Just in Case facts for kids
Front cover of first edition
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| Author | Meg Rosoff |
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| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Young-adult novel, magic realism |
| Publisher | Penguin Books |
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Publication date
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3 August 2006 |
| Pages | 231 pp (first edition) |
| ISBN | 978-0-14-138078-0 |
| OCLC | 224849493 |
| LC Class | PZ7.R719563 Jus 2006 |
Just in Case is an exciting young-adult novel written by Meg Rosoff. It was published by Penguin in 2006. The main character, David Case, is a teenager who spends most of the story trying to escape what he believes is his fate.
This book is very popular and has won several awards. Meg Rosoff won the annual Carnegie Medal for Just in Case. This award celebrates the best children's book published in the U.K. that year. The book also won the German Jugendliteraturpreis. It was also a finalist for the Booktrust Teenage Prize and the 2006 Costa Book Awards.
In the United States, Random House (through Wendy Lamb Books) published the first American edition of the book in 2006.
Contents
What's the Story About?
The story of Just in Case takes place in Luton, Bedfordshire, a town in England. The main character is a fifteen-year-old boy named David Case.
David's Big Scare
One day, David saves his younger brother from falling out of an open window. This experience really scares him. After that, he starts seeing danger everywhere he looks. He begins to believe that "Fate" is following him. He thinks Fate wants to control his life and maybe even hurt him.
Changing Identity
To escape this feeling, David decides to change who he is. He hopes this will trick Fate. He changes his name to Justin. He also gets a whole new wardrobe and starts dressing differently. He tries to find new friends and even gets an imaginary dog. All these changes are part of his plan to avoid his destiny.
Fate Isn't Fooled
However, David's new personality is moody and he only thinks about himself. This new attitude gets him a lot of attention, but not all of it is good. And it turns out, Fate is not fooled by his changes at all. The book explores whether David can truly escape what he believes is meant to happen.
The Meaning of the Title
The title of the book, Just in Case, and David's new name, Justin, are a clever play on words. They refer to David's fear and his constant need to prepare for bad things, just in case they happen.
