Ask the Passengers

by A.S. King

Astrid Jones copes with her small town's gossip and narrow-mindedness by sending love to the passengers in the airplanes flying overhead. Maybe they'll know what to do with it. Maybe it'll make them happy. Maybe they'll need it. Her mother doesn't want it, her father's always stoned, her perfect sister's too busy trying to fit in, and the people in her small town would never allow her to love the person she really wants to--another girl named Dee. There's no one Astrid feels she can talk to about this deep secret or the profound questions that she's trying to answer. But little does she know just how much sending her love--and asking the right questions--will affect the passengers' lives, and her own, for the better. In this unmistakably original portrayal of a girl struggling to break free of society's boxes and definitions, Printz Honor author A.S. King asks readers to question everything--and offers hope to those who will never stop seeking and sharing real love.

• ISBN10: 0316194689
• ISBN13: 9780316194686
• Publish Date: 23 October 2012 (first published 1 January 2012)
• Publish Status: Out of Stock
• Out of Print: 2 June 2017
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Little, Brown & Company
• Imprint: Little, Brown Young Readers
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 304
• Language: English

Reviews

[Sam@WLABB]

Rating: 4.5 stars

I love King's books, and I really enjoyed Astrid's story. I think this one got a little lower rating from me, because I missed the magical touches all the other King books I have read had. However, I loved the way Astrid sent her love to people, even the passengers, who she did not know, as a sort of coping mechanism. And, I thought it was rather brilliant how each passenger's story had a connection to an issue Astrid herself was struggling with. King, as always, challenged me to think about so many things and share in Astrid's journey as she questioned her own sexuality. I won't pretend I wasn't smiling a whole lot towards the ending either.

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[Bianca]

All those people who are chained here thinking that their reputations matter and that this little shit matters are so freaking shortsighted. Dude, what matters is if you’re happy. What matters is your future. What matters is that we get out of here in one piece. What matters is finding the truth of our own lives, not caring about what other people think is the truth of us!

— Sending my love to this book for a moving portrayal of questioning one’s sexuality while also struggling to break free of society’s boxes and definitions. It’s not the most original story, but the writer has turned it into really something special.

[Angie]

Ask the Passengers was quite interesting. There's a lot going on; maybe too much. Astrid is figuring herself out, like many teenagers are. She doesn't want to be forced into any boxes, and she doesn't want to be told what to do or when to do it. She wants to do things on her own time, like coming out. If she's even really gay. Astrid isn't sure if she's gay, she just knows she's in love with Dee. Love is also something she struggles with due to her weird home dynamics, so she likes to lay outside and send love to the passengers on the airplanes overhead.

I did like Ask the Passengers quite a bit, but it did feel long to me since there was so much happening. I loved Astrid's journey to figure out her sexuality and how/when to come out to everyone. I loved her relationship with Dee. They're super cute together, and I appreciated that the author tackled the subject of Dee trying to pressure Astrid into sex, and Astrid standing up for herself. Her coming out wasn't easy at all, but it wasn't wholly horrible either. I think her sister was the worst, even with the straight out school bullies.

While I loved the coming out aspect of Ask the Passengers, where it kind of dragged for me was with the Magical Realism parts and Astrid's current obsession with philosophy. I did like Astrid's deep thoughts, or really that she actually thought about stuff at all, but at times it did kind of take over and distract me. I was having flashbacks to Philosophy 100 at the community college. Also, the slightly magical parts were distracting. I thought it was a cute idea that the passengers could feel or hear Astrid's love or frustrations, but I didn't really like getting their mini stories. I wanted to get back to Astrid!

Ask the Passengers is different and it's really good. I really loved how Astrid's sexuality and relationship (with her girlfriend, friends, and family) were handled. It just felt long and slow in places due to all of the extras.

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.