THE RUNNING DREAM

THE RUNNING DREAM by Wendelin Van Draanen

One of my older daughters brought this book to my attention, and since we've got a track runner in our home, we gave it a go as a read aloud. I'm so glad we did!

Jessica loves running, and she's really good at it. A great future is stretching out in front of her, and she's ready for it. That is, until the accident. Coming back from a track meet, a guy hauling a load of wrecked cars to a local junkyard misses a turn and hits the school bus throwing track team members all over the place. One girl dies instantly, and Jessica...well, her leg is utterly destroyed and can't be saved. Suddenly, her school year is unfolding in a way she can't understand. Running? That's a laugh. She's got to learn to walk again. Going to school? Anytime she thinks about it, her body goes into panic mode. But her parents, her friends, her coach, and her teammates aren't going to let her quit. In the end Jessica just might learn that there are still dreams that can be accomplished even if they aren't the original ones she was shooting for. The Running Game is a squeaky clean read! Highly recommend!!