When twelve-year-old Eddie Gordon Holloway and his friends are left home from Beach Bash, aka the greatest party of the year, only to realize that everyone in town has disappeared without a trace, they do what any smart, responsible kids would do . . . have the best day ever!
No parental supervision sounds fun for a while, but forever is a long time. And soon the gang starts to notice strange things happening around town, and they're only getting stranger. They have to figure out what happened to their families. It seems like getting to the beach will answer all their questions . . . but the only problem is that some mysterious force seems determined to prevent them from making it there.
Eddie knows that this is a clear sign -- obviously they should be focused on having as much fun as possible for as long as possible. But everyone deals with the fear differently, and soon the friendships begin to fracture. Can Eddie find a way to get all his friends on the same page? And will they ever make it to the beach?
A free e-newsletter from Publishers Weekly that reports on children's and YA books. Subscribe here: https://t.co/hs0TD8Mpw1
See justin a. reynolds’s (@andthisjustin) middle grade novel ‘Running in Flip Flops from the End of the World’ + more highly anticipated books in our exclusive 2023 Fall Sneak Previews https://t.co/7QCZuMGjbj https://t.co/e8LrmD89VH
Praise for It's the End of the World and I'm In My Bathing Suit:
* "A doomsday scenario is rendered surprisingly funny here . . . and so readers are given freedom to enjoy [Eddie's] brilliant quips, his quirky friends, and this highly unusual day without dwelling on what comes after this strange, golden afternoon when kids ran the neighborhood." -- BCCB, starred review
"With Reynolds' signature witticisms and jump-off-the-page jokes....[this is] equal parts friendship story, coming of age, and comedic apocalypse, this will be a great red for reluctant readers and kids looking to take their summers into their own hands." -- Booklist
"Matter-of-fact scenes with Eddie taking his ADHD medicine and talking through school and home pressures with Trey, their school's all-star athlete, offer insightful representations of Black boys bonding." -- Kirkus