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

** spoiler alert ** I have mixed feelings about Stone's first middle grade novel. The premise, an eleven year old boy and his grandma on a road trip, has both comic and serious moments as historical realities and family secrets are exposed. Stone does write well. However, I was bothered that his grandma's stealing jewels, which appeared to be kleptomania, is skimmed over and in fact, Scoob celebrates the fact that his is able to provide her with a "clean getaway".

Clean Getaway

by Nic Stone

Random House Children's

Crown Books for Young Readers

Children's Fiction

Pub Date 07 Jan 2020

An unexpected trip with Grandma starts with the big spring break trip that got cancelled.


Grandma is not conventional, never has been, and this trip isn't going to be conventional either.


Using Grandma's most treasured possession the Green Book, it holds history, memories, and most important, the way home.


What you shouldn't bring is a Cell Phone, and you should avoid your Dad at all costs, even when your Grandmother starts acting stranger than normal.


This book is set in the backdrop of Segregation history of the American South, where an eleven year old boy will learn that the world hasn't always been welcoming to kids like him, and he will learn that things, and people aren't always what they seem, thay includes his Grandma.



I give Clean Getaway five out of five stars!



Happy Reading!

This is a fun and engaging mystery adventure, but also an important walk through the history of Jim Crow in the South. The story is both humorous and poignant, told in a way that will be accessible to middle schoolers. I can’t wait to order a copy for the library!

I really wanted to like this one but there were a lot of things that bugged me about it. I liked the multi-racial family story. I liked the grandmother trying to deepen her connection with her grandson (particularly when it was apparent that she was dying). I liked the family history that wove through American and particularly African American cultural history. But I really didn't like how the grandmother lied. She lied to her grandson, she lied to son, she withheld information so that her husband was imprisoned and then never spoke to him again. She lied to the police and to her own parents and jewelry store owners. It was hard to think that she even knew what the truth was anymore. I liked her character at the beginning but I found her reprehensible by the end. I also thought the ending was rushed and not realistic. I couldn't really consider this one for my school library because of the issues I had with it.

Having sons of my own who have a tight relationship with their grandparents, I absolutely loved this book! There is so much crammed to the story too! Single parenthood, racism, bullying, multigenerational families, and an unplanned cross country road trip!

The publisher’s summary had me intrigued and fairly certain that “Clean Getaway” would be a book that both I and my 5th grade library patrons would enjoy. Skoob Lamar is a mixed race middle school student who has a complicated relationship with his single, African American dad. He has his white grandmother on a lofty pedestal so she is able to sweep him away willingly on a cross country RV trip down memory lane with only a note to his father and no idea of where they are going or when they will return. The trip gets complicated, family secrets are leaked out and choices must be made. Along with this unique plot were great history lessons about racism in the 60s: informative but brief references to Emmitt Till, Medgar Evers, and Martin Luther King, Jr and a thorough explanation of the Green Book that is so often not a part of Civil Rights curriculum in the younger grades. Unfortunately, very little of G’ma Lamar is believable or likeable. At best, she is sad and pitiful and at worst, she is a crook and a terrible wife. Readers are likely to be unsure of Skoob’s dad as his actions and background are confusing. The conclusion ties up every loose end and leaves the reader with the feeling that all will be well with dad and son, but with the epic dysfunction on all sides, I don’t know how. There will definitely be a readership for this book—those looking for a character who looks like them, students interested in the unrest of the 60s, and readers of slightly crazy and zigzagging storylines—but I may pass on using my ever-dwindling library budget to purchase it. Those who do will be pleased that it is free of profanity, sexual content, or violence other than the biographical references listed.

Things cannot go that wrong when you go on a road trip with your G'ma.... right?!?

Well, if you are Scoob's, then you are your grandma are about to get into some serious trouble. Not to mention, you both are going to have the trip of your lives all the while getting to know the true stories behind one another.

Scoob's is an 11-year-old boy, and he is in WAY over his head. He just got expelled at school again, and this time he doesn't think he dad is ever going to forgive him. No matter how big of a misunderstanding everything was, Scoob's knows he has let his father down hard.

So why not go along on a road trip with his G'ma? What could hurt? He can't get into any more trouble at this point, right?!?!

In Nic Stone's newest novel, Clean Getaway, Scoob's and his G'ma have a lot they don't know each other. G'ma is not all she seems to be, and she has some coming clean to do. So the two head off on a road trip that G'ma has dreamed of taking for many years. She needs to make things right, and Scoobs is the perfect companion for the job.

Clean Getaway is a novel with a fresh voice. Scoobs and his G'ma have a loving relationship, but this book proves there is always more to someone's whole story. Together, the two work to make lots of wrongs right and have an adventure that neither of them will ever forget.

I really, really enjoyed this book. I liked the mix of a current road trip story sprinkled with family history during the civil rights movement. It showed how much has changed and how much hasn't in all this time. It is well-written with great character development. It is funny, heartfelt, sad, and hopeful. I would hand this to 4th-6th graders looking for a road trip adventure sprinkled with history.

