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Ask the Passengers Audiobook
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(4.00) - 1,989 listener ratings
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Publisher 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 realize 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.
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"Astrid Jones lives in simpleton, small-minded Unity Valley, where she struggles to come to terms with her sexual identity and how to not fit into the boxes that life tries to fit us into. I have to say, I definitely loved and hated this book at the same time, only because as someone who lives in a big east coast city, it was hard for me to relate with people in Unity Valley, even though in this day and age, it's not as uncommon as one may think to still have the very narrow-minded viewpoints; however, not to get too off point. While I found Astrid's family (mostly mother and sister) infuritating, this is still a very good coming-of-age novel, and definitely one that will leave you feeling satisfied. I read it in one day, so I would say it's a fast-paced book, and humorous."
— Alyssa (4 out of 5 stars)
Awards
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Winner of the 2012 Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Young Adult Literature
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A Kirkus Reviews “New and Notable Title”, October 2012
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Kirkus Reviews’ Best Books for Teens, 2012
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A 2012 Publishers Weekly Best Book: Children's Fiction
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A 2012 School Library Journal Best Book for Young Adults
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A 2012 Library Journal Best Book for Young Adults
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A 2012 BookPage Best Book for Young Adults
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A 2015 Abraham Lincoln Award Nominee
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A 2014 Rhode Island Teen Book Award Nominee
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Selected for the 2012 Kids' Indie Next List
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A 2013 Lambda Literary Award Finalist for LGBT Children's/Young Adult
Ask the Passengers Listener Reviews
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" Going with 5 stars for one of the best books I've read this year!! A.S. King really nails this one - so honest and true are these voices. It's a bit like Wonder for the YA crowd. "
— Jennifer, 1/27/2014 -
" An interesting 'coming out' story. I liked the way Astrid came up with internal sources of wisdom for herself, when her external resources were thin or feeble or just plain wrong-headed. "
— Deirdre, 1/5/2014 -
" Love A.S. King! "
— Amber, 12/30/2013 -
" In need a category for lovely. KIng has a wonderful way of getting us into the mind of a character. Astrid is trying to figure out who she is which, of course, it frustrating for the others in her life, not that their lives are in anyway pulled together. When she needs to think, she lies on the picnic table in her backyard and sends love to the passengers in the planes flying overhead. And, yes, we do get a glimpse into the lives of those passengers. Astrid's questions help us find our own. "
— Charlou, 12/20/2013 -
" Loved this! Girl protagonist questions her sexuality and deals with a difficult mother. Best part is she occasionally sends love up to random passing airplanes. Then there is a short description of the plane passenger who receives that love. Clever. "
— Laura, 12/1/2013 -
" decent coming of age novel for middle and high school readers "
— Candice, 11/27/2013 -
" I enjoyed the book, but all the yelling of the main character telling people not to classify her sexuality and then settles for a label after all, I found inconsistent. "
— Julianne, 11/27/2013 -
" Generally a well written book with lesbian protagonist who is struggling with her identity and has rather dysfunctional family. I enjoyed the book, but I'm at the stage where I prefer gay books with characters who have interesting lives - and by the way - some of the characters are gay. "
— Wilma, 10/11/2013 -
" Blah. Can we jump on the teenage lesbian bandwagon any quicker? Very superficial. I liked it less and less the more I read. "
— Danielle, 10/2/2013 -
" Disappointing after King's stellar "Everybody Sees the Ants". The secondary characters were underdeveloped and the relationships rang false. /sadface "
— Maggie, 8/10/2013 -
" This was definitely my favorite A.S. King book I've read. Totally deserves five stars. It was so beautiful and well written and entertaining. I really recommend everyone picking this up if you haven't yet! :) "
— Amanda, 1/23/2013 -
" Disappointing compared to her last two books, which I loved. "
— Laura, 12/12/2012 -
" I liked it well enough--I mean I read all the way to the end and I liked it--but nothing from the book is sticking with me. Very interesting premise for a book. "
— Rene, 11/2/2012
About A. S. King
A. S. King is the award-winning author of eight acclaimed novels for young adults. Her novel Please Ignore Vera Dietz earned a 2011 Michael L. Printz Honor and Ask the Passengers won the 2013 Los Angeles Times Book Prize. The New York Times called her “one of the best YA writers working today.” King lives with her family in Pennsylvania, where she returned after living on a farm and teaching adult literacy in Ireland for more than a decade.
About Devon Sorvari
Devon Sorvari is an Earphones Award–winning and Audie Award–nominated narrator. She graduated from NYU’s Circle in the Square program and the Classical Studio. She has nationwide theater credits ranging from Shakespeare to musicals.