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48 pages 1 hour read

Kate Messner

Breakout

Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2018

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Important Quotes

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“I had all this great research, but when you’re trying to figure out something that happened in history, it’s like a big, messed-up puzzle.”


(Letter from Nora to future Wolf Creek residents, June 7, Page 11)

Nora’s description of her efforts to write a book about Alcatraz introduces several key ideas explored in the novel: the importance of history and its relevance to contemporary life, and the importance of exploring events from many different perspectives even though this is often a difficult task. It is a metaphor for the materials that form the narrative, as each source is a puzzle piece essential for understanding the bigger picture behind the events the characters experience.

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“Maybe I’ll include a flash drive of audio recordings for this time capsule project so you can hear our important conversations about what brand of hot dog they should get for the Fourth of July Cookout.”


(Letter from Lizzie to future Wolf Creek residents, June 7, Page 15)

Lizzie’s early notes about what she might include in the time capsule demonstrate her boredom with the minor controversies that concern the residents of Wolf Creek, along with her sarcastic and sometimes cynical tone. They show that Lizzie, like Nora, views the town as a place where nothing more exciting than an argument over hot dogs ever happens; together, the perspectives use dramatic irony to foreshadow the excitement that follows.

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“He wrote his way off that island. Wrote his way out […] You’ve always been pretty good with words, so maybe you can write your way out, too. You never know.”


(Letter from Elidee to Troy, June 7, Page 30)

One of Elidee’s first entries in the time capsule, her letter demonstrates her admiration for the musical Hamilton, the power of language, and her older brother. These three elements are central to her character. Her words convey the idea that through hard work and hope, anything is possible.

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“I was expecting something fancier, but I guess that was the secret of her secret recipe. Sometimes things aren’t quite how they seem.”


(Letter from Nora to future Wolf Creek residents, June 8, Page 42)

Nora is describing the recipe for “Priscilla’s Magical Minty Brownies.” Her observation highlights that sometimes the answer can be simpler than people think and the importance of looking past the obvious, ideas that become key to solving the inmates’ ability to elude searchers later in the novel. It also introduces Priscilla’s brownies, which become an important part of the case later in the novel, making the brownies a symbol of choices and consequences.

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“I hope you don’t know those two. I hope it happened far away from you because it sounds like the kind of thing that could get everybody in trouble, and you definitely don’t need more trouble than you have already. None of us do.”


(Letter from Elidee to Troy, June 8, Page 53)

Elidee’s concern for her brother demonstrates a different perspective of the prison system; in a town where most residents are suddenly scared of the inmates, Elidee is scared of the guards on her brother’s behalf. It also builds situational irony that emphasizes the role of bias and perspective later in the novel, because while most Wolf Creek residents are shocked and incredulous at the charges that some guards beat prisoners to get information from them, Elidee’s letter suggests such treatment is expected.

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“Got it. No hummus. No arugula. No cell service. But the subs are only four bucks. It’s like 1987 here.”


(Reporter in Lizzie’s Recording, June 8, Page 68)

The reporter’s comments establish a general impatience with Wolf Creek and a view of it as “backward.” Kate Messner later illustrates how this view comes through in the reporters’ word choice when describing the town in the news, developing the impacts of bias and The Media’s Role in Shaping Perception.

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“–At Nancy McNichols’s garage sale on Trudeau Road. buying curtains

–West Lake Road boat launch, near the beach, with a bright green Jet Ski […]

–Eating frozen yogurt with sprinkles at Sweet Treats

–Getting breakfast at McDonald’s

–Ordering onion rings at Moby’s Red Hots”


(Lizzie’s Reflections, June 8, Page 65)

Lizzie’s list, like many of her other entries, provides comic relief by describing the unlikely places people claim to have seen the inmates. It also demonstrates how The Fear of Otherness can warp people’s perceptions, causing them to imagine things that aren’t really there.

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“I told him about the time capsule project and said he could write stuff, too. I showed him my assignment page from Ms. Morin, and he loved the idea of making master plans and evil plots, so Mom found Owen a notebook and you’ll probably be getting stuff from him, too. Please understand that most of us who live in Wolf Creek are not as weird as my brother.”


(Letter from Nora to future Wolf Creek residents, June 8, Page 73)

Nora introduces the sketches and diagrams that will form Owen’s entries for the time capsule, as well as their role as a coping mechanism for his fears. In directly addressing the future readers of her letter, it demonstrates her concern about what they will think of Owen’s drawings and her affectionate but embarrassed impression of him as his older sister.

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“‘Ms. Madora says it’s incredibly problematic to say that you don’t see color. She says that’s refusing to acknowledge our country’s history of racial injustice.’

‘So I’m incredibly problematic now? Who’s Ms. Madora?’”


