This was a cute story. I am approaching middle age and not the target audience for this book, but I was curious to see how middle grade books are now compared to the ones I read as a kid. I wish books like these were around back then because I would have been obsessed with them!

As an adult reader I'm a little bit pickier but I tried to read this as I would have as a child. I really enjoyed the setting and the characters. I wasn't crazy about the subtle political commentary and would have preferred just a fun story, but as a kid I probably wouldn't have noticed or minded it. I saw the twist coming at the end but, again, as a kid it probably could have been a nice surprise.

Overall I give this book a 4/5, and I would recommend this to any older child or child-at-hearts like myself.

A big thank you to Scholastic (one of my childhood faves!) for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Living life in the Refuge is all Razzi has ever known. After the Great Poisoning left the world in a dangerous state, with limited supplies and monstrous individuals outside of the Refuge walls, the families that call the Refuge home try to make the most of their situation by mimicking life from the Before Time as best they can, with the exception of being able to go Outside. When an indoor game of "Chase" lands Razzi in the infirmary for a sprained knee, Saul, the Refuge's doctor, also discovers that Razzi's heart is failing and she'll need a transplant. After the successful surgery though, Razzi notices changes in her abilities. Can she actually hear better? Taste differently? Run faster? Could it be due to the donor heart she received from a Greyhound named Wind? Looking for answers, Razzi decides to break out of the Refuge to explore the Outside. But what she finds is like nothing she could have imagined. Outside will instantly hook readers who are keen to know more about the world beyond the Refuge walls. While the connection Razzi has to the Greyhound, Wind, at times feels implausible, readers may be willing to look past this in anticipation of what Razzi will discover once she makes it Outside.

I loved this post-apocalyptic YA story, especially the plot twist towards the end. After reading this story, I still have so many questions, but the biggest questions were definitely answered by the end of the book. I think my students would love reading this book.

A fascinating dystopian/realistic fiction book that is just right of middle grade readers.

I always point to Margaret Haddix's books as gateways for dystopian novels for younger readers. This might be a step just before that and an interesting way to start talking to young readers about the different genres. It is also a really hard book to discuss without giving away too much. There are a few plot parts that were a little odd (like the Dalmatian heart), but might not be seen the same way by a 10 year old.

Wow! Jennifer Holm did it again :) I was so intrigued by this book from the beginning. It was an easy read but also left you questioning what was going on in the world. I had assumed the parent were overly cautious but yoy never found out until the end. The connection between Razi and the dog was very emotional and a sweet moment when she found Poppy at the end. This will be a book students and adults love.

As dystopian stories go, I do think this one will captivate younger middle school readers. As an adult who has read many from this genre and clues to what was to come were abundant. The story itself was a bit odd and I had a difficult time getting on board with it. I did, however, enjoy reading it and will recommend it to my students.

Life lived apart from the outside for fear of the Poisoned.
A transplanted dog’s heart that changes the very nature of the recipient.
The shocking discovery that leads to the arrest of parents and removal of kids.
All of this made for a chaotic and unsettling dystopian-ish, realistic fiction, story that will likely not be on my school shelves. I’ve enjoyed other titles by Holm, this one just fell flat.

This is a difficult book to write a review for- I finished it. And it held my interest. I just don't think it was my style- and that could be totally different for another reader. I love Jennifer L. Holm's books- and have read several.

Thank you so much to netgalley and the publisher for the arc of this one in exchange for an honest review!

This book follows a group of kids who live on a compound after the great poisoning. However, things are not as they seem.

I thought this book was interesting throughout. I liked following the different characters and relationships. The writing was good and I think kids will enjoy it.

However, I do feel like I’ve seen this trope a lot and this book was very similar to the movie “the village” and it just felt lackluster to me because of that. I knew what was going to happen since it is so similar to that movie.

Overall, not a bad book but I don’t feel like it was super original.

What a compelling read! I could not put this one down. I love how the author gives us just enough hints to make preditcions without over simplifying the plot. I can already think of a few students who will want to read this.

I adore Jennifer L. Holm; she is one of the best middle grade writers in the game right now. I especially love her novels that are more high-concept and blend genres (looking at you, Fourteenth Goldfish and The Lion of Mars).

Outside fits this description perfectly: while it seems like more of an adventure novel from the description, much of the story is defined by Razzi's reactions to an experimental heart surgery, where she is given a transplant heart from a greyhound. Wind the Greyhound ends up fueling Razzi's desire to get Outside and see the world beyond the walls of the Refuge. Because of this, Outside ended up being much more sci-fi than I anticipated. That isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it is something for readers to note.

