King, A. S. (2013). Ask the Passengers. New York, NY: Little, Brown and Company.
Ask the Passengers, is about a young girl, Astrid Jones, who keeps everyone's secret and now she has her own secret, too. She doesn't have anyone to confide to, because her mom is too domineering, dad is always high, her sister is mom's lackey. So, she heads out back to her family's picnic table and watches airplanes go by and mentally tells the passengers her problems, and sends them her love. Of course, those secrets don't always remain a secret and Astrid's secrets are about to be forcefully exposed whether she likes it or not.
Astrid's story is so relevant to our young teens of today who are constantly questioning not only their own sexuality, but what everyone else says too. I liked how Astrid sought answers to her questions in her philosophy class, and that her teacher made the lessons impact her on a deeper level. This story made me laugh when A.S. King referred to how Astrid's dad is like "The Dude" from the Big Lebowski due to her dad's pot smoking habit, and I was happy that I understood that reference. Also, the story is very similar to Annie on My Mind in how Astrid and Liza are so afraid of what others think about who they love, but in the end they both find their own acceptance. Not only does Astrid find acceptance but her relationship with her family starts to get better too.
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