Run for It!

by Tom Bender

Set in 1939 as the world goes to war, two American teenage boys witness a murder and then must run for their lives.

Paperback

First published November 1, 2008

Reviews

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is not, as claimed in the blurb, a tale for all ages. It is a middle grade adventure story of an old-fashioned sort. Unfortunately its content is unlikely to appeal strongly to modern urban youth since the setting and characters are probably too remote to enable them to identify with. Older readers will find the setting more interesting but the tale far too superficial.
The setting in the late 1930s is relatively well done but there are bits that seem to be tacked on or included merely because the research had been done and shouldn't be wasted – they do not advance the story or add to the atmosphere. The history is sound but sometimes irrelevant.
The boys, Merwyn and Robert, are well enough drawn but most of the adult protagonists are pale shadows who go through some strained scenarios. I found Patrick utterly unbelievable.
The writing is workmanlike without jarringly poor grammar, punctuation or editing errors.

[Marjie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kind of juvenile

The main characters were about 16 years old so the story was more geared that way as it was told from their perspective. Similar to a Hardy Boys mystery.