The thriller aspect of the novel is probably the strongest, as Razzi slowly unravels what happened to the world Outside. As Razzi's life in the Refuge is depicted, with strong side characters and snippets of different elements of the Refuge, readers are left with a sense that something isn't quite right about their world. Holm does such a nice job of ratcheting up that tension while still creating a story filled with empathy. I could see the big reveal being something that will shock or cause sadness for readers, but there is a sense of closure.

I could easily see this being a great read-aloud. But there is one last thing that I want to note here...there are many similarities to Holm's novel The Lion of Mars, and I just found that book to be stronger than Outside. Much of the same themes (isolation, rag-tag group of kids making due, exploration of the world) are paralleled, but The Lion of Mars just does it better. I will say that the realism is more present in Outside, and some kids may gravitate to that. I wouldn't say this is a BAD novel and I would still recommend it, but if readers are trying to decide between Holm novels, this wouldn't be my first pick. IT IS STILL GOOD.

Thank you to NetGalley and Scholastic for an eARC in exchange for my honest review. I am an assistant librarian at an elementary school, so I read this with my students in mind.

The following review was posted on Goodreads on 5.1.25:

I've loved several of Jennifer L. Holm's novels, so I was excited to see that she has a new one coming out. I was stoked to receive an e-ARC of OUTSIDE. The premise intrigued me so much that I started reading the book immediately. Unfortunately, other than the greyhound thing, there's not a lot of originality in this novel. I knew from the get-go where the story was leading. (Admittedly, I'm not the target audience for this book. Kids who haven't read books like THE CITY OF EMBER by Jeanne DuPrau and RUNNING OUT OF TIME by Margaret Peterson Haddix might find OUTSIDE more surprising than I did.) Its predictability was disappointing. Other than that, I liked OUTSIDE well enough. It's a quick, hopeful read that explores some important themes. I wanted to love the book, but I felt like it was lacking in nuance and freshness. For those reasons, I would give it 3 1/2 stars if I could; since I can't, I'm rounding up.

If this were a movie, it would be rated: PG for scary situations

When I saw the cover I was intrigued. When I saw who the author was, I was so excited .Jennifer L. Holm is one of my favorite children's authors. This was a little different but enjoyed it! Great length and well written. The characters were engaging and realistic. Can’t wait to get this in the hands of kids.

When I saw the cover, read the blurb and saw who the author was, I was so excited for a chance to read this book! Jennifer L. Holm is one of my favorite children's authors, I've loved her other works. This one did seem a bit different from the others, and it definitely was, but I enjoyed it!

Based on the description I read on NetGalley, I immediately assumed this was a dystopian tale. Then the more I read, it felt like a mystery. Then a thriller. Then science fiction. I feel it was a mash up of all of the above.

I do not want to spoil anything or give too much away, so I will be vague with the plot. Our story follows Razzi, one of seven children growing up together in a compound known as the Refuge. Their parents are there raising them, but they must follow one very strict rule: never go outside. Nothing Outside is safe, after a war which left the land poisoned. But they know they are safe inside. One of the children is not satisfied with staying indoors all the time though, and he tries to sneak out, leading to a tragedy. Razzi is the oldest and tries to lead the other kids and keep them safe, but after an unexpected surgery, Razzi suddenly wants to be outside too. She's had a change of heart, so to speak, and one night, finally gives in the desire to leave the Refuge. What will she find Outside?

The bulk of the story is set in the Refuge, where we see how the kids all live and what life is like after an apocalypse. All the kids had different personalities, and they all really shone through. They came together as a really cute group.

There is some sadness to this story, and I think kids reading it will take it much harder than an adult would. But we do get somewhat of a happy ending, so the end of the story does give the reader closure and some hope. I would recommend teachers and librarians add this to their collection once it is available for purchase! I think young readers will be fascinated with the story!

As an elementary school librarian and mother to Middle School age children, I'm always looking for books that are interesting and challenging + different.

I offered this book to my 7th grader, he is 13 years old. He loves everything from Sonic + Keeper of the Lost cities to babysitter club graphic novels + history books. He is an equal opportunity reader.

He usually has a hard time saying bad things about books so he says it's okay or it was good or it was great. About 90% of the way through I heard an audible gasp and him saying " oh my God this is so good". That's how I know he read it and will absolutely recommend it to his friends and his younger brother. He even said he really hopes there is a second book, and asked me to find other books from this author.. My daughter already loves the Sunny side Up series so this is a perfect way to bring more of her books into our house.

Thank you netgalley for this Arc in exchange for an honest review