Runaway

Runaway by Wendelin Van Draanen is the diary of a smart, needfully wary, 12-year-old homeless girl. Holly's life began to fall apart when her father died, but things really go to hell when her increasingly desperate mother turns to street drugs for comfort. Holly ends up in foster care and with her

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"bad attitude" working against her, she ends up in the dregs of the United States social care system.

A tragic story, right? Well, yes, but Van Draanen gives Holly her own agency, furthered by the decision to tell the story in journal form. Living on the street is quite realistically portrayed, which means Holly has to work at her survival. She's a smart kid, but not all her choices are good ones. During the course of this quick read, our heroine grows up quite a bit, guided by her own words and retrospection far more than by the lessons of adults. (Though, it was a teacher who cared that gave Holly her journal book in the first place.) My only strong criticism of Runaway is the ending is too nicely-wrapped-up for a book that, for the most part, tells it how it is. Still, I would recommend this book to both teens and adults.

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Positive book for survival and hope, as well as reading and writing

Holly Janquell, a 12 year old, runs away from her fifth foster home in two years, but this time she gets away cleanly and she doesn't come back! She soon finds out that life on the streets is difficult, but she's determined, resilient, and intelligent. She chronicles her adventures by writing in a

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journal given to her by her English teacher. Her mom died of a heroin overdose and Holly has no where to go, but is determined to get to California to the coast. This book actually ends on a hopeful note, and Holly is rescued by a peer, although she doesn't recognize the resuce at first.

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This book made me laugh, cry and scream. Wonderfully written, I just couldn't seem to put the book down and leave Holly by herself. This book was heartwarming, and the poetry added to it. Written as an unlikely journal beginning as something given from an English teacher, this book eventually turns

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into Holly's one most prized possession, as she goes deep within herself as she struggles homeless among the streets to find a place to just BE.

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Holly , an orphaned 12-year-old, runs away from her abusive foster home and heads West, where she believes she'll be warm. Through amazing resourcefullness and tenacity, Holly reaches Los Angeles. Her months of being homeless and alone teach her lesseons about the world and herself. Written as a

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journal, Runaway gives a real picture of what it is to be homeless in America.

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It's about this one girl her mother died. Now she lives with her aunt.Shes having trouble in life she writes in her journal about her feelings. Whenever she gets in trouble in school the teacher sends her into a laundry room for a couple of hours with a cold blanket, a pillow and a bucket to pee

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in. If shes thirsty she will open the washer machine then drink the water.

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Amazing book. Realistic and poetic. One of the few books about running away--- if it doesn't get the New-Berry award I don't know what will.

Holly can't take the abuse anymore from her current foster family and at the tender age of twelve decides to runaway. This is her story told in journal fashion. Although this is a fictional book, I have listed it in my memoirs collection. The sad thing is that somewhere out there it IS a childs

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real life or some version of.

My heart went out to Holly and I wanted to reach thru the pages of this fictional world, grab her into the real world and smother her with love. Author did a fantastic job of putting you right into the story. It's a young adult book with an adult punch. Recommend!!

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Sad story, written in a journal format. The ending seemed very unlikely, but possible.

This was a pretty good book. I liked the character and the voice that was used. There was enough excitement to keep me interested.

Given the target age group for this book, the day-to-day realities of a homeless 12-year-old girl are a bit sanitized. But there's enough gritty detail and realism about Holly's situation and background for young readers to empathize or even identify with. Lib notes: Discussion of mother's

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addiction to heroin, Holly's shoplifting, description of child abuse at a foster home, scenes of potential sexual abuse or rape (but Holly gets away).

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I thoroughly enjoyed "Runaway" and found it difficult to put down. Twelve year old Holly was an engaging character with a wonderful voice. She was sassy and tough, yet at the same time heart-wrenchingly vulnerable and determined to survive. Many an occasion Holly made me smile, but at other times I

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felt so sorry for her as she constantly battled to find food, warmth and a way to keep clean. I liked the diary format of the book as Holly writes in the journal her English teacher gave her. She begins by venting her anger at Ms Leone but gradually she shares her fears, her past and her dreams, and discovers she has a way with poetry. This is second book I've read by this author and am impressed with her ability to write such inspiring stories. I will certainly be looking for her other books. A touching read!

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I really enjoyed this book. The protagonist was believable and compelling. I liked her and wanted her to succeed.

I read this book when I was in Jr High and, even though it is a very mature book, it taught me about the world and how you don't know what someone could be going through and how school can be their only outlet. This book is about a 12 year old little girl, Holly, whose mom is a drug abuser of

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Heroin. Because of this Holly is a foster child who hates it in her second foster house and runs away. Throughout her journey she writes in her journal about what it is like to be a gypsy. Along the way she comes across homeless encampments, trains, and having to scam food. Holly learns throughout her journey how hard it can be to be a 12 year old experiencing the world all by yourself. I would recommend this book for older middle school to lower high school grades to teach them different perspectives in the world.

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My daughter loved this book and recommended it to me. I found it very compelling, though sometimes sad and scary. The ending was little too neat, but overall it was very well written and engaging. I would definitely recommend it and read more by this author.