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 book is a pity party of regrets and angst, relax. Jessica is a can-do girl who is determined to get walking - and even running - again. She doesn't waste much time on moaning or navel-gazing or being terrified that no guy will ever like her. No, Jessica is a jock in the best sense of the word. She is focused and uncomplicated, a person who keeps her eye on the prize.
And this makes The Running Dream a breeze and joy to read. Sure, it's fairly predictable - there are no surprises. Will Jessica walk again, using a prosthetic leg? Will she run again, and super-fast? Will she enter a race pushing her new friend, wheelchair-bound CP-sufferer Rosa, in an emotional 10-mile race? Yes, yes, and yes. And thank goodness! It couldn't happen to a better person.
Recommended for both girls and boys ages 11 to 16.
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