Running Scared

by Beverley Terrell-Deutsch

Gregory loves numbers — they don't change and he can count on them, literally. Numbers also keep Gregory's mind off his father who died in a car crash. Ever since, Gregory has not been able to return to the accident scene despite the fact that it lies directly on the way to school. It has become an obstacle of the heart and mind, a physical space that he avoids at all costs. But his new route to school holds other obstacles — even a big terrifying dog. So finally, when circumstances start to push him back to that tragic location, Gregory must figure out a way to face his problems. With the support of some new friends, maybe Gregory can find a way to use his love for numbers and math to help overcome his fear — and start the process of healing.

Genres: Middle Grade, Mathematics, Canada

170 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 15, 2014

About the author

Beverley Terrell-Deutsch is an elementary school teacher turned psychologist. She taught in Simcoe County, Ontario for several years, then returned to university and attained her doctoral degree in psychology. She practiced as a school psychologist in the Peel District School Board, working with children and their families, for over twenty years. She is an avid gardener, an animal lover, and performs regularly in an English handbell choir. She has been writing for most of her life, has had short stories published in educational anthologies, and is a two time Judges' Choice winner of the Toronto Star newspaper Short Story Contest. Her first novel Running Scared was a shortlisted for the Manitoba Young Readers' Choice Award and won the Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario’s (ETFO) Children's Literature Award. Beverley lives near Toronto with her husband and her Toto look-alike Cairn Terrier and is currently working on Standing Alone the follow up to Running Scared, which is due out in Fall 2016.

Reviews

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

a very cute but equally very sad lil story

[Janet Barclay · Rating 3 out of 5]

I needed something light to read after Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty and this certainly did the job.

It's a good story set in Ontario, Canada, and I loved that I could relate to so much of it. I'd thought Gregory's love of numbers was going to be be the result of OCD or autism, which didn't seem to be the case - at least if it was, that wasnt part of the story. I suppose for the intended audience (middle school kids), anxiety following the death of a parent was a serious enough issue to tackle.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

For a year, now, Gregory has been walking to and from school the long way—so long that in the snowy winter he got frostbite—to avoid the place in front of the market where his father was killed in a car crash. Gregory was in the car, and saw him die. Now he’s struggling in school with everything but math; he likes numbers, because they are so reliable. Nothing else in his life seems to be. His mother works long hours, struggling with her own grief, and he doesn’t tell her his fears. In addition, his school is facing closure, and the new schoolbus stop for his new school will be right in front of the market. As he’s struggling with what to do, old and new friends come to his aid. This includes a bossy new Japanese-American girl named Teisha, who seems determined to find out about Gregory, and then determined to find a way to help him overcome his fear. Will Gregory ever feel whole again?

I really liked this one. Gregory’s fear and grief felt real, and the author draws you into his emotions. He’s a nice kid struggling with something terrible, and you really root for him to succeed. The world-building is pretty minimal, but adequate, and the secondary characters were sympathetic as well. The situations Gregory faces that help him come to terms with his fear and his grief are not over the top; this is not a large story, just a story of emotions looming large for a bereft kid. I do think, though, that the math/numbers part of the story was fumbled—it seemed as though it would be the focus of the story, rather as puzzles are the focus of the Winston Breen mysteries, but it turns out the math is just an indicator of Gregory’s state of mind. While I admit I found the math a bit boring, I thought the author should have integrated it better. Overall, though, a winner for me.

[Jonine Bergen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Running Scared is a solid novel for middle years readers. Greg is likeable and a bit quirky. He was in an accident that killed his father and, not surprisingly, he is having trouble dealing with the memories. He won't pass the Jiffy Mart where the accident happened and he is having trouble focusing at school. When he learns that the school is going to be closed and he will have to catch the bus for the new school at the Jiffy Mart, he knows he has to act to keep the school open.

What I really enjoyed about Running Scared is that the author took the round-about path to a resolution. Greg meets different people -even animals- who are scared and watches as they deal with their fear. His friends try to help but he really has to solve this problem for himself. Finally, it is a book about a boy that is dealing with an everyday fear. No gangs or violence here.

[Anne · Rating 2 out of 5]

Gregory is really good at math. It often distracts him from school work, which his teachers do not appreciate, but it also distracts him from his dad's recent death in a car accident in front of the local Jiffy Mart. Gregory now goes far out of his way to avoid the Jiffy Mart. However, a threatened school closure will put the bus stop for the new school right there. Gregory and his friends try both to save his school and to find a way to break down his avoidance of the site of the accident.

The characters and plot are flat and predictable.

[Niki · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beverley Terrell-Deutsch introduces us to Gregory and his anxiety over returning to the scene of the horrific car crash that claimed his father’s life. Gregory goes to great lengths to avoid the location despite the assistance of his good friends. The characters in “Running Scared” are well developed and likeable and the plot is convincing and well written making this novel a generally good middle grade read.

Short-listed for the 2015 MYRCA.
(Note: Terrell-Deutsch is writing a sequel to "Running Scared".)

[Ruston Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm looking for books to read to my fifth grade students. Any suggestions?

[Sheryl Fehr · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful story of dealing with loss and working through it.