Run If You Dare

Powell, Randy

ISBN 10: 0788793756 ISBN 13: 9780788793752

Publisher: Recorded Books, 2003

Synopsis

Gardner Dickinson has always been very laid-back. That's why it doesn't really bother him that while his friends and sister seem to have long-term goals, he just moseys through life browsing through books and trying out weights, without ever finishing a novel or beginning an exercise program. Then, his dad gets laid off and can't seem to motivate himself to find another job. As he watches his father putter aimlessly in the garage day after day, Gardner begins to suspect that his inability to concentrate may be hereditary. And during a serious heart-to-heart talk about the state of their family, older sister Lacey confirms "You and Dad both have a problem in the focusing and following-through departments... you come up with a new delusion every week but you don't act on a single one." Gardner wants to prove Lacey wrong, so he takes up running, forcing himself to stick with it even when he wants to quit. But while Gardner is learning discipline, his dad seems to be slipping further and further into a deep depression. Can Gardner convince his father that it's not too late to change his ways before their family drifts apart from lack of focus? Randy Powell has written a subtle, smart novel that sincerely portrays two of the most difficult hurdles of the search for meaning in one's life and the dawning realization that parents are people, too. A thoughtful addition to Powell's collection of teen-boy-angst novels, the most recent being Tribute to Another Dead Rock Star . (Ages 13 and older) --Jennifer Hubert

About this title

Reviews

Gr 7-10-Johnny Heller does an excellent job of narrating this recording of Randy Powell's novel (Farrar, 2001). Gardner Dickinson is 15, and he doesn't quite know what to do with himself. He's always checking out library books, reading a few pages, and then leaving them unfinished, stacked all over his room. He watches infomercials and considers buying either a home gym or a speed-reading course--something for self-improvement. Meanwhile, his dad has been laid off from work and doesn't seem to have any ambitions other than playing a lot of golf or becoming a paper boy. But once school starts, things change for Gardner. An old friend--a girl--moves back to town, and Gardner starts running and chopping wood to build up his muscles, and he actually manages to read a book all the way through. Gardner's relationship with his dad is an interesting one. Although he has always admired his father and considered him a good friend, during the year covered in the novel, his dad contemplates leaving the family and Gardner comes to recognize some of his father's frailties. Heller manages to evoke Gardner's adolescent angst believably. Since Gardner narrates the story, Heller, appropriately, doesn't vary the characters' voices too much. Teens will enjoy this realistic and engaging novel.

Sarah Flowers, Santa Clara County Library, Morgan Hill, CA

Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Recorded Books
• Publication date: 2003
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0788793756
• ISBN 13: 9780788793752
• Binding: Audio Cassette