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The Running Man

3.45 of 5 stars 3.45 · rating details · 276 ratings · 50 reviews

"There had always been the" Running Man"--always that phantom form somewhere in the distance, always shuffling relentlessly closer . . ."

For a long time, fourteen-year-old Joseph has wondered about old Tom Leyton, his reclusive next-door neighbor. Gossip and rumors suggest that something terrible happened to Tom in the past.

Then Joseph is asked to draw Tom for a school art...more

Library Binding, 264 pages

Published July 1st 2008 by Harper Teen (first published 2004)

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Apr 16, 2012 Shirley Marr rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: aussie-ya

I found this poor unwanted book that was once a gift from “Uncle Michael” in the bargains section of Good Sammies, marked down from $2 to $1. I found this quite a bargain indeed as it’s got two shiny award stickers on it (one being a 2005 CBCA). I’ve not heard of this book before. Is this a forgotten YA Aussie treasure that should be sitting on a bazillion GR shelves instead?

On the younger spectrum of YA (I’d say 12+), The Running Man is a story of a young boy named Joseph who has to draw a port...more I found this poor unwanted book that was once a gift from “Uncle Michael” in the bargains section of Good Sammies, marked down from $2 to $1. I found this quite a bargain indeed as it’s got two shiny award stickers on it (one being a 2005 CBCA). I’ve not heard of this book before. Is this a forgotten YA Aussie treasure that should be sitting on a bazillion GR shelves instead?

On the younger spectrum of YA (I’d say 12+), The Running Man is a story of a young boy named Joseph who has to draw a portrait for a school assignment and ends up in the home of the terrifying Vietnam Vet next door called Tom Leyton who he has never seen, but only heard rumours about through his mother’s nosey friend.

A tense relationship begins to form between the two in this slow burner of a novel. The bulk of the narrative is made up of quiet introspective studies between the duo. I myself don’t mind a gentle character study and I found both Joseph and Tom very likeable and I didn’t mind getting to know them in what literally felt like one word at a time on occasions.

What unfortunately bogs it down for me is the plethora of symbolism, not all of them appropriate. Tom Leyton keeps silk worms and this is used as an analogy for himself – a hermit who needs to break free of his cacoon. I like this symbolism, I really do, but after it is re-iterated for the umpteenth time and the author tries to draw more and more parables out of the same thing – I felt it was too much. And the lengthy use of old poetry to further illustrate what I already understand deadens the prose that is struggling with itself to find enough light to balance the darkness.

I really liked this novel until about ¾ in, then it becomes too much.

The use of The Running Man as a symbol of both Joseph and Tom’s fears I think is also only half-there. For me, a good symbol should be intuitive and self-explanatory (eg – the cacoon symbol worked okay), but The Running Man symbol feels counter-intuitive (I feel it doesn’t make sense without a lengthy explanation), thus reducing and limiting the universal appeal.

Overall, a regretfully unbalanced book. There are some dreadfully touching scenes between the two leads. The stories recounted by Tom Leyton are terribly beautiful and plain terrifying at the same time, especially about his time in Vietnam and his subsequent hospitalisation afterwards. He truly is a wonderful character. But ultimately, this book is too heavy and too heavy-handed.

So to answer the question I set out to do – I believe it’s strictly one for the teachers and award-boards. Sorry!
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12 likes · like · see review

Jul 18, 2008 Karlan rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: age 12 up

This is one of those titles published for teens which is too good for adults to miss. The plight of a disturbed recluse, a Vietnam vet, and his sister are seen through the eyes of a 14 year old boy with troubles of his own. Beautifully written, the novel shows characters who are willing to change and who learn compassion.

7 likes · like · see review

Jun 15, 2011 Steph rated it 5 of 5 stars

The mystery of Joseph Davidson’s street has always been about his elusive neighbor, Tom Leyton. Joseph has always
liked Tom’s amiable sister, Caroline, but Tom was just weird. He rarely came out of his house. Not much was known
about Tom Leyton.

