The Running Dream
by Wendelin Van Draanen
Published: 2012 Publisher: Ember
Paperback: 336 pages ISBN: 0375866280
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Recommended for children ages 11+ and grades 6-10.
Plot Summary:
Jessica thinks her life is over when she loses her leg in a car accident. As a competitive runner, Jessica feels this is the worst thing that could have happened to her. When she learns she will be able to walk with the help of a prosthetic leg, she is not comforted. As she struggles to cope with her new body, Jessica feels like she is in the spotlight and completely invisible at the same time. People who are at a loss as to what to say to her, completely ignore her which makes Jessica aware of how she previously treated a classmate with cerebral palsy who is now her tutor. When Jessica learns she may be able to run again, she is determined to bring her new tutor along on the ride.
Evaluation:
This is a touching read about people who are so often rendered "invisible" - those with disabilities. Through the narrator's eyes, the reader experiences first-hand how often those who are different are ignored. The book is an easy read and should grip students of various age levels and abilities. It is an uplifting story as well and it leaves the reader feeling empowered to make a change in his/her own life. This book could be a great start to a unit about making change in your own community or about evaluating how we treat others.
Content Area:
English
Content Area Standards for English Language Arts:
CCSS Grade 8 Reading Standard for Literature:
Determine a theme or central idea of a text, and analyze in detail its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text.
CA English Language Arts Standard Grade 9/10 Literary response and Analysis:
3.9 Explain how voice, persona, and the choice of a narrator affect characterization and the tone, plot, and credibility of a text. Links:
Short Video with Author
Info from Scholastic
Book Trailer on Youtube
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