I must say, I haven't read a middle grade book like this before. Scoob's G'ma picks him up to go on little road trip, and Scoob goes with her without question (he and his dad were not on great terms). But as they drive further and further from home, Scoob wonders where exactly they are going and if they'll ever return to his dad. Not to mention, G'ma is acting strange - does he even know who she is anymore?

What I loved most about Clean Getaway was that it told a unique story without being overly quirky. I often can't handle super quirky books because they don't feel authentic to me. Scoob's journey and his feelings along the way all felt real. Sure, you had to suspend disbelief at points, but the outlandish moments were what made the story compelling and fun to read. Nic Stone's voice translates really well to middle grade. I'm excited to see what she comes up with next!

Clean Getaway was a wild ride from start to finish that I didn't want to end. Scoob's G'ma is such a riot of a character that you can't help but adore her despite (or maybe because of) her criminal record. I love reading stories about grandparent-grandchild relationships since I don't really have a close relationship with any of my grandparents, and it was heartening to watch Scoob and G'ma bond and share stories and make memories together. Aside from being a journey across space, this book was also a journey backward in time, in a sense, with G'ma providing background on the history of racism in the South and the difficulties of interracial relationships in the 60s. I learned some new things I'd never known. The book also reckons with the modern day racism that persists and doesn't shy away from calling out the antiblackness in our institutions. I wasn't expecting the story to end the way it did (there's a big twist), but it felt fitting and brought the story full circle.

There are certainly things I like about this book. I especially like the parallels between G'ma's experience with racism and societal expectations and Scoob's. It makes it clear both how much the world has changed and yet racism remains. There are ways life is easier for Scoob yet he must be more mindful of his actions. By highlighting the differences it points out how truly unfair our current reality is. That makes this book worth a read. But I didn't love many of the plot elements. I found several plot twists entirely too predictable. And I'm concerned that the subtlety of the final chapters will be lost on many readers.

William/Scoob/Scoob-a-doob is headed across the South with his G’Ma. More than just an unplanned road trip in G’ma’s new Winnebago, Scoob is about to learn a history lesson while slowly uncovering family secrets.

With themes of forgiveness and healing and a text that’s 225 pages and has illustrations sprinkled throughout, this family’s story is one not to be missed for middle grade readers.

Absolutely loved book. Nic Stone is one of my favorite writers. She did a great job of blending humor and her passion for writing about important issues.

I like road trip books, but this wasn't one of my favorites. I waffled between 2 and 3 stars. It felt forced and lacked believability. Pieces just didn't fit together for me. Main character Scoob is too wishy-washy for my liking and the grandmother is a piece of work.

The story opens with Scoob and his grandmother traveling down the road in an RV. She has sold her house to go traipsing around the South and wanted Scoob to go with her. He was happy to oblige since his dad grounded him, leaving him utterly bored. The problem is that he didn't tell his dad he was going and this leads to problems down the road.

While traveling from state to state, Scoob's grandmother, who is white, tells Scoob all about the racism she and her black husband faced in the 60s. She makes a big deal of her treasure box which has the green book of businesses that served black people. They are basically following the same route she took with Scoob's grandfather all those years ago. To Scoob's dismay, she has a bit of a theft problem.

Just didn't work for me. The grandmother's excuse for why she steals offers no real closure and Scoob's constant back and forth about whether he should call his dad gets tedious after a while. One second he's glad he's on the trip and the next he wants to go home. I was never impressed with his grandmother. She's irresponsible. The reason his grandfather went to prison wasn't believable to me. But it's a road trip book and those go over well with kids, so if you have the readers for it, it's worth a try.

Clean Getaway is a brilliant middle grades debut for this traditionally YA author. This new title from Nic Stone is about a spontaneous road trip that Scoob, an 11 year old black boy takes with his white G'ma in her newly purchased RV. Over the course of the trip, Scoob learns more about his family and the real life struggles his grandparents went through as an interracial couple. It is an easy and age appropriate introduction to Civil Rights history and the reality of being black in today's society. Clean Getaway is a heartwarming story about forgiveness, family, and the struggle between knowing the right answer and doing the right thing. Nic Stone has given us yet another compelling story with natural humor that does not overshadow the series content. While there are some specific circumstances that not everyone will relate to, Clean Getaway as a whole is a story that will appeal to readers of any race or class privilege. I look forward to having this book on the shelves of the public libraries I order for and to sharing it with patrons and friends alike.

I thought this was pretty predictable with a rushed ending. The characters were caricatures, rather than fully fleshed out and the story felt haphazard.

Clean Getaway, is a fun, adventurous introduction to the civil rights era for young readers. G’ma is hilarious and Scoob aka William is so sweet. In this story G’ma takes Scoob on a road trip using “The Green Book” to guide them. During this trip Scoob learns about his grandmother’s secret and finds out more about his grandfather. Nic Stone did an excellent job with this Middle grade book. Its super easy to read and it has a powerful message behind it.

Thank you to Random House Kids via NetGalley for gifting me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.