Just In Case

By Meg Rosoff

Justin Case is convinced fate has in for him.
And he's right.

After finding his younger brother teetering on the edge of his balcony, fifteen-year-old David Case realizes the fragility of life and senses impending doom. Without looking back, he changes his name to Justin and assumes a new identity, new clothing and new friends, and dares to fall in love with the seductive Agnes Day. With his imaginary dog Boy in tow, Justin struggles to fit into his new role and above all, to survive in a world where tragedy is around every corner. He's got to be prepared, just in case.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Release date: Mar 25, 2009
• ISBN: 9780307533524

Meg Rosoff

Meg Rosoff is a hugely versatile novelist for children and adults and has won the Branford Boase Award, the Carnegie Medal, the Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize and the Printz Award. Her post-apocalyptic How I Live Now was made into a major motion picture starring Saoirse Ronan and Picture Me Gone was shortlisted for the National Book Award in the USA. Originally from Massachusetts, Meg now lives in London.

Reviews for Just In Case

[jennybeast · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

What an odd, surreal book. About a teenage with doomed life and a modeling career, or something like that. Also an imaginary greyhound and an enormous rabbit. Would teenage boys like reading it? I think so. I did.

[edwinbcn · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

"He was strong. Invincible.Bring on your worst, he said to fate.""Indeed." (p.97)David Case is this young adolescent who struggles with what all young adolescents struggle with. As he is grappling to come to terms with the human condition, of which fear and uncertainty is a substantial part, David reinvents an alternative reality, in which he exists as Justin Case (just-in case), hoping to evade or escape fate."Fate" appears as a smug commentator, dialogue printed in bold typeface, throwing in comments and observations, and even engages the main character in dialogue.The most original twist, obviously, at the end of the book, that Fate has its eye on you, too!I guess kids must be very young to enjoy a novel like this. Who likes not being taken seriously?

[satyridae · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The latest from Rosoff, who gave us the astonishing and wonderful How I Live Now, is both disturbing and amusing. The young protagonist, Justin, may be dealing with a mental illness or may in fact be the pawn of a personified Fate who interjects narrative bits every now and then. Hypnotic, engaging, and well-written.

[abookvacation · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Meh. Wasn't a fan of "Catcher in the Rye." Not a fan of this. Just cause this guy knows he's crazy doesn't make it any better.

[renatak_79 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

After rescuing his baby brother from falling out the window, David Case becomes a large believer in Fate. In fact, he becomes obsessed and believes that Fate could strike at any time, and completely destroy his life. He decides to attempt outrunning Fate by changing his name to Justin Case. Not only does he decide to change his name, but he decides to change his appearance too. Whilst he is at a thrift shop, looking for new clothes he meets Agnes. Agnes helps Justin with his new look, and remains a part of his life as he tries to escape Fate, along with Boy, his imaginary dog, and Peter, another friend.Rosoff manages to turn this simple idea of Fate, into an extremely amazing and powerful book. The ideas which are brought to the table are not straightforward, and the reader must think for themself. However, all the puzzle and mystery definitely make the book worth reading.The eccentric characters of 'Just in Case' are a fabulous addition to the already quirky ideas in the novel. Rosoff is a luminous writer, and never fails to surprise. ‘Just in Case’ is another brilliant accumulation to all her other fabulous novels.

[seekingflight · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I was a little disappointed by this - although I've heard great things about How I Live Now. The premise had promise. A teenager, David Case, just manages to save his younger brother from trying to fly out an open window, and becomes petrified by all the scary things that might await him in the world. He assumes the name Justin, in an attempt to conceal himself from fate. The sections where his younger brother and fate narrate are quite good, but I couldn't really get into Justin or the events of the story itself.

[midnighttwilight10_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

David Case is a normal teenager. That is until the day his brother tries to fly. David catches him just in time, but he wonders what would have happened if he were just a few seconds too late. David thinks fate is out to get him now, so he trys to escape it. With a new name and new clothes Justin Case thinks he can escape fate. He joins the track team and learns to push himself to run as fast as he can. But can you really outrun fate?This book was wonderful. After i read How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff (if you haven't read that book you really need to!) i new i had to read more of her work. It took me a while, but i finally bought this book and it was just as great as i was expecting. The characters are all very zany and lovable, all except for Fate. He presents himself as a being in this book, not necissarily a person, but always watching and speaking up at the worst possible times. It was spooky how fate was set in this book. The one thing i didn't like about this book was how the ending was all wrapped up, i like some closure, but sometimes they give a little too much.