That all changed when Joseph got a portrait assignment in his art class at school. Joseph suddenly found himself in the
Leyton household drawing none other than Tom. The two bonded over Tom’s silkworms and became friends. The
mysteries of Tom Leyton were...more

2 likes · like · see review

Jun 05, 2011 Karen Ball rated it 3 of 5 stars

Australian Joseph Davidson lives in the house behind the Leyton's. His father spends most of the year working away from home, and Joseph's dreams are haunted by a spooky, shambling person he refers to as "The Running Man." His nice neighbor Caroline Leyton has a brother, Tom, who lives with her. He has been the neighborhood mystery for more years than Joseph has been alive, staying inside most of the time and talking to no one. Joseph gets a portrait assignment in his art class, and ends up in t...more

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Dec 18, 2011 Stevecrandell rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: coping-with-loss, grades-7-9, mental-disorders

This is a haunting book, with a great storyline. 14-year-old Joseph feels abandoned by his father, and refuses to abandon those around him to their own torments. He can’t hold back his interest in next-door neighbor Thomas Leyton, in spite of some serious hints of Leyton’s tortured past and present. Then there’s the Running Man himself, with his frenzied circuits across town, and his cameos in Joseph’s nightmares. Although this is by no means a horror story, there are plenty of around-the-next-c...more

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Mar 08, 2013 Ayisha Rizki rated it 5 of 5 stars

Ok. When it comes to books it's hard to find one I get attached to. I am 12 years old and yes it may seem "young" but I read this book and was amazed, I love it. I fully understood it. This book was a great book I finished it in 3 days. I couldn't put it down. Tom and Joseph had a very good friend relationship going on, I really loved how by over time they became more and more attached. The silkworms and poems where very interesting. The whole story was good. From the cover of the book , I thoug...more

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Jul 26, 2011 Kasey rated it 1 of 5 stars

Ok, seriously, most boring book EVER.

i think i may have liked Twilight more... wait, no, i don't know. It was pretty boring. But then Twilight sucked...

Anyway this book was basically:

Boy is a loner

boy meets neighbours brother loner (only its sadder because he's like fifty something)

silkworms

the two become friends because of the silkworms (awww, not)

man says "MIRACLES SUCK"

boy believes

boys blames man

ANNNNNNNNND THE END after some more stuff

Ok, this book is quite sad and moving, but honestly only...more

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Jul 15, 2010 Mandie rated it 1 of 5 stars Recommends it for: nobody

Recommended to Mandie by: had to read it for school

Shelves: read-for-school

I had to read the running man for school. When I first read the back cover of this book at the start of the year, it didn't sound promising. If it had I would have read it right then. When we were told to read it over the holidays I was dreading reading it, but I knew I had to so I did. Although this is quite a short book, only 280 pages it felt like the longest book I have ever read. I didn't like the writing style, there were so many metaphors and it seemed like half the plot was based around...more I had to read the running man for school. When I first read the back cover of this book at the start of the year, it didn't sound promising. If it had I would have read it right then. When we were told to read it over the holidays I was dreading reading it, but I knew I had to so I did. Although this is quite a short book, only 280 pages it felt like the longest book I have ever read. I didn't like the writing style, there were so many metaphors and it seemed like half the plot was based around silkworms. At the start of the book it seemed like almost the whole plot was communicated through conversation which I found rather annoying- it just doesn't read well and would work better in a movie. Joseph seemed like a judgemental character to me and while this changed throughout the book, it still seemed shallow to me. The plot of this book just seemed to drag on and on which as I said before made it seem like the longest book I have ever read. There were several mentions of Joseph's father throughout the book and you hardly even learn anything about him until the end of the book, along with other things that just dragged on and on.

People says things about this book such as 'what a meaningful book' or 'what a nice message'. I have gotten the message from this book out of so many other books and after reading many good reviews on this website I felt it was quite a letdown. Out of everyone I asked about what they thought of the book, they all hated or disliked it except one who loved it. As for a rating for this book, I would rate it Twilight series bad, and that's saying something.(If you're wondering, I gave the Twilight 'saga' one star also for every book except breaking dawn because it was the last awful book in the series). I felt this book had many similarities to the twilight saga, in fact if you ignore the difference in plot and genre they almost become exactly the same. If you are confused I will explain it for you.

1. Dislikable characters

2. Bad plot

3. Overrated message

4. Goes on and on- i guess that's why it's commonly known as the twilight saga not the twilight series.

5. A lot of people like it for reasons I cannot understand

I have to say that this is a book that you can judge by its cover- the silkworms poem, the pictures of silkworms, the man pictured on the front, the blurb of the book and the themes of the book are written in the blurb! I have to say while I didn't notice the significance of everything before reading it, I can say that the cover pretty much represents everything in the book and with the themes written on the back cover, the message is even less effective than if it would have been without the themes on the cover.

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Nov 04, 2012 Jennifer Wardrip rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: trt-posted-reviews

Reviewed by Steph for TeensReadToo.com

The mystery of Joseph Davidson's street has always been about his elusive neighbor, Tom Leyton. Joseph has always liked Tom's amiable sister, Caroline, but Tom was just weird. He rarely came out of his house. Not much was known about Tom Leyton.

