FIGHT + FLIGHT

An active shooter drill gone wrong compels two middle schoolers to face their fears in very different ways.

After being diagnosed with hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, a progressive disease that causes her joints to dislocate and currently prevents her from drumming or riding her dirt bike, Avery Hart is terrified of losing her independence, but others’ ignorant comments have led her to mask her fear and pain. So when a realistic active shooter drill traumatizes her classmates and compounds her sense of helplessness, Avery plots a dangerous act of revenge against the principal. In the meantime, her crush on classmate Sarah grows. Sarah Bell knows about fear; she experiences terrible panic attacks, which her Catholic parents insist prayer will cure. In her journal, illustrated with her sketches and Spirograph designs, Sarah reflects on her hectic family, anxiety, prayer, and her growing attraction to Avery as she ponders how to help her classmates heal. Can she help Avery before she carries out her plan? The girls’ distinct alternating voices vividly immerse readers in their turbulent emotions. Machias incorporates a variety of tough issues, including class disparities, Covid-19, political divides, racism, and ableism. The effect is occasionally overwhelming—much like real life—but ultimately hopeful. Readers will also appreciate Sarah’s strategies for calming. One of pansexual Avery’s moms is trans, and Avery’s best friend, who has ADHD, is Black. Avery and Sarah are White.

Honest and timely.