The Art of Running Away will be out before you know it! Make sure to preorder before release day on November 16! And in the meantime, have you seen this trailer?
About The Art of Running Away
Twelve-year-old Maisie is an artist. When she’s in front of her sketchbook or apprenticing at Glenna’s Portraits, the family-run art shop her grandmother started, the world makes sense. She doesn’t think about Calum, her brother who mysteriously left home and cut ties with her family six years ago, or her parents’ insistence that she “broaden her horizons” and try something new—something that isn’t art.
But when Glenna’s Portraits falls on hard times, Maisie’s plan to take over the shop when she’s older and become a lifelong artist starts to crumble. In desperation to make things right, Maisie runs away to London to reconnect with her adult brother, hoping he might be the key to saving the shop. But as Maisie learns about her family’s past from Calum, she starts to rethink everything she’s ever known. Maisie must decide not only if saving her family’s art shop is worth it, but if she can forgive her parents for the mistakes they’ve made.
About the Author
Sabrina Kleckner is an editorial intern at Page Street Publishing and an ESL teacher in training. She recently graduated from Hamilton College, where she majored in Creative Writing. In the past, she’s worked as a Pitch Wars Mentor, a freelance writer for The Barnes & Noble Teen Blog, and as an intern at Aevitas Creative Management. Her writing was long-listed for both the 2018 and 2019 Write Mentor Children’s Novel Awards. She currently lives in NYC with three very loud cats.
Advanced Praise for The Art of Running Away
“With pitch-perfect humor and heart, Kleckner explores the dynamics of friendship and family: the mess and pain coupled with hope and love. This story is a hug in book form.” —Adrianna Cuevas, author of The Total Eclipse of Nestor Lopez and Cuba in My Pocket
“The Art of Running Away made my eyes sparkle with laughter one moment, tears the next. This spirited story of family secrets and self-discovery is not to be missed.” —Lisa Jenn Bigelow, author of Drum Roll Please and Hazel’s Theory of Evolution
“A complex and heartfelt exploration of how to reconcile loving a person who’s hurt someone you care about, The Art of Running Away is a beautiful reminder that life happens in gray areas and that even if rifts can’t be healed instantly, it doesn’t mean you should ever stop trying. Sabrina Kleckner, you’ve run away with my heart!” —Jason June, author of Jay’s Gay Agenda
“A captivating romp, featuring quirky, believably flawed characters, with an affecting family drama at its center. I rooted hard for Maisie, the delightfully human protagonist, as she grew into herself while trying her hardest to bring her family together and assure their future. This is an essential addition to the growing body of middle grade novels that address LGBTQ+ family issues in nuanced and realistic ways.” —Lisa Bunker, author of Zenobia July