Thank you to Flux/Jolly Fish Press, the author, and NetGalley for providing me with this eARC in exchange for an honest review. This book will release November 16, 2021.

Maisie's brother Calum left home without warning six years ago, and when she is sent to Edinburgh to live with an aunt for the summer, he comes to see her and she ends up running away to London with him, and in the process begins to understand what exactly happened to make him leave.

Maisie is so much fun to hang around with. I feel like she's a very typical twelve-year-old girl (or at least, I very much recognized her as one, and that probably says a lot about me), but what may not be as typical is her fierce passion for art and her family's portrait shop. She does sketches for the oil paintings that her family does on commission and hopes to run the shop one day, so naturally when it turns out that part of the reason why she was sent away is that the shop is losing funding and will have to close, she makes it her mission find a way to keep it from going out of business. In fact, that's the initial reason she decides to head to London with Calum, although the situation becomes far more complicated than just that.

Although there were a lot of things that I really enjoyed and appreciated about this book (hello, Maisie's best friend smells like lavender and Cheetos, move over she's my best friend now), the most well done, impactful, and central parts are the conversations Maisie has with Calum and his flatmates. They range from an explanation as to why Calum left home—alongside an explanation that not allowing someone to be who they are despite claiming you're fine with it will mess a person up, as well as a reminder that places change, and a town that may be more accepting of LGBTQ+ people now may not always have been that way—to tough realizations that forgiveness is not always yours to extend, and discussions of how best to be an ally.

Of course, there's so much more to this book, like the ups and downs of Maisie's friendship with Alicia, as well as her sneaky plan to save the portrait shop and her contemplation of why she loves the shop so much and the search for an art style of her own, but the hard conversations are what stand out most to me, as they're not something I've seen for fiction in this age group yet. I'm so glad that the author made these often difficult conversations as much a part of the book as open, wholehearted acceptance and showed that even the most well-meaning people can mess up.

‘The Art of Running Away’ is a wonderful middle-grade novel that has brilliant representation and characters that you will grow to love. The story deals with LGBT+ issues of coming out and how that decision may change one’s life. There is also a strong connection between family, both related and found, and learning from your mistakes which I think was neatly added.

I absolutely adored the characters and relationships that were shown in this book. Calum’s roommates were so easy to love even by their first introductions. When Maisie makes mistakes it is hard not to love her and appreciate her for when she begins to understand and change her view and thoughts.

This is the perfect book to buy, especially for those artsy book lovers and people who have a passion for certain hobbies.

The book shows how coming together and joining forces can truly help change the world and people’s lives. I loved the interactions between Maisie and Calum, their dynamic was fun to read and made me smile a lot.

"Twelve-year-old Maisie is an artist. When she’s in front of her sketchbook or apprenticing at Glenna’s Portraits, the family-run art shop her grandmother started, the world makes sense. She doesn’t think about Calum, her brother who mysteriously left home and cut ties with her family six years ago, or her parents’ insistence that she “broaden her horizons” and try something new—something that isn’t art.

But when Glenna’s Portraits falls on hard times, Maisie’s plan to take over the shop when she’s older and become a lifelong artist starts to crumble. In desperation to make things right, Maisie runs away to London to reconnect with her adult brother, hoping he might be the key to saving the shop. But as Maisie learns about her family’s past from Calum, she starts to rethink everything she’s ever known. Maisie must decide not only if saving her family’s art shop is worth it, but if she can forgive her parents for the mistakes they've made."

This was such a cute book! I don't read many middle grade books since it's not normally my cup of tea, but I adored this book. It was such a fun and easy read.

THE ART OF RUNNING AWAY ultimately took me by surprise. It was short, and it was cute—but it was also the sort of book that sliced right through to my heart in specific and intimate ways.

It has some beautifully poignant conversations about identity and allyship that I think will resonate with the middle grade demographic (and those of us older than that), while adeptly weaving them into a story that is full of heart and humour. I adored Maisie’s voice, which made the book compulsively readable. Overall, a wonderful debut. I look forward to more works from this author!

I got an ARC of this book.

I honestly didn’t expect much from this book. I expected cute and pretty fast. Instead I was given deep and powerful. This book is not what I imagine when I imagine middle grade, instead it is now one of the standards I have for middle grade novels.

The big themes are being true to yourself and what it means to love someone. The sort of themes I always want and always seek out. The true to yourself plot is really about Maisie learning how to do her own art and how to separate herself from those around her. Her art is identical to her dad’s. She sees her and her best friend as pretty much the same person, so any growth is seen as scary and difficult. It was a really wonderful and deep look at growing up and the differences between growing apart and growing together. Maisie has to confront her own feelings of inadequacies and learn that she still has a place in her best friend’s life even if her best friend is now dating.