[meggyweg · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Although I loved How I live Now, Just In Case seriously didn't do it for me. This book just seemed to go nowhere. I mean, things happened, but it felt like nothing was happening at all, and the story line was just drifting along. It was like the author couldn't decide between fantasy and psychology. Also, I had a hard time believing David/Justin's parents would just let him run away from home and quit school and move in with that older girl without being just a little bit upset. Try again, Meg Rosoff. Your first book was so good. I'll be willing to give you another chance.

[yellowoasis · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Aargh, I was really annoyed when this book won the Carnegie Medal, even though I absolutely adored Rosoff's first book (How i live now). What's even more annoying is I have to buy a copy for my collection! I just dislike quirky boy protagonists so much, they seem completely unbelievable to me. Perhaps I'll read it again one day and will appreciate it more then.

[baachan_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

After reading Rosoff's How I Live Now, I was expecting great things from Just in Case. I was disappointed with how tedious the book became, in all the panickings over fate and it's pursuit of David, aka Justin. To sum up: David Case, after rescuing his baby brother from tumbling out the window to his death, becomes burdened by the knowledge that fate is after him, deliberately stalking him so that it can prey upon him. He decides to reinvent himself as Justin Case, with a new style, a new attitude, new hobbies, and an invisible dog, His reinvention is supposed to disguise himself so that fate can't find him and kill him. Needless to say, it doesn't work out quite like he'd planned. Rosoff writes in 3rd person, and at times, she allows us complete access to David/Justin's thoughts. His decision to change his name and his entire self is one such monologue and it makes drastic jumps in reason that make little sense to the reader. I felt as though Rossof was just clutching at the plot, trying to hold a half-finished plot together. To me, it felt incomplete and lacking cohesion. The piece forces the reader to take large jumps in faith that Rosoff has not prepared us to make. A well-formed and well-executed book allows the reader to follow the plot, to jump off into the book and find firm footing within the story, rather than blindly leaping into the plot and never quite finding solid place to land. The latter is the sensation I had while reading Just in Case. However, Just in Case is one example of a novel about teen angst where the angst derives from a general feeling of doom, rather than a specialized trauma. As such, it will help me create my argument in my final class project. However, I had hoped to enjoy this book so much more. Recommended for high school libraries and public libraries, but only if the budget allows.

[4sarad_1 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

I read and enjoyed How I Live Now, so I had at least some expectations for this book. Such as it would have a plot and that it would be entertaining. Not so. This is the most uninteresting work of fiction I've ever read. I made myself finish it, and believe me, it took a lot of discipline to get through. There was really no plot, the only interesting characters were those that weren't mentioned often, the book is often confusing and just plain stupid. What a let down.

[atfp4554 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I found this book difficult to deal with. I enjoyed the premise of the book and thought that the way the author TRIED to write it was ammusing. I couldn't get into the characters, though. I found insanity gripping everything surrounding the main character (Justin Case) and found his "friends" boring in comparison. I found that most of the events shown in the book had either nothing to do with the plot line, or I could see them tugging at the storyline but not quite able to propel you in the direction sought after. All in all I think this book has a great plot. It is poorly executed, though, and dissapointingly so. I wish the strange happenings were more purposeful and I wish that Fate had a more compelling role. I could see this as a movie because I think the things that happen through Justin's slow breakdown into insanity would be creepier. They would also, in visual form, follow you better thoughout the story and not be so stark in comparision to the completely mundane things being described in the rest of the book.And there are two other things that bother me. One is how Justin leaps from his brother's near death experience and sees this as fate taunting HIM about his own death. There isn't a near death experience involving Justin until the middle of the book and that's after he's taken the first few steps toward insanity. Also, the word sex seems to be thrown into the book without cause. There is one scene in which it would have been appropriate but that scene is over in a flash. It just makes the book even more awkward.

[wyvernfriend · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

It's an interesting story about a boy, David Chase, who believes that fate has it out for him when his little brother almost falls out a window. He decides to change himself in order to get away from fate. This has him almost have a breakdown as he tries to escape from normality. It's quite a good read and an interesting look at the life of a teenager.

[lcsdlibrary · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A startling event causes David Case to worry that fate is out to get him - he changes his name to Justin, changes his look, and literally runs from fate. A bit slow, but quirky.

[marnattij · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Quirky story of a teen who is so afraid that something bad will happen to him that he decides to run away from fate and hide. What he ends up doing, however, is shutting himself off from the world and loses sight of the good that fate can bring.Engagingly written story with interesting characters. Quick read for older teens.

[skyeval · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Not nearly as good as her first novel "How I live Now." How I live now was wonderful and I believe more adult fiction although it was touted as Young Adult fiction. Just In Case definitely fits the YA rating. Too fantasy for me.