The Running Dream
By Wendelin Van Draanen
Sixteen-year-old
Jessica lives to run. She's a track star, but she loses her leg when an
uninsured driver hits her school bus. The tale follows Jessica's initial
despair and growing confidence as she struggles to cope with her disability and
her father works to pay medical bills. At last the community rallies round her
with a fund drive to buy her a prosthetic running leg. Meanwhile, Jessica makes
friends with Rosa, a bright girl with cerebral palsy whom she had never noticed
before. She decides to help Rosa as her friends have helped her, but Jessica's
decision to push the wheelchair-bound girl through a 10-mile race might be too
ambitious. How Jessica orchestrates
putting Rosa in the forefront of a community race and pushing her wheelchair
across a finish line is a study in faith and determination. Readers will cheer
for Jessica's recovery and be reminded to recognize people for their strengths
and not overlook them because of their disabilities.
Wendelin Van Draanen
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