The Running Dream

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Author(s)

Wendelin Van Draanen

Publisher

Knopf

Genre(s)

Teen Fiction

Age Range

14+

ISBN

0375866671

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Editor reviews

2 reviews

Running Towards a Dream

January 16, 2012

Overall rating

5.0

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The Running Dream is an inspiring novel of a young girl’s drive to reach her dreams- to run again. Jessica loses her leg in a terrible bus accident and must deal with the challenges and hardships along the way.

From the moment I picked up the novel, I could not put it down. Readers will be drawn in by Jessica's honesty. Although she truly wants to believe she will run again, she has her doubts. She questions her ability, how other people see her, even how she views herself. Her view of the world begins to change as she realizes sometimes there is more to a person than what you see on the surface.

I highly recommend this book to any reader. It will leave you with a true sense of what really matters in life.

Good Points

Truly inspirational for readers of all ages.
Honest and realistic characters.
A book you can't put down.

Joanne Mumley, Twitter Manager Top 50 Reviewer 217 reviews

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User reviews

3 reviews

Overall rating

4.9

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4.7(3)

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5.0(2)

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5.0(2)

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Run to the book store to get this one

January 10, 2013

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5.0

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The Running Dream is a story about a girl, who used to be a runner, and gets in an accident and becomes an above the knee (AK) amputee. Jessica was in love with running. And then she loses her leg and feels like her life is over. She learns to deal with all of the complications that come with being an amputee in high school: emotionally, as well as physically.

I absolutely love the effort Wendelin Van Draanen puts into her books. All of the interviewing to truly understand a person more than the just their physical loss of their leg.

I recommend this to anyone who wants to read a heartwarming story about a high school amputee.

Heather Top 100 Reviewer 75 reviews

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Still In The Running

June 12, 2012

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5.0

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What would you do if everything you had ever worked for was taken away in one moment and you couldn't do anything about it? Author Wendelin Van Draanen tells us an inspiring story about Jessica, a girl who loses the ability to run in a car crash just hours after her best time in the 400m dash. Jessica became a BK amputee, with a prosthetic leg and a yearning for running. After her track coach shows her videos of Olympic runners with prostheses, she decides that she WILL run again, just with a different goal in mind instead of winning a race.
I absolutely recommend this book, it was inspiring and the writing style was amazing.

Liz Top 1000 Reviewer

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Running away with inspiration

May 10, 2011

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4.0

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Reader reviewed by Kate10

The Running Dream by Wendelin Van Draanen was an amazing book. Through the voice of the main character, Jessica, the author draws you into her thought and her feelings about losing her leg in an accident. As a runner I could relate to Jessica's passion for running and her disappoint and fear when she wakes up and learns she has lost one of her most valuable assets, her right leg.

The characters story is moving and inspirational. It made me appreciate what I have and my gift to run.

Guest #1 Reviewer