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 o...
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Jan 02, 2012
Frezanda
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There was some books that a 5-star is not enough to convey how amazing they are. This is one of the books. I wish I can give it six stars, ten stars....because this book is up there on a caliber by itself.
For me, what makes this book amazing is how real the story was told. This story is an emotional one and actually Wendelin van DRaanen can easily exploit the story to make us, the reader, sob and cry and feel sorry for the character. But, she didn't do it.
She told the story as More...
For me, what makes this book amazing is how real the story was told. This story is an emotional one and actually Wendelin van DRaanen can easily exploit the story to make us, the reader, sob and cry and feel sorry for the character. But, she didn't do it.
She told the story as More...
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Feb 05, 2012
This book is a great feel-good read for just about anyone but especially for teenagers. It's a contemporary realistic fiction that readers can relate to easily. The first couple of chapters can be frustrating for an adult to read because the character, Jessica, is rather whiny and obstinate but as the story progresses she pulls you in. Despite being tedious in the beginning, I found myself wondering what Jessica was going to do next and how she was going to handle different situations. Jessi
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Feb 09, 2012
Karen
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Jessica runs her best track race... and then the bus she is on is hit by a reckless driver and she wakes up in the hospital with her leg amputated beneath the knee. Her recovery is physically and emotionally difficult, and the terse descriptions bring a horrible immediacy to her situation. To complicate matters further, there is a problem with the insurance, and her family is struggling financially. When she returns to school in a wheelchair, she befriends Rosa, who has cerebral palsy and is bri
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Jan 29, 2012
Paul
rated it: 
Loved this 2012 Schneider Family Award winning book suggested to me by good friend, Mindi Rench (of The Centurions at facebook).
When Jessica loses her right foot to an accident with an uninsured drunken driver, her dream of ever walking again seems distant, let alone running.
But with the help of a supportive team, a math genius with cerebral palsy (see--always use person first language), and a team that is willing to go the extra mile to see a friend go round that last turn, More...
When Jessica loses her right foot to an accident with an uninsured drunken driver, her dream of ever walking again seems distant, let alone running.
But with the help of a supportive team, a math genius with cerebral palsy (see--always use person first language), and a team that is willing to go the extra mile to see a friend go round that last turn, More...
Jan 27, 2012
Laura
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Schneider Family Book Award for Teen Book (2012). A fabulous read! Jessica, a member of her high school track team, loses her leg in a terrible bus accident. The Running Dream describes her grief over losing a leg, struggle to learn to walk and use a prosthetic leg, and journey to accept herself in a new way. Her family and friends are supportive, flawed, and helpful. This is one of those books that had me weepy starting with the first chapter but I couldn't put it down.
This boo More...
This boo More...
Jan 08, 2012
Brian
rated it:
Positive. Uplifting. Inspirational.
Unlike any book I've read recently, positive energy radiates from Wendelin Van Draanen's YA novel The Running Dream. I'd added the book to my "to read" pile at some point this summer and over the course of a few months several books have shouldered their way past it and into my hands.
It took my overhearing a conversation in my 8th grade classroom a couple of weeks ago for me to anchor the book solidly int More...
Unlike any book I've read recently, positive energy radiates from Wendelin Van Draanen's YA novel The Running Dream. I'd added the book to my "to read" pile at some point this summer and over the course of a few months several books have shouldered their way past it and into my hands.
It took my overhearing a conversation in my 8th grade classroom a couple of weeks ago for me to anchor the book solidly int More...
Dec 05, 2011
Rida (Raindrop Reflections)
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I didn’t know anything about this book. I think I saw the cover once on That Cover Girl, but other than that, I had zero exposure to The Running Dream.
So I really don’t know WHAT I expected. Sure, I thought I’d read a good contemporary. I thought I’d learn something.
And in the end, I went through an entire journey. I came out a winner, too, because, I swear, every time I think of Jessica, it inspires me to try a little harder, give up a little later, and above all, appre More...
So I really don’t know WHAT I expected. Sure, I thought I’d read a good contemporary. I thought I’d learn something.
And in the end, I went through an entire journey. I came out a winner, too, because, I swear, every time I think of Jessica, it inspires me to try a little harder, give up a little later, and above all, appre More...
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Nov 20, 2011
Sashana
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I'm a huge fan of track and field. Which is not surprising if you knew where I came from. In my country this guy *points to picture* is practically a national hero.
While reading this story I couldn't get Oscar Pistorius out of my mind. He was one of track and field's biggest comeback stories this year and, like Jessica, he is also a BK (below knee) amputee. My throat was raw for most of this novel-- but in a good way. Jessica's attitude towards her missing limb, life, family, and More...
While reading this story I couldn't get Oscar Pistorius out of my mind. He was one of track and field's biggest comeback stories this year and, like Jessica, he is also a BK (below knee) amputee. My throat was raw for most of this novel-- but in a good way. Jessica's attitude towards her missing limb, life, family, and More...
