It's the End of the World and I'm in My Bathing Suit

It's the End of the World and I'm in My Bathing Suit

By Author / Illustrator

Justin A Reynolds

Genre

Adventure

Age range(s)

9+

Publisher

Scholastic Press

ISBN

9781338740226

Synopsis

A hilarious new middle-grade from Justin A. Reynolds that asks: What happens when five unsupervised kids face the apocalypse under outrageously silly circumstances?


Twelve-year-old Eddie Gordon Holloway has concocted his most genius plan ever to avoid chores... especially the dreaded L-A-U-N-D-R-Y. If he can wear all the clothes he owns, he'll only have to do the laundry once during his school break.  On the day of the highly anticipated Beach Bash, Eddie's monstrous pile of dirty laundry is found by his mom. And Eddie's day has just taken a turn for the worst. Now he's stuck at home by himself, missing the bash, and doing his whole pile of laundry.  But mid-cycle, the power goes out! With his first load of laundry wet and the rest of his stuff still filthy, he sets out to explore the seemingly empty neighborhood in his glow-in-the-dark swim trunks, flip-flops, and a beach towel.


He soon meets up with other neighborhood kids: newcomer Xavier (who was mid-haircut and has half his head shaved), Eddie's former friend Sonia (who has spent her entire break trying to beat a video game and was mid-battle with the final boss), and siblings Trey and Sage (who are dealing with major sibling drama). As they group up to cover more ground and find out what happened, they realize that their families aren't coming back anytime soon. And as night falls, the crew realizes that they aren't just the only people left in the neighborhood, they might be the only people left... anywhere.

Reviews

Sue

When Eddie's genius plan to avoid doing his laundry goes terribly wrong, he finds himself grounded whilst his family heads for the big Beach Bash he has been looking forward to all summer. Left behind to tackle a mountain of stinking clothes, suddenly all the power goes off and Eddie finds himself wearing nothing but his swimming trunks and flip-flops- and alone. As he gradually meets up with other children from the area, the children realise that they might be the only ones left… told through Eddie’s unique voice, It's the End of the World and I’m in my Bathing Suit is fun from start to finish.


The reader can't help but chuckle along as Eddie formulates and carries out his perfect plan to avoid the basement and having to wash his clothes. The following catalogue of hilarious catastrophes, mishaps and adventures make the story romp along at a great pace - a one-sitting read! Eddie's relationships with his new step-father, mother and brother - 'the Bronster' who torments him at every turn- are all presented in his chatty style, allowing for real depth of character. The same can be said of his friends who - for one reason and another - have also survived whatever it is that has happened!


Funny as the story is, there are also some very thoughtful moments. Eddie is very open about his ADHD, the medication he takes for this and seeing a therapist, and he shows great understanding when Trey opens up about the massive weight of pressure he feels to succeed all the time. Eddie's feelings towards his new step-father are also explored as he tries to reconcile these himself. I'm sure this will be a great hit with my class!


304 pages / Reviewed by Sue Wilsher, teacher

Suggested Reading Age 9+

 

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