Runaway by Wendelin Van Draanen Review by Ayisha Hernandez

         Runaway by Wendelin Van Draanen is a story about a 12 year old girl named Holly Janquell. Holly's mother dies from a heroin overdose and her father is said to have died in a freak tractor accident. Holly ends up in foster care. She is moved from foster home to foster home and faces different forms of abuse in these homes. Finally, fed up with the treatment given by her foster parents, Holly decides to run away. Before leaving, Holly's teacher, Ms. Leone, gives her a journal. The purpose of the journal is for Holly to write about her life and to get her thoughts and feelings down on paper since she doesn't like sharing her feelings with anyone. When Holly runs away all she knows is she wants to be somewhere warm because the other times she has run away she was very cold and wet while sleeping in parks and on the streets. Holly decides California would be the perfect place to go. 

         The story is written from Holly's perspective and is written in journal format. In her journal, Holly chronicles her journey from her current foster home to California. She writes the journal entries as if she is writing to her teacher, Ms. Leone. She incorporates the poetry lessons she learned while in Ms. Leone's class to help her express her thoughts and emotions. Holly also reflects on lessons she learned from her teacher, such as a lesson about the Underground Railroad, and how she wishes there was an Underground Railroad for foster children who have been abused and have nowhere to go. Van Draanen does a wonderful job of executing the mentality and attitude of a 12 year old girl in the book. She really shows an understanding of the life of foster children, drug addiction, and the life of the homeless.

       I would recommend this book for readers in 6th grade and up. Some of the situations in the book require a mature audience. Holly is physically abused by her foster parents and describes these situations vividly. Although Holly does not describe her abuse in full detail, she often hints at the fact that she was sexually abused in one of her foster homes. Drug use and homelessness are also big topics in the story. Loss of a parent is something Holly must struggle with throughout the story as well. Morality and compassion come into question often in the story. I would use this story to build discussions around Holly's decisions and how she uses her morals and compassion to influence her decisions. Overall, Van Draanen does a good job of capturing the readers attention and stringing you along to the very end. As the reader, you will not want to put the book down because you will want to find out if Holly gets the happy ending she has always wanted.