It's the End of the World and I'm In My Bathing Suit by Justin A. Reynolds (author) (UK edition)

A hilarious new middle-grade from Justin A. Reynolds that asks: What happens when five unsupervised kids face the apocalypse under outrageously silly circumstances? Twelve-year-old Eddie Gordon Holloway has concocted his most genius plan ever to avoid chores . . . especially the dreaded L-A-U-N-D-R-Y. If he can wears every item of clothing in his wardrobe, summer will be halfway over before he has to do laundry! On the day of the highly anticipated Beach Bash, Eddie ends up grounded until he can get his clothes clean. While left home alone to do his laundry, the power goes out mid-cycle. With his first load of laundry soaking wet and the rest still filthy, Eddie sets out to explore the seemingly empty neighborhood in just his swim trunks and flip-flops. As he meets up with other neighborhood kids to find out what happened, they realize that their families aren’t coming back anytime soon. And as night falls, the crew realizes they aren’t just the only people left in the neighborhood – they might be the only people left . . . anywhere.

• Funny, voice-driven middle-grade story
• Features an all-Black “ensemble cast” of characters, written by a Black American author
• Perfect for fans of Escape The Rooms by Stephen and Anita Mangan, The Summer I Robbed a Bank by David O’Doherty and The Day the Screens Went Blank by Danny Wallace

Reviews “A doomsday scenario is rendered surprisingly funny here . . . and so readers are given freedom to enjoy [Eddie’s] brilliant quips, his quirky friends, and this highly unusual day without dwelling on what comes after this trange, golden afternoon when kids ran the neighborhood.” – BCCB “With Reynolds’ signature witticisms and jump-off-the-page jokes….[this is] equal parts friendship story, coming of age, and comedic apocalypse, this will be a great red for reluctant readers and kids looking to take their summers into their own hands.” – Booklist “Matter-of-fact scenes with Eddie taking his ADHD medicine and talking through school and home pressures with Trey, their school’s all-star athlete, offer insightful representations of Black boys bonding.” – Kirkus