Members with This Book
Most Helpful Reviews
see all reviews
Liked It “it would be great for those of you who have divorced parent's i do and i love this book it's great and it does have cursing/cussing but not a lot like 4 x's in the beggining but other than that it'sa great choice. =)” see full review » see other reviews » |
Newest Reviews
see all reviews-
“it would be great for those of you who have divorced parent's i do and i love this book it's great and it does have cursing/cussing but not a lot like 4 x's in the beggining but other than that it'sa great choice. =)”
Dascia W wrote this review yesterday. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Chance Taylor lives on an old boat with his alcoholic father. He washes dishes for extra money to pay for expenses and support his family because his dad does not have a job. Chance is an avid runner and usually runs each day. After a daily run he is approached by a man who offers him an unusual job running mysterious packages that may nor may not be connected with something illegal.
Alicia wrote this review 13 days ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
Chance is an intelligent student with natural athletic ability. He is compassionate and kind, even though his parents have not been there to be supportive for him. He truly wants to support his father and will take on almost anything to help him pay the bills. The basic parts of the plot are not far off from some young adults today. They too are trying to make money to help support their families. While this is not true for everyone, it does give exposure to other types of lifestyles and life situations for those without firsthand experience.
One main theme I saw while reading Runner, was the importance of morals and values. It doesn’t matter where you are raised, or the experiences you have dealt with, you always have the opportunity to be successful and can maintain strong moral and values. Chance supported his father, even when peers made fun of him and belittled his father’s lifestyle. Though he is angry his mother never came back for him and that his father has no motivation to work to get money to support them, he still somehow is able to be supportive towards his family, whether they deserve his support or not. Chance did lack confidence. He didn’t believe in himself, but I think that is largely due to the lack of support his own parents provided him.
This book intrigued me from the beginning because I was curious to find out what exactly was in the packages. I enjoy running and was able to hook into the book from the start. I think audiences from different backgrounds will enjoy this book because of the circumstances Chance finds himself in and because of the action that takes place as the story unfolds. Melissa became a good friend to Chance and I enjoyed seeing their relationship evolve.
5Q
4P”
“I first read this book when it was new and was captivated by it. I am not a sports reader, actually I am having trouble reading Friday Night Lights right now because I know nothing about football, but the sports involvement of this book is such a backstory that it didn’t bother me at all. Chance is grown way beyond his 16 years as he is more concerned with making sure bills are paid than his beloved track that he used to run, but no longer has the money to cover organized sports expenses.
Paula W wrote this review 3 weeks ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
The way I think about this book is having attributes that appeal to many different types of readers. A sports reader would jump at the backdrop of the athlete Chance is. A romantic would love the budding romance between Melissa and him. A drama/ conspiracy reader would read for the drugs and “other” packages just to see what is in them. An action reader would read book as a whole because this book has action from beginning to end.
Chance’s life is about conflict. He is very angry with the idea that his dad cannot hold a job, the kids at school make fun of his dad’s alcoholism causing him more internal and external conflict. Then with all the internal conflict, he has this external conflict of the great new job of doing what he does anyway. All he has to do is run. If there is a package, he will pick it up, if not, it will be a normal run. When his boss gets blown up, he knows that he must find a way out, but if they blew the fat man’s car up with him in it, what will they do to him?
I have to say, my favorite part of this book is also the saddest part. Chance’s dad becomes the hero when he blows up the boat with the explosives that were meant for the cruse ship, but what will Chance do now without a father? His Girlfriend’s dad says he will finish school and go to college. Her Dad was Chance’s dad’s best friend and he feels guilty for abandoning him when they struggled so much, so he is determined that Chance will have a better chance. This book is all about a theme of helping others and the idea that even the struggling person might be the one that saves the day.
p5
q5”“cool”
Preston O wrote this review Thursday, October 29 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“great book lots of really good action”
Seamus K wrote this review Thursday, October 22 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“Great, suspensful story. I felt so much like I visited Seattle that I actually traveled to there that summer. What a great place and book!”
Mrs. C wrote this review Saturday, October 17 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“This book is probably the best book i have ever read. It was action packed and had such good detail that i could hardly put the book down. I always like reading sports fiction with a twist so i think runner would fit that topic perfectly. Carl Deuker is my new favorite author. I started out reading his most notable book, Gym Candy, and I liked it so much I had to find another book he wrote.”
Mason A wrote this review Tuesday, September 29 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“Fast paced book about difficult choices and a teen eager to change his home situation. Great narrative and dialogue. Great for reluctant readers.”
Lorna D wrote this review Thursday, September 3 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“I love this book. I usually hate reading but I couldn't put this book down!”
Michael P wrote this review Monday, June 15 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