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Aug 02, 2011
Barbara
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The students in my summer YAL class raved about this title, making me excited about finally having the chance to read it. This is a satisfying read with a plucky heroine who grows from her own adversity, and although the main character, Jessica Carlisle, is a runner, making this title a sure bet for runners who like to read, the book will appeal to anyone who likes to root for those who come from behind or who face little or big bumps in the road. It's a not-so-gentle reminder that human beings
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Jul 26, 2011
Eden
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Short chapters open for a direct path into Jessica's mind; the reader is right there with her from the beginning feeling her despair mingled with her love of running. So when the depression kicks in, Jessica doesn't seem too mopey since we already sympathize with her. The doubts and self-conscious thoughts make her likeable, flawed and relatable.
The plot is surprisingly simple. Aside from Jessica's personal struggles and worries over insurance that had excellent obstacle potential (but More...
The plot is surprisingly simple. Aside from Jessica's personal struggles and worries over insurance that had excellent obstacle potential (but More...
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Jul 19, 2011
Eva
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On the very first page, the reader discovers that Jessica, a high school junior, is in the hospital after a horrific car accident that killed a classmate and wounded Jessica so grievously that her leg had to be amputated below the knee.
Talk about a solid punch to the solar plexus! And Jessica is just as anguished as you'd imagine. Maybe more - turns out this is a girl who loves to run, who was a star on her track team. Oof - a double punch.
But if you're worried that this b More...
Talk about a solid punch to the solar plexus! And Jessica is just as anguished as you'd imagine. Maybe more - turns out this is a girl who loves to run, who was a star on her track team. Oof - a double punch.
But if you're worried that this b More...
Jul 07, 2011
Michelle (FabbityFabBookReviews)
rated it:
The book description and the book blurb provide a generous description of the basic plot so I don't want to give too much away in my review.
It is evident that the author did her research and took tremendous care in working on and bringing us Jessica's story. And what a wonderful and special book this is. There were so many places where the story could have drifted towards melodrama or being overwrought, but there are not. At least, not for me. I thought this novel was just so beautiful More...
It is evident that the author did her research and took tremendous care in working on and bringing us Jessica's story. And what a wonderful and special book this is. There were so many places where the story could have drifted towards melodrama or being overwrought, but there are not. At least, not for me. I thought this novel was just so beautiful More...
May 22, 2011
Renae
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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Mar 07, 2011
Jessica is a runner. It's what she does and who she is, but all that comes to an end when the bus carrying her and her track team crashes and Jessica loses a leg. She has to relearn everything. She used to be on her way to a track scholarship, but now she can't even walk. This book is unlike any I've read before. It follows Jessica in the year following her accident, from the time in the hospital when her amputated leg is still in bandages, through learning to walk on crutches and later with her
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Mar 01, 2011
Swankivy
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Very good book about a high school student who was a promising track athlete until she lost her leg in an accident. Jessica thinks her life is over, but help from family and friends (new and old) plus actually learning to run again with a racing prosthesis helps her turn her finish line into a new start. The beginning was emotional and well rendered, managing to show how much running meant to Jessica by describing what it felt like to have it taken away. The chapters were short and staccato espe
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Jan 18, 2011
Sarah
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I seem to be starting the New Year off right, two great books in a row. Transitioning from Jennifer Donnelly's long chapters to Wendelin Van Draanen's short ones took me about 50 pages to get used to. It felt choppy in comparison but the narrative style of The Running Dream helps to capture the message of the book. The character's realization that her recovery is a battle. The only way to cope is to just go from day to day to day.
The Running Dream is an inspirational story of a runner More...
The Running Dream is an inspirational story of a runner More...
Jan 18, 2011
Mocha ღ Latte
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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 h
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Jan 11, 2011
Yan
rated it:
Jessica has always been running for as long as she’s remembered. She had just set a new record when her school bus carrying her team has an accident. A freshman named Lucy died, but Jessica wishes she was dead. The accident took away her right leg; she is now a below-the-knee amputee. Her dreams of running ran straight out the door leaving Jessica behind.
The Running Dream is a heart-breaking novel that left me teary eyed before I reached the halfway point. As a novel that focuses on a More...
The Running Dream is a heart-breaking novel that left me teary eyed before I reached the halfway point. As a novel that focuses on a More...
Jun 30, 2011
Suzanne
rated it:
I wasn't in the right frame of mind to start this: The realism and the idea of the main character coping with a catastrophic injury just wasn't appealing. Soon, though, I was into it and amazed at how involved I was becoming. Almost every place in the narrative that things could have gone sappy, I allowed myself to find uplifting. What might have come off as didactic turned out inspirational. Bits that some writers might cast in a melodramatic light were just honestly emotional.
The s More...
The s More...
