The Running Dream
Publisher
Knopf Books for Young Readers
Publication Year
2011
ISBN
9780375866678
Pages
352 pages
Genre
realism
Format
novel
Item Type
Fiction
Annotation
Jessica thinks her life is over when she loses a leg in a car accident. She's not comforted by the news that she'll be able to walk with the help of a prosthetic leg. Who cares about walking when you live to run? As she struggles to cope with crutches and a first cyborg-like prosthetic, Jessica feels oddly both in the spotlight and invisible. People who don't know what to say, act like she's not there. Which she could handle better if she weren't now keenly aware that she'd done the same thing herself to a girl with CP named Rosa. A girl who is going to tutor her through all the math she's missed. A girl who sees right into the heart of her. With the support of family, friends, a coach, and her track teammates, Jessica may actually be able to run again. But that's not enough for her now. She doesn't just want to cross finish lines herself—she wants to take Rosa with her.
Grade Level
6-8; 9-12
Lexile Measure
HL650L
Diversity Topics
Health & Disability; Developmental disability; Physical disability; cerebral palsy; acquired limb difference/amputation; mobility; wheelchair user
Main Character
female teenager
Race/Ethnicities
Undetermined
Awards
Beehive Book Award, 2013, Winner, Young Adult
Cybils Awards, 2011, Nominee, Fiction Young Adult
Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award, 2013, Winner
Golden Sower Award, 2012, Winner, Young Adult
Goodreads Choice Award, 2011, Nominee, Young Adult Fiction
Lamplighter Award, 2013, Honor Book, General Fiction
Louisiana Young Readers' Choice Award, 2014, Honor, Grades 6-8
Maud Hart Lovelace Book Award, 2014, 3rd Place, Division II
Schneider Family Book Award, 2012, Winner, Teen
South Carolina Junior Book Award, 2014, Winner, General Fiction
Truman Readers Award, 2013, 3rd Place
Keywords
accident; running; track; recovery; amputee; loss; love; friendship; tragedy
Diversity Impact
indirect
STARS Citation
Van Draanen, Wendelin, "The Running Dream" (2011). Diverse Families. 2238.
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/diversefamilies/2238