Purchase to Support Our Program

“This exquisite piece of speculative fiction powerfully highlights the challenges facing young adults by creating a microcosm of the world’s problems inside the Atlanta airport. Disasters including the development of extreme indoor “airport microclimates” and the unexplained disappearance of over 300 people lead to a variety of reactions, altogether providing a nuanced portrait of human nature. Strangers James, cued as Latinx, and Michelle, biracial French and Thai, witness and experience the prejudice driving many acts of fear and rage. They move through the chaos while sharing vulnerable conversations, particularly the fears of facing a world that often seems more bad than good. The juxtaposition of their discussions within the rampant senselessness allows numerous themes to flourish, from the power of storytelling to the capacity of humans to find joy.”

– School Library Journal, Starred Review

Before Takeoff

Written by Adi Alsaid
Published by Penguin Random House

James and Michelle find themselves in the Atlanta airport on a layover. They couldn’t be more different, but seemingly interminable delays draw them both to a mysterious flashing green light—and each other.

Where James is passive, Michelle is anything but. And she quickly discovers that the flashing green light is actually . . . a button. Which she presses. Which may or may not unwittingly break the rules of the universe—at least as those rules apply to Hartsfield-Jackson Airport.

Before they can figure up from down, strange, impossible things start happening: snowstorms form inside the B terminal, jungles sprout up in the C terminal, and earthquakes split the ground apart in between. And no matter how hard they try, it seems no one can find a way in or out of the airport. James and Michelle team up to find their families and either escape the airport or put an end to its chaos—before it’s too late.

Primary ISBN: 9780593375761
Publication Date: June 2022
Available As: Hardcover, Paperback, Audiobook, eBook
Young Adult, Age 12 or older

Community Represented: , ,

Themes: , , , , , , , , ,

Setting: United States (Atlanta GA)

Character's Place in the Immigration Journey: Unknown Arrival

Book Creator(s) Connection to the Community Represented: Own Voices/Lived Experience

Click here for details about how we define our titles.

Engagement Projects & Resources:

Share your favorite resources for this book with info@imyourneighborbooks.org.