That all changed when Joseph got a portrait assignment in his art class at school. Joseph suddenly found himself in the Leyton household drawing none other than Tom. The two bonded over Tom's silkworms and became fri...more

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Apr 22, 2008 Rachael rated it 5 of 5 stars

Joseph Davidson is a shy and artistic boy. So naturally, when he’s given a school assignment to make a portrait, he is unsure of whom he wants his subject to be. So, he never expects to pick him mysterious neighbor, Tom Leyton. At first, he tells Caroline, the sister or Tom Leyton who first suggested Tom as the subject, that he will think about it. But when another neighbor thinks that Joseph would be too afraid, he takes up the challenge.

Gradually, Joseph spends more and more time with Tom and...more Joseph Davidson is a shy and artistic boy. So naturally, when he’s given a school assignment to make a portrait, he is unsure of whom he wants his subject to be. So, he never expects to pick him mysterious neighbor, Tom Leyton. At first, he tells Caroline, the sister or Tom Leyton who first suggested Tom as the subject, that he will think about it. But when another neighbor thinks that Joseph would be too afraid, he takes up the challenge.

Gradually, Joseph spends more and more time with Tom and gets to know him. Tom at first is very cold and reclusive and doesn’t respond much to Tom. But soon, he opens up, and Joseph and Tom’s meetings are spent taking care of Tom’s silk worms more than working on the portrait. But Tom’s eyes are still stony and cold; Joseph feels that he cannot capture Tom’s true self until he can see what’s really behind Tom’s eyes.

The Running Man is set up a little like The Luxe by Anna Godbersen in that it begins with a funeral and then flashes back to the events before it. However, the two stories are extremely different, as one could expect. The Running Man goes much deeper and is not filled with gossip about high society; rather, rumors circulate about Joseph’s mysterious neighbor Tom. In some ways, this reminded me of Boo Radley from To Kill A Mockingbird, because Tom and Boo are so similar in many ways.

The Running Man was a beautiful and touching story. It’s about the tentative friendship between two people who need each other. It’s also one of those deep books filled with metaphors that can seem confusing at first but are explained. It’s about the miracles that friends provide for each other and conquering the demons in your past. It’s about reaching out to others who need you and making peace with your life.

I recommend this novel to readers who are up to a thought-provoking read. While The Running Man is not full of excitement or suspense and is more of an emotional novel, readers will not be disappointed. This book has already been published by Scholastic, but it will be published again by HarperTeen in July.

reposted from http://thebookmuncher.blogspot.com (less)

1 like · like · see review

May 01, 2008 Terry rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ya-12-and-up

Arthur Street is a quiet place, but its residents struggle with ghosts and nightmares: the baggage of events that haunt them every day. When Joseph Davidson begins to sketch neighbor and former teacher Tom Leyton as part of a school art assignment, what starts as two isolated people who struggle with their fears becomes a journey toward opening and friendship. This young adult novel invites readers to discover the world as Joseph sees it.

This is a well-written story. It offers stories about how...more

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Jun 21, 2011 Doroty rated it 2 of 5 stars

I had a little frustration over the author’s writing style. It is very plainly written with a slow pace where much of the story itself is explained through interactions and conversations between the characters. The simplicity of the writing requires the reader to really imagine the situation for itself, the text never revealing much and containing only the essentials for the plot to continue. Although there is emotional depth in the storyline, especially in the relationship between Tom Seyton an...more

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Apr 16, 2013 Holly Zalmstra rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I was lucky enough to meet Bauer at a writing workshop, where we had a chat and he signed my copy of this book. I finished it in one afternoon. It was haunting and beautiful, the kind of book that had me reading the last chapter slower and slower, sled reading the point where there would be no more words for me to read. A gorgeous price of work.

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Aug 08, 2011 Jacque rated it 4 of 5 stars

Although you may know where this story is going, you will be drawn in by the relationship between Joseph and Tom Leyton. A relationship that is as tenuous as a strand of silk, but which leads to a metamorphosis for them both. A touching, and heartbreaking, story of redemption.

1 like · like · see review

Jul 25, 2012 Jane rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult, realistic-fiction

While this book had more story lines than it needed, and I fear it would appeal to a narrow audience of adolescents, I thoroughly enjoyed this tale of a teen who sets aside what others think and gets to know a broken man for who he is.

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Apr 21, 2013 Cassius H rated it 2 of 5 stars

Good book but a bit slow pace. I had to read it for school. It had an interesting story line and because there were short chapters you always wanted to go one more, but I wont be reading it again.

