Ask the Passengers

A.S. King

Oct 2012 · Sold by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

About this ebook

In this truly original portrayal of a girl struggling to break free of society's definitions, Printz Honor author A.S. King asks readers to question everything—and offers hope to those who will never stop seeking real love.

Astrid Jones desperately wants to confide in someone, but her mother's pushiness and her father's lack of interest tell her they're the last people she can trust. Instead, Astrid spends hours lying on the backyard picnic table watching airplanes fly overhead. She doesn't know the passengers inside, but they're the only people who won't judge her when she asks them her most personal questions . . . like what it means that she's falling in love with a girl.   As her secret relationship becomes more intense and her friends demand answers, Astrid has nowhere left to turn. She can't share the truth with anyone except the people at thirty thousand feet, and they don't even know she's there. But little does Astrid know just how much even the tiniest connection will affect these strangers' lives—and her own—for the better.

Ratings and reviews

3.5 stars This is a story about a girl who is questioning and leaning toward being gay. She has a girlfriend, but she is figuring everything out, including her life in a new town and troubles with her parents. I feel like family relationships are just as big of a focus as anything else in this book. There's also a lot about high school, popularity, friendship and other teen issues. Astrid's narrative is broken occasionally by little bits from other's lives. It shows how everyone is struggling with something in their lives, not just teens. I liked this book and felt like it did have a message for me, but I also think a teen would get more from it than I did.

This has become my new favorite book. I read it in less than a day and highlighted more lines than not. I feel I could read it again and it would make think just as much as I did the first time through. I can't wait to go through it again.

This book is very well-written and I enjoyed every second of it! Please, please, PLEASE read this one.

About the author

A.S. King has been called “One of the best Y.A. writers working today” by the New York Times Book Review and a recipient of the Margaret A. Edwards Award for lifetime achievement in writing for young adults. King is the author of novels including the 2020 Michael L. Printz Award-winning Dig, Glory O'Brien's History of the Future, the 2013 Los Angeles Times Book Prize winner Ask the Passengers, and 2011 Printz Honor Book Please Ignore Vera Dietz, among others. Switch has been called "a work of literary genius" by Booklist. She is a faculty member at Vermont College of Fine Arts and spends many months of the year traveling the country speaking to high school students about trauma, emotions, and red velvet cake. After many years living self-sufficiently and teaching literacy to adults in Ireland, she now lives in Pennsylvania. Find more at www.as-king.com.