(Lizzie’s Recording, June 8, Page 78)

Sean’s statement emphasizes the importance of history when confronting social issues; his exposition often provides context and definitions for exploring thematic ideas. Bill Tucker’s defensive reaction demonstrates his unwillingness to confront these issues, suggesting that he sees criticism of the system as criticism of himself and his role in it.

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“I told Lizzie maybe we could interview Elidee later, but Lizzie said it would be crummy to even ask because people at school are already treating Elidee more like a news story than a person.”


(Letter from Nora to future Wolf Creek residents, June 10, Page 118)

Lizzie often represents Nora’s conscience, and this exemplifies her role. It is an explicit reminder of the way rumor and bias can shape perception and dehumanize individuals, developing two of the novel’s central themes.

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“It’s kind of lonely here, too. There are plenty of people, but it still feels that way. If you’ve never been the only brown face in a classroom, you wouldn’t understand.”


(Letter from Elidee to future Wolf Creek residents, June 10, Page 126)

Elidee’s letters to future Wolf Creek residents often cast them as a group she can’t, and doesn’t want to, be part of. This letter emphasizes her sense of isolation as one against a large and homogeneous group. Messner captures the uncomfortable feeling of standing out because of one’s race but also mirrors the language Nora and Lizzie use to describe their own experiences as something others wouldn’t understand, showing what they have in common.

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“My definition of home involves more than four walls and a locked front door.”


(Poem by Elidee, June 10, Page 137)

Elidee’s description of the apartment where she and her mother live in Wolf Creek conveys the imagery of a prison cell. It connects with the motif of imprisonment by suggesting that life in the town is a form of prison for Elidee, where she is not free to be herself as she was at home in the Bronx.

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“We probably should have said good morning or hi or something, but we were too busy staring at the trooper’s gun. It wasn’t the usual kind that police have on their belts. It was a great big rifle thing over his shoulder.”


(Note from Lizzie, June 11, Page 157)

Lizzie’s reflection, taped to the transcript of a recording where a trooper who boards the school bus is met with silence and an eventual “Thank you!” demonstrates the students’ familiarity with and respect for the officers—she knows what kind of gun they “usually” carry and that this isn’t it. Her comment also reveals growing discomfort with their constant armed presence.

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“It was dumb, and I should have ignored them, but instead, I kept thinking about Mr. Langdon’s ‘leadership moments’ lecture in social studies. He said when discrimination was happening a long time ago, most white people just kept their mouths shut. […] I didn’t want to be like that. So I said something.”


(Letter from Nora to Future Wolf Creek residents, June 11, Page 173)

Nora describes her reaction to Cole and Walker’s racist harassment of Elidee. Her thought process conveys the importance of looking to history for inspiration and develops the theme of Young People’s Ability to Confront Social Issues. This is a pivotal moment in Nora’s characterization, as she begins to see that things “happening a long time ago” are still happening now, in her community.

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“I’m Mama’s saving grace and her hope for the future and blah blah blah. You know what it’s like hearing her prayers come into my room every night? They land on top of my blankets like bricks until I can barely breathe.”


(Letter from Elidee to Troy, June 11, Page 176)

The imagery and simile in this letter are characteristic of Elidee’s voice and style in her poems. They describe the emotional pressure she feels to be perfect as a way to make up for her brother’s mistakes. Her use of the phrase “blah blah blah” conveys the sense that she’s heard this many times before; however, it hasn’t lost the ability to make her feel suffocated.

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“‘And maybe remind the few, if ill of us they speak, that we are all that stands between the monsters and the weak.’

So apparently, if you’re not a corrections officer, you’re either weak (that’s Mama and me) or a monster (that’s you). Made me want to kick that sign right over. But I didn’t.”


(Letter from Elidee to Troy, June 12, Page 200)

Elidee quotes the note on the church door at the ham supper. The note emphasizes the Wolf Creek community’s support for law enforcement and belief that “the few” should not question them. Elidee’s response explains how such absolute views separate members of a community into categories and alienate them from one another.

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“I’m mad about that thing she wrote about my dad. Seriously, it’s not his fault her grandmother did whatever she did. What’s he supposed to do about it?”


(Letter from Nora to future Wolf Creek Residents, June 14, Page 238)

Nora’s reaction to Lizzie’s parody demonstrates the realism of their friendship and represents an obstacle they must overcome. Her closing question is a rhetorical example of situational irony because her father was in charge of the prison and he was supposed to ensure these kinds of lapses didn’t happen. Though Priscilla’s actions emphasize the motif of individual choices and consequences, the fact that Nora can’t see her father’s role demonstrates an implicit bias in her perspective.

