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OUTSIDE

Jennifer L. Holm

From New York Times bestselling author and three-time Newbery Honor winner Jennifer Holm comes this chilling but heartfelt story of a girl being raised in a compound who doesn't understand how isolated and unusual her life is, until she must encounter the outside world.
Whatever you do, don't leave home.

Razzi has always been told: Don't go Outside. It isn't safe. There are people and creatures out there that will harm you. The walls of the Refuge will protect you from them.

Razzi's friend Ollie was curious about Outside... and it led to his death. So Razzi is trying to be on her best behavior. She is the oldest kid left, the one the younger kids look up to. She has to follow the rules.

But Outside has a way of getting in, and Razzi, guided by a dog she has a strangely close connection with, wonders what it's like to run free beyond the walls.

If she steps away from everything she's ever known... what will she find?

Jennifer L. Holm is the New York Times bestselling and three-time Newbery Honor-winning author of multiple novels for young readers. With her brother Matthew, Jennifer created the graphic novel series Babymouse and Squish. She lives in California.
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Published 2025-10-07 by Scholastic

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In These Novels, Dystopia Is a World of Hovering Parents Jennifer L. Holm's "Outside" and Rebecca Stead's "The Experiment" both feature well-meaning grown-ups who do everything to protect their kids and fail. Read more...

named by Kirkus as a best Middle Grade Mystery of 2025 Read more...

In this riveting survival novel by Newbery Honoree Holm, a white-cued 12-year-old ventures for the first time beyond her secluded doorstep.

Life at the Refuge is strict, but that's exactly what keeps everyone alive. Read more...

Holm's adventure is riveting and appealing, featuring a relatable cast of characters and unfolding against a post-apocalyptic backdrop with zombie story vibes. Holm's mastery of pacing and her explorations of intergenerational trauma and forgiveness resonate, ensuring that they'll stay with readers long after the final pages.