Running Through It

Josie, 13, has always counted on her dad being her biggest running supporter. But now he’s in the hospital, fighting a second bout of cancer. Josie believes that, if she can just place in the top four in this last race of the regular season, Dad will be out of hospital in time to watch her race again at the City Finals. And, for the first time ever, Josie wins the race. She’s sure Dad will get better, just as he did two years earlier. The following Saturday, Josie’s little brother, Lucas, asks her to help him set up the tent they used on some camping trips with Dad. After they do that, Lucas asks Josie if Dad will take them camping again, and Josie begins to realize she’s not sure what all the hospital tests Dad’s getting actually mean, or if he’ll really be able to see her next race. Later that day, Josie goes to a fair with her two closest friends, Bird and Sofia, gets drunk, and ends up in hospital. After a talk with her mom the next day, Josie consciously realizes her dad is fighting for his life. At school, Bird and Sofia let her know that – before she passed out at the fair – given everything she’d said, they want her to be more honest and open with them in future because true friends support each other. When Josie is confronted with her father’s death, she comes to understand that being “fearless” doesn’t mean without fear. Rather, it means that you have to face your fears and keep running through them.

Author Lorie Scarfarotti’s Running Through It is a fast-paced drama. From the opening of the novel, one gets the sense that Josie is an unreliable narrator. It’s not long after she says “Mom…really didn’t have a clue about running, unless she had to get out of the rain. Then she and her glittery nails would plow through anyone in her way”, that readers are convinced Mom is loving and caring, rather than the aggressive person initially portrayed. Lucas, Josie’s observant little brother who enjoys parkour and Scrabble, is a convincing, well-rounded character. Josie’s friends Bird and Sofia, though sparingly drawn, are also believable, as is Dad, who’s portrayed through text messages, a few hospital visits, and flashbacks.

Details such as Lucas and Josie’s observations concerning an old woman nicknamed Granny Greeter, Josie’s interactions with a former Olympian, and an overheard conversation of Dad’s with an old friend, are all excellent. And while they eventually add up in helping Josie accept her father’s condition and how she’ll ultimately cope with his loss, some of these apparent digressions may be of-putting for weaker readers.

Running Through It should appeal to strong middle school readers in grades six and seven.