Rules for Camouflage

by Kirstin Cronn-Mills Narrated by Gail Shalan

Overview

Atypical meets Every Last Word*in this relatable and heartfelt coming of age story about a neurodivergent teen navigating school, friendships and first love.
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Evvie Chambers is doing her best to skate through the last month of high school to graduation. The only thing standing in her way is a biology report on foxes-and her teacher, Mrs. Audrey Dearborn. The same Mrs. Dearborn who's been a thorn in Evvie's side for years, refusing to acknowledge or accommodate her neurodiversity. Evvie would much rather be doing her report on Aretha, the octopus she cares for when she volunteers at the Minnesota Zoo but deviating from the*exact*assignment isn't allowed-and Mrs. Dearborn isn't going to make following the rules easy.*
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Evvie's only escape from high school hell is the Lair: a safe haven for kids whose brains need some time away. But when Mrs. Dearborn refuses Evvie's pleas to finesse the final report assignment to her strengths, and persistent bully Vandal McDaniel directs his harassment toward Lair members, Evvie finds herself more desperate than ever for stability and support.
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When a shocking act of violence pushes the whole mess over the edge, Evvie, with the help of her friends and the others who love her, will have to figure out how to find her place in the wide world, while remaining true to herself.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

*“Intense and sometimes scary, but chock-full of heart and heady affirmation.”—Kirkus Reviews

School Library Journal

06/28/2024

Gr 9 Up—Evvie Chambers can't wait to graduate high school. After all, avoiding bullies, dealing with her biology teacher Mrs. Dearborn, and camouflaging her true self all day takes up a lot of energy. Thank goodness for the Lair: a storage room transformed into a secret space "for all the kids who need time-outs on a regular basis. Good time-outs. Not the punishing kind." Kids like Evvie. She knows she has an "unruly brain," she just doesn't see what's wrong with that. Fortunately, Rachel, the band teacher, understands. So does Evvie's mom (who recently discovered her own neurodiversity), and Evvie's best friend Ken. But Mrs. Dearborn doesn't, and she's Evvie's final hurdle before a gap year to work with Aretha, an octopus at the Minnesota Zoo and Evvie's "most favorite animal on Earth besides [her] cat, Popcorn." Things are not going well: Mrs. Dearborn requires a final presentation on foxes instead of octopuses, Ken is struggling with potential alcohol abuse, and rumors abound that the Lair will be closed. So when Evvie meets Blue, she adds navigating her first relationship to an already overwhelming list. At times her talk around labels (which are never disclosed) takes readers out of the story, and some characters are cartoonishly cruel, particularly when a fellow student is attacked. Still, readers will root for Evvie's success and appreciate her deep connection to Aretha and the way the octopus, master of camouflage, teaches Evvie all the lessons she needs to live and love comfortably in her own skin. VERDICT Some uneven characterization but nonetheless a mostly refreshing entry to the growing body of literature featuring neurodivergent characters. Recommended.—Rebecca Kirshenbaum

Kirkus Reviews

★ 2024-04-05
Multiple trials make a neurodivergent Minnesota teenager’s last days of high school decidedly tumultuous.

Like Aretha, the octopus she tends devotedly as a volunteer at the nearby zoo, Evvie Chambers has an intense personality as well as the ability to camouflage herself when needed. Both qualities come into play when a possibly romantic connection develops with a fellow volunteer and the band storage room known as the Lair (a safe retreat for students who need it) is exposed. Due entirely to mutual personal animus, a teacher also threatens to deny her the grade she needs to graduate. (Though that same bad apple stands by silently while a vicious teen bully targets classmates, other staff members do show up to do the right thing.) Neurotypical characters generally stay in the background; most of those in Evvie’s circle, including her own divorced mom, have diagnosed differences that are clearly and sensitively observed in Evvie’s first-person narrative but never named. This approach allows readers to go beyond labels to see the unique mix of abilities and vulnerabilities in each person. Ultimately Evvie does successfully, even joyously, weather both emotional and academic challenges. On the way to a buoyant ending, the author splices in rich veins of encouragement as well as useful coping strategies, and at the very end, Aretha slithers onstage to deliver a heartening, informative, informational pep talk. Most of the cast registers as white.

Intense and sometimes scary, but chock-full of heart and heady affirmation. (Fiction. 14-18)

Product Details

BN ID:	2940159185778
Publisher:	Hachette Audio
Publication date:	06/18/2024
Edition description:	Unabridged

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