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Aug 07, 2011 Ernest rated it 3 of 5 stars

A slow moving but beautifully told story regarding what people really know about others and how they are treated. The metaphors used are lovely, if a little unsubtle at times.

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Nov 29, 2010 Jahlene rated it 5 of 5 stars

It is a tear jerker. It honestly taught me well. There is indeed a lot of metaphors in this book but it was all good. Certain things can get realized in this book.

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Aug 04, 2011 Bianca rated it 4 of 5 stars

A beautiful story that reinforces the ideal that you cannot judge a book by its cover, or a person by the rumours of a small town. A story of an unlikely friendship between a war vet who never leaves home and a young quiet boy who end up changing each others lives eternally!

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Feb 17, 2009 Sharon rated it 3 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jan 15, 2013 Shane rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, coming-of-age, age, friendship, war

Wow, a stunning book. A very slow start, but the story builds and builds and hooks you in. The last few chapters were amazing. A very memorable read.

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Dec 25, 2011 Brit McCarthy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: summer-2011-12, recommended-to-me, surprised-me

This book surprised me. Not sure where I'm going with this at the moment, but I do remember thinking that Tom Leyton reminded me of Boo Radley.

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Mar 06, 2010 Melody rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction

Another superb children's book which I will be recommending to my adult reader friends. Beautifully written. Read the last 50 pages through tears.

1 like · like · see review

Jan 13, 2012 Lyns Lemon rated it 5 of 5 stars

I don't know why I liked this book so much. I usually only like romance but it just engaged me from start to finish. Uncontrollable sobbing at the end.

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Jul 18, 2009 Michelle rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult

Although the story is fairly good, with the various sub-plots tied up neatly enough, the writing is fairly loose and meandering.

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Jul 18, 2012 Dale Harcombe rated it 5 of 5 stars

I read this book some years ago. It was my first introduction to Michael Gerard Bauer and it is brilliant.

1 like · like · see review

May 05, 2010 Lisa rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites

This is one of my favourite books.It is an amazing book about a shy boy who gives life to a recluse Vet.

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Jun 13, 2010 Nandar rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: childrens, fiction, library-copy

Wow, this book is a tear jerker. It seriously made me cry and it touched you right there.

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Sep 06, 2012 Koloa rated it 3 of 5 stars

interesting and very mysteries i like it how joseph talks about tom as the Running Man

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Nov 04, 2011 Heather Clemons-Porter added it

Hands down the best YA book I have read in a long time. COmplex and questioning.

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About Michael Gerard Bauer

Michael Gerard Bauer was born in Brisbane. After surviving school, he attended the University of Queensland where he enjoyed the social life while making brief and half hearted appearances in a variety of courses.

These included Commercial / Law and Social Work where he quickly discovered he was neither lawyer nor social worker material. Finally, like everyone else who didn't have a clue what they...more Michael Gerard Bauer was born in Brisbane. After surviving school, he attended the University of Queensland where he enjoyed the social life while making brief and half hearted appearances in a variety of courses.

These included Commercial / Law and Social Work where he quickly discovered he was neither lawyer nor social worker material. Finally, like everyone else who didn't have a clue what they were, he enrolled in Arts.

After completing his Arts degree with a triple major in English Literature, Michael enrolled in a Diploma of Education, abandoned his fantasy of becoming the next Bob Dylan and became a teacher instead.

For a number of years Michael taught English and Economics at secondary schools in the Brisbane-Ipswich area but now he devotes himself to full-time writing, school visits and Festival appearances (although he still does a pretty mean impression of Bob Dylan on guitar).

In 2003 he won the inaugural Writesmall short story competition at the Brisbane Writers Festival. In 2004 his first novel for young adults The Running Man was published by Omnibus / Scholastic.

His second novel, DON'T CALL ME ISHMAEL! was published by Omnibus / Scholastic in April 2006. It is a comedy set in an all boys' school. The sequel, ISHMAEL AND THE RETURN OF THE DUGONGS was published in October 2007.

Michael’s latest book Dinosaur Knights (Scholastic, April 2009) is a sci-fi adventure novel suitable for upper primary and lower secondary readers. It tells the story of a giant flesh eating dinosaur which lost in the Middle Ages following a failed scientific experiment. Dinosaur Knights is an exciting fantasy adventure that will ‘set the blood racing, the heart pounding and the chain mail rattling’.

Today Michael lives with his family near the beautiful Brisbane suburb of Ashgrove - the setting for THE RUNNING MAN. It is the suburb in which he grew up, where he went to school, where he spent several years teaching, where he met his wife and where, only a few streets away from his present house, in what used to be a private hospital, he was born.

Sometimes Michael thinks he should get out more.(less)

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