Run

Run by Sarah Armstrong (Hardie Grant) PB RRP: $18.99 ISBN 9781761214561

Reviewed by Rebecca Fung

Sarah Armstrong, author of CBCA's Notable book Big Magic, presents a fast-paced adventure for middle-grade readers and teens.

Cas is on the run. On the way to visit his Dad, he finds out that the adults in his life have decided for him that he should try living with his father -- a father he doesn't remember ever being there for him. Now he feels he doesn't belong anywhere - not with Dad, nor with the people who want to be rid of him. So, he runs.

Out in the Australian bush, he starts to think that his impulsive decision wasn't such a great one. The bush is filled with scary creatures and he's not sure what might be poisonous or not.

This is a fast-paced read, and Cas's strong emotions about his family, his loneliness, and his need to belong carry the story. We feel Cas's desperation and pain.

I might actually die out here, he thinks, every centimetre of his skin prickling with the truth of this. Tears fill his eyes. I don't want to die. I'm only twelve. I can't die yet. But maybe this disbelief is exactly what people feel before their death. Maybe no one ever expects to die.

Then, he meets a family who help him navigate the ways of the wild. Two girls and their father. They refer to their way of life as 'rewilding' - living off the land. But as Cas spends more time with them, he realises there is much more to their story than that. The girls run for cover when a helicopter is in the area and he overhears mysterious snippets of conversation: they're hiding a secret. All the while, Cas is aching to get back to his aunt and to the way things used to be -- before this whole idea of visiting his Dad entered the picture.  

The adventure involves a tight cast with relatable and memorable voices. The descriptions of the Australian bush evoke beautifully strong images.

The story first opens up a discussion of family and belonging. As it moves along, though, it becomes a more interesting ethical discussion. There are repeated themes of "sometimes it's right to do wrong", whether someone is worthy of your trust and belief, and the importance of family. The story's characters have some concept of flexible morality. This is a story that allows children to ponder their own thoughts about what right and wrong really mean in different contexts.

An original read with strong images and emotions that will stay with the reader well afterwards.