In A.S. King’s Ask the Passengers, what is Astrid Jones’s main method of sending thoughts into space?

In A.S. King’s Ask the Passengers, Astrid Jones sends her thoughts into space by talking to airplanes.

Astrid lies on a picnic table and speaks to passengers flying overhead. She imagines that the strangers on the planes will receive and understand her thoughts, giving her a private way to process her emotions and the pressures surrounding her life.

Her behavior reflects the novel’s interest in connection, privacy and the difficulty of being understood by family and classmates. Astrid is also dealing with her sexuality, her mother’s erratic behavior and the expectations of the small community where she lives.

The airplanes are not a science-fiction communication device. Astrid’s conversations are imaginative and symbolic, although the novel uses them to explore real emotional experiences. Ask the Passengers was published in 2012 and received a 2013 Michael L. Printz Honor.