Outside Chance stands a high probability of enjoyment for ages 11 and up

Outside Chance, as in, there’s an outside chance that it’ll rain on Saturday. Don’t Doubt The Rainbow, as in the book that’s written by Anthony Kessel. It only sounds like the taunting catchphrase for a cereal company that’s helmed by a magically delicious leprechaun. Don’t Doubt The Rainbow, Outside Chance is the second book in this series that’s very smart. The pacing, levels of description, and plot elements that go into Outside Chance seem to make it more on par with YA, than mglit, but does it really and why does it matter?

YA is the commonly referred acronym for young adult literature. They are those books that middle and high school readers might dig into. MGLIT is the acronym used to describe those books that middle grade, but also some older elementary school readers, would enjoy. Those mglit readers can demo up and it’s seen as a good thing, those YA folks might get stuck in that category, thinking that they’re too smart for other categories.

It matters to some readers who need to categorize their reading level for one reason or another. It’s ok for adults to read mglit or YA, yet, some YA readers might not read mglit because they think it’ll be viewed as too easy or not intelligent. Outside Chance is one of those rare books that mglit people can read, feel super smart whilst doing so, enjoy the process, and genuinely be left guessing as to the book’s ending.

We hadn’t read The Five Clues, which is the first book in the Don’t Doubt the Rainbow series. That’s relevant because it’s a testament to a book’s appeal if you’re able to jump into the story at any point other than the true beginning. Edie Marble is a teenage girl living in London with her dad. Her mom died at some point in the first book, which spurned her hobby as a budding detective. Early on in Outside Chance Edie is approached by a neighbor to snoop on someone who might be following her.

This odd part is that this person looks identical to a close friend of hers from decades ago and all Edie has to do is see if it’s the same person. During the process of her research for this case, Edie stumbles across another instance that looks like a bungled robbery attempt, but something smells funny. Then, when she gets home her friend says that their dad’s friends are acting too extreme about certain issues. Edie also hears about some students that are receiving different grades on tests but have written down very similar answers. And to top it all off, Edie is a 13-year-old teen who just wants to have a little fun and just might just have a crush on someone.

Those are a lot of plot elements to have to move about in a YA or mglit book. That doesn’t even factor in that one of those threads has dire consequences that exist on a real, approachable, and terminal level. This is realistic fiction that’s smart.

In the world of mglit, we are big fans of the City Spies and Spy School book series. Both of those book series, as well as, a couple of others are able to bring in reluctant readers due to their breathless pace and snappy dialogue. There’s also an underlying feeling in that type of book that everything is going to be alright in the end. That feeling, especially when the climax starts to take shape, doesn’t exist.

There’s a fabulous part in Outside Chance where Edie has a conversation with an adult about free will, choice, and predetermination. It’s a conversation that most mglit readers will be able to follow, understand and enjoy, but probably wouldn’t seek out a book that had this in it. It’s not a conversation, at least not on the level presented here, that would be in any of the aforementioned book series for ages 11 and up.

Outside Chance also benefits from the fact that Edie is not some superspy that’s been bred in the basement of MI-6. She’s a normal 13-year-old kid who is running a side gig helping people get simple answers to things that they think are mysteries. It’s not Scooby-Doo and a bunch of meddling kids. It’s not a team of hand-picked misfits put together for a job that no one else can do. Edie needs help from time to time, which does show up in a way that’s natural, without robbing the story of her wits or its charm.

This is a fun book to read for ages 11 and up. It is very British in that it uses a couple of instances of overseas slang, and traipses around the streets of London as if we all know their proximity to one another. You don’t need to know how close Hyde Park is to the British Museum. The details in the book are spelled out so thoroughly that you just have to hold on for the ride to be fully entertained.

Don’t Doubt The Rainbow, Outside Chance is by Anthony Kessel and is available on Crown House Publishing.

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