Astrid Jones is struggling to come to terms with her sexuality and new girlfriend and spends hours talking to the passengers of the planes flying above her. Includes classic philosophy and very negative community reactions, as well as violation of sexual boundaries.
Publisher’s Description:
“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.
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. “
Genre: Contemporary
Representation:
Gender:
Cis girls: Astrid
Sexual Orientation:
Astrid is questioning throughout the book, and seems to land on gay/homosexual.
Romantic Orientation:
Not explicitly addressed.
Race/Ethnicity:
White: Astrid
Additional Notes:
Bisexual erasure: Although Astrid is questioning throughout the book, the possibility of her being bisexual is never mentioned once.
Trigger Warnings:
Sexual Assault: Astrid’s girlfriend forces herself on Astrid multiple times and it is never addressed.