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Jan 16, 2012
Sharlene
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Jessica is a sixteen-year-old high school student and rising track star. After a car accident leaves her a BK (below the knee) amputee, Jessica is faced with the emotional and physical challenges of learning to walk again with a prosthetic leg. She initially contemplates the possibility of never running again and at one point even envies a classmate who died in the accident, but supported by her best friend Fiona, her parents, and her track coach, Jessica develops a positive attitude in the fa
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Apr 02, 2011
Kat
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High school junior Jessica wakes up in the hospital to find that the lower half of her leg is gone, destroyed in a horrible bus accident that also claimed the life of one of her track teammates. Jessica is devastated. Running meant everything to her, and now she can't even get up to go to the bathroom. However, her will is strong, and with the help of her loving family and friends, she is quickly on the road to recovery and to walking once again with her new prosthetic leg. But will Jessica ever
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Jan 10, 2012
Stefanie
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When we meet Jessica, she’s just had her leg amputated below the knee after a bus accident which also took the life of one of her track teammates. She’s devastated- she was a star runner who had big dreams and can’t imagine her life without running. Eventually, with support from her family, track team and a thoughtful classmate with cerebral palsy, Jessica pulls herself out of her depression and starts to hope that life might get better- and maybe she can even run again. Van Draanen does a great
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Jan 24, 2012
Book Description
Publication Date: January 11, 2011
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 More...
Sep 19, 2011
Brandy
rated it:
Originally posted here.
I don't run. In fact, I'm one of those people who believes runners are crazy people. I had no trouble relating to Jessica and her struggle though. This may have been because I am active in other types of fitness and I had an injured foot while I was reading this. One day with no exercise and my cells felt like they were trying to crawl out of my body. While my very minor in comparison to Jessica's problem may have helped with my empathy it was mostly the craft More...
I don't run. In fact, I'm one of those people who believes runners are crazy people. I had no trouble relating to Jessica and her struggle though. This may have been because I am active in other types of fitness and I had an injured foot while I was reading this. One day with no exercise and my cells felt like they were trying to crawl out of my body. While my very minor in comparison to Jessica's problem may have helped with my empathy it was mostly the craft More...
May 04, 2011
Nicci
rated it:
This is one of those books that was sitting on the new shelf at the library and managed to just catch my attention. I think I picked it up originally because of the title, the font they use for it is really fantastic. I have always loved running, but I am just way too undisciplined to stick with a running regime. Nonetheless I love stories that incorporate running, so the title really interested me. Then I read the summary and I knew I had to read it.
The story begins shortly after the acci More...
The story begins shortly after the acci More...
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Dec 23, 2011
Jodi
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Running has been the main focus of Jessica's life for years. After excelling in track during her high school career, she hopes that her abilities will win her a scholarship to college. However, after a tragic bus accident causes her to lose her leg, she must re-adapt to life without two feet.
After making friends with Rosa, a girl who has Cerebral Palsy, Jessica learns that life is not over. In fact, with a bit of hard work and persistance, she will not only be able to walk aga More...
After making friends with Rosa, a girl who has Cerebral Palsy, Jessica learns that life is not over. In fact, with a bit of hard work and persistance, she will not only be able to walk aga More...
Oct 10, 2011
Cali
rated it:
Really enjoyed reading this book. It is told about a high school track star who losses her leg in a tragic accident after a track meet. She has to learn how to recover with her ever changing life. In this book she learns that nothing is impossible and what real friendship means.
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Jan 01, 2012
Deb
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PERFECT book to begin my 2012 reading year!
My seventh grade daughter wanted a book to read and chose this book off my holiday #bookaday pile. I figured I would not see this book back in my TBR pile in time to read it before I headed back to school. Imagine my surprise when a day or two later, she informed me that she finished the book. Not only had she finished the book, she was glowing. "This is my favorite book ever!" Ummm...what?! My daughter LOVES Percy Jackson. She More...
My seventh grade daughter wanted a book to read and chose this book off my holiday #bookaday pile. I figured I would not see this book back in my TBR pile in time to read it before I headed back to school. Imagine my surprise when a day or two later, she informed me that she finished the book. Not only had she finished the book, she was glowing. "This is my favorite book ever!" Ummm...what?! My daughter LOVES Percy Jackson. She More...
Apr 03, 2011
The Running Dream by Wendelin Van Draanen begins when Jessica wakes up in the hospital after having her leg amputated below the knee following a car accident on the way home from a tournament. This would be devastating for any teenager, but it is particularly horrific for Jessica, a girl whose life revolves around running. If she can't run anymore, she think she would have been better off dying in the accident like another member of her track team did. It doesn't matter that she'll be able to wa
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Mar 26, 2011
Alison (AlisonCanRead)
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In The Running Dream, Jessica the lifelong sprinter learns that life is indeed a marathon and not a sprint. Jessica loses her leg after a tragic car accident. Jessica lives to run - she starts her day with a long run with her dog and she ends her day with track practice. Without her leg, she may still be alive, but her life is over.
The author does a wonderful job of portraying the physical and emotional aftermath of losing a limb, especially for someone who defines herself by her phy More...
The author does a wonderful job of portraying the physical and emotional aftermath of losing a limb, especially for someone who defines herself by her phy More...
