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

Gr 4-7–Having worn every piece of clothing he owns, Eddie Holloway, a 12-year-old Black boy in Ohio, is stuck at home doing laundry in his swim trunks instead of accompanying his family to the town’s annual Beach Bash. While an unlikely scenario, his plans are foiled when the neighborhood loses power. Eddie and the four other kids left behind must figure out how to survive when the rest of the community mysteriously disappears. Told from a first-person perspective, the narration has lengthy asides that interrupt the pacing and flow of the story. Heavy on personality, this book is light on plot and has an unsatisfying ending, though it is clearly set up for a sequel. Glimmers of depth come through in Eddie’s feelings about dealing with his father’s loss, mother’s remarrying, and attitudes about his ADHD and therapy.