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“You might think it’s selfish of me to be talking about all the gossip when you obviously have bigger problems. But if you’ve never walked down the 7th-grade hallway with everybody whispering about you, you can’t understand how awful school is for me right now. I don’t know if it’ll ever go back to being the way it was before.”


(Letter from Lizzie to Her Grandmother, June 14, Page 250)

Lizzie’s letter illustrates the toxic impact of rumors and gossip, and her growing consciousness of the wider world. It is characteristic of the way Messner strives to capture events from different viewpoints throughout the novel. Though Lizzie knows there are problems beyond middle school, she asks her grandmother to think of hers. Her final sentence conveys the motif of choices and consequences, as her grandmother’s choices have changed not just Priscilla’s own life, but Lizzie’s as well.

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“She and Elidee must have read the same book Mom and I used to read together about the bunny who loves his mom to the moon and back, because when Elidee’s mom was going upstairs, she kissed Elidee on the head and said, ‘Love you to Andromeda galaxy and back.’ That totally embarrassed Elidee, which proves her mom and my mom would get along fine.”


(Letter from Nora to Future Wolf Creek Residents, June 15, Page 278)

Nora’s reflection illustrates her increasing recognition of the similarities between herself and Elidee; Messner effectively shows the small connections upon which friendships are built. The affectionate way Elidee and her mother close their text messages, and Nora’s familiarity with it, suggests some experiences are universal.

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“Mama was so excited about me making friends here, but she never told me that with white friends, you have to keep teaching them how not to be racist.”


(Letter from Elidee to Troy, June 15, Page 286)

Elidee reflects on the day she spent with Lizzie and Nora. Though she is beginning to connect with the two girls, Elidee is bothered by the way Nora believes stereotypes about people in the Bronx that have been perpetuated in the media she consumes. This emphasizes the theme of Racism, Bias, and Privilege and connects with the contemporary idea of anti-racism: Nora would never think of herself as racist, but Elidee asks her to confront her unconscious prejudices and recognize the role racism has played in perpetuating them.

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“I remember thinking that story wasn’t realistic, because who would do that? Who would follow somebody around a store, thinking that they might steal things just because they’re black? I sure didn’t know anybody like that. Only now I think maybe I do.”


(Letter from Nora to future Wolf Creek residents, June 19, Page 323)

The girls’ experience with Martha’s sudden enforcement of the backpack rule forces Nora to confront racism. Reading a fictional story about such attitudes allowed her to deny their existence, but seeing it firsthand opens her eyes. Though it suggests fiction has limits in changing perspectives, it encourages readers not to easily dismiss stories that differ from their worldview.

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“In my original application, I worked hard on the essays introducing myself to the committee. But looking back, I think I wrote them in the voice of the sort of student I thought you’d want, instead of the voice that really belongs to me.”


(Letter from Elidee to Morgan Academy, June 23, Pages 408-409)

Elidee’s letter to Morgan Academy demonstrates how much she has grown in the time since her first application and conveys the pressure young people often feel to be what is expected of them, rather than their true selves. By showing Elidee find her voice, and having the school reward her with admission, Messner emphasizes the importance of being true to one’s self.

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“This escape reminds me of one summer when I was little and we had a huge thunderstorm with really strong winds. When it ended and we finally went outside, the whole neighborhood looked different. Trees were uprooted and siding was blown off houses so you could see what was underneath. It was all pretty ugly.”


(Letter from Nora to Future Wolf Creek Residents, July 30, Pages 427-428)

Messner uses the metaphor of the storm to highlight how the crisis of the breakout revealed truths about Wolf Creek that were hidden under its friendly facade. Like the neighborhood, the world looks different to Nora, and she will have to navigate this new terrain knowing the good and bad she has seen.

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“Endings are hard. They’re supposed to be satisfying, all wrapped up so people have a new understanding of life. And I don’t. So this is my last letter, but I don’t think it’s very satisfying.”


(Letter from Nora to Future Wolf Creek Residents, July 30, Page 429)

Nora’s reflection calls out the expectation that all stories have a set structure and resolution. By not giving this story a traditional ending, Messner builds a sense of realism and the understanding that there are no easy answers. By acknowledging her lack of understanding or satisfaction, Nora implies that she will continue trying to find answers beyond the ambiguous ending of the novel.

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“They called that part of the project off when the inmates broke out, and I’m guessing they never got around to it after that. But those guys all have stories, too. My brother’s in that prison. His name is Troy.”


(Letter from Elidee to Future Wolf Creek Residents, July 25, Page 431)

Elidee reminds her audience that the breakout affected people living in the prison as well as outside it, and how residents stopped thinking of them as part of the community. Her reminder of Troy’s name to Wolf Creek residents is also a reminder to readers: Everyone has a unique perspective and a story worth telling; there are people who love them and know them as individuals, rather than labels.

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