Rosoff won the annual Carnegie Medal, recognising the year's best children's book published in the U.K.[2] In a press release announcing the award, the librarians called it "a story about death, depression, sex, choice and survival.

"[3] Just in Case also won the German Jugendliteraturpreis and made the shortlists for the Booktrust Teenage Prize[4] and the 2006 Costa Book Awards.

[1] The book is set in Luton, Bedfordshire[5] where fifteen-year-old David Case saves his younger brother from falling out of an open window.

Scared by the experience, he starts to see danger everywhere, believes that Fate is stalking him, and decides to change his identity in order to escape his destiny.

He changes his name to Justin, adopts a new wardrobe, seeks out new friends, acquires an imaginary dog, all in the hope of avoiding Fate.