I would recommend this book to upper-elementary and middle school readers. Nic Stone’s writing is impeccable and the characters are likeable. The mystery of G’Ma’s increasingly strange behavior will keep readers invested in the story and the reveal at the end will open the door for lots of interesting discussions. I gave this book 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for access to the ARC for my honest opinion.

An adventure story of 11 year old Scoob going across the country on an unplanned trip with his Grandmother. The books weaves the grandmother's life history into a lively and thoughtful journey to help Scoob understand what segregated life and interracial marriages were like in the South, so he can understand what's going on in his life. The idea of traveling to the places G-ma and her husband ventured in order to tell the story is creative and fun- a way to keep the reader engaged. Add in the theft plot and Scoob learns more than he thought knew about his family. I recommend this book for any middle-grader looking for a bit of history and loads of entertainment.

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.