Smash or Pass

Name: Smash or Pass
Price: 45 AUD
Availability: PreOrder
ISBN: 9798217033263

Birdie Schae

$45

Hardback

Forthcoming
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English

Knopf Books for Young Readers
10 June 2026

Children's & young adult fiction & true stories; Young Adult

For 16-year-old Ellie, beach volleyball camp is a disaster until she's paired with Sierra, an athletic prodigy who teaches her that volleyball...and love are about taking the right shot in this sporty sapphic romance.

Ellie dates the Right Guy, says all the Right Things, and acts the Right Way to avoid being ridiculed for her autism. When that Right Guy unceremoniously dumps her right before they're supposed to go to beach volleyball camp together, Ellie's perfectly curated world comes crashing down and she's labeled the boring, weird girl.

Desperate to regain her good reputation (and yeah, sure, the boy...), Ellie goes to Camp SMASH, which is nothing like she expected. There, she's paired with Sierra, a mysterious, standoffish volleyball legacy who makes Ellie's quest to get her boyfriend back even more complicated...

Dive into this sporty summer romance full of the classics- a ragtag group of friends, a tense game of capture the flag, and a swoon-worthy sapphic love story.

By: Birdie Schae
Imprint: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 210mm, Width: 140mm, Spine: 16mm
Weight: 391g
ISBN: 9798217033263
Pages: 256
Publication Date: 10 June 2026
Recommended Age: From 14 years
Audience: Children/juvenile , English as a second language
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

Birdie Schae had big dreams from the moment she was born in a small town in Belgium. Now an author and a student in the Netherlands, she spends most of her time writing love stories, analyzing all sorts of fiction through tears, or listening to a truly concerning amount of music. Smash or Pass is her debut novel. You can find Birdie online as @birdienotabird or at birdieschae.com.

Reviews for Smash or Pass

★ ""A bighearted....deeply tender coming-out story that celebrates neurodiversity, friendship, and sapphic love. High school readers will relate to and cheer for its characters."" —School Library Journal, starred review ""Schae’s pleasant debut offers a humane, compassionate view of teens supporting each other in pain and joy. A solid, warmhearted Sapphic romance showing how joy emerges when the bullies aren’t in charge."" —Kirkus Reviews