Ellen Outside the Lines

Ellen Katz is the protagonist of Ellen Outside the Lines. She is 13 years old when her class takes a summer trip to Barcelona—a trip that pushes Ellen’s limits and becomes a perfect opportunity for Embracing Self-Discovery and Freedom of Expression. Ellen is on the autism spectrum and describes her experiences with autism and how they affect her life. She tends to worry and expects the worst to happen, which is why she prefers to plan everything out in detail. Ellen also makes categories and lists of everything she knows, and all of this is contained within her “dot diary.” When Ellen starts to become overwhelmed or panicked, she tries to remind herself of her therapist’s advice about Accepting the Unpredictability of Life. Ellen’s greatest challenge is to learn to relinquish control of things that are beyond her scope of influence. She must also come to terms with the fact that life cannot be fully planned or predicted. When the trip begins, Ellen is also quite reliant on Abba and doesn’t want him to leave her alone. Ellen’s best friend is Laurel, but as the trip progresses, they slowly drift apart and evolve into different people.