Breakaway Run: 2 [Hardcover]

David Klass (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 28, 1987

Seventeen-year-old Tony, a soccer player whose parents are divorcing, goes to Atami, Japan, to spend four-and-a-half months with a Japanese family.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 7-9 How well can an American high-school student fare in Japanese society? Klass has fashioned a second novel around this theme, and it's even better than his first, a baseball novel called The Atami Dragons (Scribners, 1984). Again the setting is the small coastal town of Atami, near Tokyo, and this time the sport is soccer. Tony has the chance to spend several months living with a Japanese family. He wants this trip badly for the wrong reason: his parents are on the edge of a divorce and Tony wants out. The separation becomes final when he is in Japan. Consequently, there are a number of facets to the story: family tumult; adjustment to a society that does not readily accept foreigners; soccer (with several good descriptions of game action); and a slight romance with Yukiko, the daughter of his Japanese hosts. While Klass doesn't handle them all with a perfect score (for example, Tony doesn't seem to get lonely, which is unlikely), he does remarkably well. His writing is crisp, and he often comes up with a clever turn of phrase. His characterization of Tony's parents as both somewhat selfish people is well done and believable. In addition to the involving story, readers will find the candid descriptions of Japanese life both interesting and informative. Robert E. Unsworth, Scarsdale Jr . High School, N.Y.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Hardcover: 169 pages
• Publisher: Dutton Juvenile; 1st edition (May 28, 1987)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0525671900
• ISBN-13: 978-0525671909
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.7 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,721,288 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars worth reading again, April 16, 2002

By 

"moonie1035" (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Breakaway Run: 2 (Hardcover)

I was in 8th grade when I had to read this book, it seemed good but when I started reading it I couldn't put it down. This is one of my favorite books because it has to do with a boy's quest to understand himself and a romance. I would recomend this book to teenagers or anyone for that matter. I have been searching for this book and now have found it, this book is really 5 star material!

3.0 out of 5 stars Breakaway Run, March 6, 2001

By 

Takahiro Tsuji (Thailand) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Breakaway Run: 2 (Hardcover)

I learned that a person can make friends with anybody, no matter what their races are. I also learned that a person can do almost anything even if he or she (in this case, Tony) is from another country. And another thing that I learned is the importance of continuance. You can solve problem if you make an effort and if you have strong will. Life is not only trouble, and life isn't only comfort, either. Cooperation is the key. People can understand each other even if they are different in language or nationality. You can not do much without help from friends, parents, teachers, and so on. I learned these things from this book. I want to read this book again someday.