I love that a lot of Maisie’s growth is supported by a character that I wasn’t expecting. Her brother’s boyfriend! He really is the voice of reason, well him and their flat mate. It was wonderful that Calum is still hurting and that he is not perfectly fine after being away for six years. Instead he is human. He is allowed to be flawed and he is allowed to have complicated feelings, even though it made the ending not have the perfect bow wrapped around it. I just adored Calum, no matter if he was 117 or not.

The only real issue I have with this book is the cutting off contact with family. Maisie is twelve. She turns off her phone a lot and ignores her parents. Her parents did not immediately send Lisa to check on her. Lisa does not immediately go and get her. This seems so odd. This is especially odd when Maisie’s mom even says that if she does it again there will be big consequences, but then there aren’t. It felt like a plot hole. It took me out of the story enough to drop this book a whole star. It happened so often.

Overall, this was a surprising book and I highly recommend it.

When twelve-year-old, art-loving Maisie learns that her family’s art shop, Glenna’s Portraits, is in danger of closing, she’s determined to do everything she can to save it. However, her plans to save Glenna’s are thwarted when her parents tell her she’s going to be spending the summer abroad with an aunt she’s never met. When her older brother Calum—who left home with no explanation six years prior—shows up at their aunt’s house and offers her the chance to spend the summer with him in London instead, she sees an opportunity to save Glenna’s once and for all. But as Maisie spends time actually getting to know Calum and learns the truth about why he left home all those years ago, she begins to question everything—her parents, her art, and her love for Glenna’s.

There were so many things I liked about Sabrina Kleckner’s debut novel: the multiple Shrek references, Maisie’s often hilarious internal monologue, and her desire to do what she thinks is the right thing (even if her actions were sometimes misguided). My favorite part of this book, though, was Maisie and Calum’s relationship. Seeing them bond over the course of the novel warmed my heart so much. Maisie and Calum hit some rough patches in their journey to come closer together, and their emotions during those times were so raw that they left me in tears. But there were also so many sweet and tender moments between them that had me grinning from ear-to-ear. I also loved that this book tackled questions of identity and what it means to be an ally in ways that felt accessible for younger audiences. I really enjoyed getting to see Maisie learn from her mistakes and grow as a person. The Art of Running Away is a beautifully heartfelt and emotional debut that is perfect for readers of all ages.

(Pine Reads Review would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for sending us an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Any quotes are taken from an advanced copy and may be subject to change upon final publication.)

I absolutely loved this book. Anyone who knows me, knows that I LOVE a story with a strong focus on siblings, and this book delivered on exactly that.

The Art of Running Away is about Maisie, a 12 year old girl, who is sent to spend the summer with her aunt in Edinburgh when her family's art studio loses its major investor. She then discovers that her estranged brother (who ran away from home 6 years prior) works for the company that cut funding to the studio and she runs away to London to try and get him to help her save the family business. Along the way, she learns secrets about why he left, and it makes her question everything she knows.

This was such a great story. I loved Maisie's development and seeing all her different relationships change, for better or worse. There were so many important discussions and lessons in this book, but there was also levity and it was just so well done. I liked that it didn't shy away from the difficult topics, but it was done in a way that didn't make the whole book heavy. Maisie learned and grew so much, and I loved the way these discussions were handled.

This is a beautiful story that is going to stay with me for a long time, and I highly recommend it.

I LOVED LOVED LOVED this book. It was so so amazing! I honestly thought I wouldn’t be into it much, because I haven’t read middle grade in a couple of years, but I was wrong. I enjoyed it very much!

Plot:

The plot was pretty unique, since I don’t think I’ve read something so well-strewn together in a while. There were so many issues discussed, while not letting the middle gradeness of the book disappear. It was just amazing, honestly.

Characters:

I loved the cast of characters. It was so nice! While Maisie isn’t my favourite MC, I loved her best friend Alicia (She has two dogs, I mean, come on, doggo!), Calum and Benji. Benji was honestly my favourite character. He was so cute and so passionate and so sweet to Maisie.

I do think that if Maisie had been like a teenager- maybe 14, this book could have been better. Like, even more topics could have been explored. Just a personal opinion though.

Writing Style:

This. This is what gave the book such a high rating. The writing style was so good, and so easy to get into. The book was humourous, and the titles so strongly gave me Percy Jackson vibes- they were so funny! There were multiple elements in the book, but it was all well-strung.

