Outside In - Hardcover

Recently nominated for the prestigious Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award, children's literature's richest prize, Sarah Ellis teaches in the MFA program at Vermont College of Fine Arts. She lives in Vancouver.

Lynn tried to inhale. There was a loud silence. Not one bit of air was getting in. Every part of her brain was screaming for her to cough but there was nothing, no sound, no air ...
Something. One quiet voice behind her. I’m going to help you ... ” Two skinny arms encircled her, paused for a second and then, shockingly, reverse punched her in the middle. The toffee shot out of her mouth and pinged off the mailbox...
Lynn doubled over and took one ragged, raspy breath and another. Her chest and throat and head hurt but the lovely air just kept coming in and out.
Nearly dead. Not dead at all ....
Lynn tried to find her voice. First there was a just a froggy croak and then she pushed out one word. Who?”
A woman in a shawl pointed down the street. There she goes. That girl.” Lynn turned just in time to see a figure in a plaid kilt and knee socks disappear around the corner.
A shy one, I guess,” said the shawl.

Lynn was madly mining her pockets for a tissue to mop up her laughter-running nose but all she came up with was pocket fluff, a bus transfer and one shred of a prehistoric and petrified Kleenex.
Blossom pushed something into her hand. It was white and absorbent and it smelled like blueberry candles.
Lynn took off her glasses, mopped her eyes and nose and then examined the white thing.
Is this a sock?”

It was like being inside a machine. It was warm and there was a low hum. Small lights glinted on the ceiling. Pipes overhead. It was all hard-edged metal, precise, businesslike. It was very clean.
It smelled like nothing, this Underland.