Ellen Outside the Lines
| Company type | Middle-grade novel |
|---|---|
| Industry | Publishing |
| Founded | 2022 |
| Founder | A. J. Sass |
| Products | Book |
| Parent | Little, Brown and Company |
Ellen Outside the Lines is a middle-grade novel authored by A. J. Sass and published in 2022 through Little, Brown and Company. The narrative centers on Ellen Katz, a Jewish autistic girl from the United States, as she embarks on a school trip to Barcelona, Spain.
Themes
The novel Ellen Outside the Lines explores themes including autism, LGBTQ+ identities, and Judaism. Ellen, who is autistic, navigates social situations by engaging in stimming and utilizing noise-cancelling headphones to cope with sensory overload. Drawing from his personal experience with autism, A.J. Sass emphasizes that autism represents a unique difference rather than something negative or abnormal. Additionally, Ellen examines her gender identity, opting to use both she/her and they/them pronouns. The story also focuses on the development of Ellen’s close friendship with her best friend Laurel.
The book is narrated from a first person point of view perspective.
Reception
Ellen Outside the Lines has been widely praised for its genuine portrayal of autism, with critics noting that readers "share in [Ellen's] experience of autism." Booklist lauded Sass for crafting a "world that embraces autism for the joy it brings Ellen." Reviews also highlighted the novel’s treatment of LGBTQ+ themes; The Horn Book Magazine remarked that the presence of several queer characters enriches the emotional diversity within the story, while the Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books underscored how non-binary characters contribute to an exploration of personal identity. Reviewers further recognized the integration of Ellen’s Jewish heritage through Hebrew expressions and references to traditions such as kosher dietary laws.
Although the Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books pointed out that some subplots and parental figures detracted from the central storyline, it still commended the book overall.
In 2023, thirty titles including Ellen Outside the Lines were initially removed from libraries in South Carolina’s Lexington County School District Two following complaints regarding content related to race and gender. After review by a committee and an appeal process, the school board ultimately decided to keep this book available.
The novel was honored as a 2023 Sydney Taylor Book Award Honor Book in the middle-grade category.