Excuse me but this was 100% an amazing read?? I loved it so much. It's got everything: siblings dynamics (even with a 10 years old difference between them), complicated family feelings, art, being queer and being an ally, also important platonic relationships and growing up and finding yourself (and your art style).
(a million stars for the humour. I laughed the entire length of chapter 13)

The art of running away is a sweet story about a girl named Maisie reconnecting with her brother who she’s had a strained relationship with since he ran away when she was younger. Maisie is a very lovable character despite some of her decisions in the book making me want to tear my hair out. Though the plot seems a little convoluted and too convenient at times it does a good job of covering its topics and handling its queer themes.

Queer middle grade books are near and dear to my heart, and I absolutely loved this one. I loved seeing Calum come out of his shell with Maisie, and the accidental kiss a la Chandler and Monica was absolutely hilarious. On a wider note, I also like how this juxtaposed Calum's experience coming out with Alicia's experience. It showed that places and people can change, and that being an ally is something that takes continuous work and effort. All in all, I loved this one and cannot wait to add it to my classroom library!

I haven't read a great middle grade story in a while, so I am so happy to say I adore Sabrina Kleckner's The Art of Running Away. I knew nothing about this book before diving in except that its queer and about art. What I didn't know is that its an extremely lovely story about siblings, allyship and the world's ever-changing views on queer culture. I think this book will be really valuable to queer kids, and even more valuable to their allies, whether they are also kids, or an adult trying to better understand what young :LGBTQ+ people go through. I was also really pleased with the discussion of what it was like to be out and queer twenty or ten or even five years ago vs. what its like now. I'm all about stories that acknowledge everyone's experience with their sexuality. Needless to say, I can't wait to get this in my library and in the hands of students.

This was genuinely one of the most endearing and heartwarming books that I have had the pleasure the read. It’s a book that despite being for younger readers, disproves the notion that middle grade books cannot explore difficult topic and do it well.

I especially adored the conversations and discussion around true allyship, family, and what it means to create, especially when art comes as a tradition. While Maisie did not feel 12 many-a-times she is still a lovely character, who I feel as if many middle grade readers can relate to and who is able to learn throughout the story.

Her brother, Callum, and the exploration of their relationship is the key to this book, and it is what makes it genuinely so special, especially when more difficult topics are brought up between the two. Their bond is adorable, and I wish I could have a sibling like that.

I laughed out loud and also cried while reading this book. The book is a small story that I think speaks to a broader commentary and narrative about the world we live in. also it was foreign! Which I loved, considering so many middle grade books seem to be geared towards American readers. I think this book is perfect for it’s demographic, but also for older readers as there are several lessons and ideas in it which I think some people still struggle with, including myself.
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THIS IS... I DIDN'T KNOW I NEED THIS. THE HUMOR. THE FAMILY-SHIP. THE ART.

I wish to get a physical copy when the book is officially out. Uvudsudshssu

“When I paint, I always know what to say, — I used to think that was enough, that I could show my feeling instead of stating them. But sometimes words are necessary. I wish I had learned that sooner.”

Sabrina Kleckner has an amazing talent to make you care for her characters: they feel real, you care about their problems and even though it's set in a contemporary world, you can feel the magic surrounding it.
It's a really important story about acceptance and forgiveness, my middle school self would have loved reading this, so I think it's a book that kids desperately need to have in their hands. The LGBTQIA+ themes are well written and they integrate the story in a way that feels real and caring, you can definitely notice the author knows about these kind of things.
Overall, a cute amazing middle-school book that teaches you more than you could think!

An emotional journey about family secrets and difficult decisions. Does everyone deserve forgiveness?

This book, it propelled me through all the way to the end. Sabrina Kleckner has an immense talent for embuing even the smallest of moments with so much depth and emotion. Maisie is such a relatable character, and her voice is pitch-perfect. I can't remember the last Middle Grade I read that so effortlessly nails the voice. It's hard, man, but Maisie never sounds like an adult pretending to be a child. Her doubts, fears, anxieties, they felt real, and it only made her more endearing. The parents are real people, not caricatures, and they guide Maisie's story even in their absence, as our parents always do at that age. If you're looking for a middle grade book about seeking out answers to your family and maybe even who you are, with tons of heart, a few moments that might make you cry (curse you, Sabrina Kleckner!) and an ending that is absolutely perfect, then you should read this ASAP.

This is an interesting middle grade book that deals with growing up. Breaking out of your comfort zone, as well as running away are both topics which are also woven throughout. I would say this book would be interesting/a good fit for preteens and teens in the 11-14 year old range, so an older middle grade/middle school fiction. The story is fairly interesting and I think that many young people would enjoy this book.

this book was so quiet and yet so impactful! the way it dealt with being queer but not being fully accepted by your family, finding who you truly are, and sibling relationship was just so touching! I also loved that a part of this book took place in Edinburgh (I'm very biased when it comes to my city)

One thing I really enjoy about middle grade books is the way how imaginative and magical the voices are.

Love this book and I enjoyed every word of it.