This Is Not a Drill

Book excerpt: The first rule of lockdown: Find a safe place to hide. Ava is having a really bad day. Her parents are getting divorced. She just had a big argument with her two best friends. And she forgot to charge her phone... again. To top it all off, while she is hiding out in the bathroom over lunch, the alarm goes off for a lockdown drill. Ava knows the rules. She has to get herself into a classroom, turn the ringer off on her phone, lock the door, and cover the windows. But all of the rooms have already been locked from the inside and there is no one in the halls. Pretty soon she realizes there is an intruder in the building. This isn’t a drill. From the author of From Me to You and House Arrest, comes this timely book that explores both the effect of school lockdown drills and the relatable struggles of modern middle grade friendship.