Hold My Hand and Run [Paperback]

Margaret McAllistar (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 2002

Kazy Clare has had enough. She, and her little sister Beth, are being tormented by their cruel Aunt, who has been sent to look after them following the death of their mother. Their father is so grief stricken by his loss that he is blind to the mistreatment going on around him. But Kazy knows that things have got to change. She has to save Beth from the beatings and abuse, so she decides to run away and take Beth with her. But it will take all her courage and strength to keep them safe. And, once you've run away, it's impossible to go back. Isn't it? BLMeticulously researched; the novel tackles themes which are still relevant today within a wholly believable historical setting. BLDeals with important issues of bullying adults and the loss of a parent. BLStory-telling at its best, with a strong narrative drive, feisty heroine, and vividly drawn settings.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-8-Abused and beaten by their villainous aunt, 13-year-old Kazy and her young half-sister Beth run away. Since the recent death of Beth's mother, Eliza, their father has been too distracted by his work and loss to notice how his sister mistreats his daughters. The desperate girls trod through the countryside of England in 1628, staying at a cottage, a parsonage, and eventually living with a madwoman whom Kazy agrees to care for in exchange for food and shelter. A fire forces them to leave, and they travel to Collywell Cross, "a healing place" of love and prayer where Eliza once worked. Kazy's conversations with the refuge's kind mistress about God and life's injustices are somewhat didactic, and some of the characters, especially the girls' aunt and father, tend to be one-dimensional. However, the informed descriptions of the 17th-century setting-including smells, clothing, and furnishings-are fascinating. Overall, this is a readable historical novel set in a period not frequently explored.
Debbie Stewart, Grand Rapids Public Library, MI
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Life before her stepmother, Eliza, died was fine. But now 13-year-old Kazy Clare has had enough. Aunt Latimer's house rules are ridiculously harsh, and she has used the switch on sweet six-year-old Beth too many times. Father, a cleric who is wrapped up in his own grieving, has been little help. Kazy feels her only recourse is to run away. Unfortunately, the girls soon discover that travelling across seventeenth century England to find a safe home is not an easy task, especially when they fear their vicious aunt has sent an emissary to pursue them. McAllister pushes the plot along too fast to make us really care about the characters, some of the most interesting of which get short shrift. It's the adventure that will hold young readers--that and the idea of a girl who may not do everything perfectly but has the courage to take charge and stand by someone she loves. Stephanie Zvirin --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 138 pages
• Publisher: Oxford Childrens (January 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0192751689
• ISBN-13: 978-0192751683
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,379,734 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An involving plot with suprizing twists and turns!, September 19, 2000

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hold My Hand and Run (Hardcover)

Kazy decides to run away from home with her little sister when Aunt Latimer's beatings become too much; their lives become a long journey in escape of their aunt in this story of 1600s girls who try to survive in England away from home. The protagonists are involving and the plot has several surprising twists and turns.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A story of a girl's devotion to her little sister., July 17, 2000

By 

Rebecca Herman (USA) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hold My Hand and Run (Hardcover)

In 1628 England, thirteen-year-old Kazy Clare lives in theshadow of her mother, who died giving birth to her. Because of herstrong resemblance to her mother, it grieves her father to look at her; he will not even call her by her true name, Kezia, because it was her mother's name as well. And since the death of Kazy's stepmother, Eliza, a loving and cheerful woman who was the only mother Kazy ever knew, Kazy's father is filled with sorrow at the sight of his other daughter, six-year-old Beth, who resembles Eliza. He has handed the care of his daughters over to his strict and cruel sister while he immerses himself in his duties as a canon at the village cathedral. Aunt Lattimer beats the girls and denies them any simple joys and pleasures. When Beth becomes a pale, frightened shadow of her former self, Kazy decides she's had enough. She takes Beth and runs away into the countryside, hoping to reach their relatives. They must escape persuit and survive in a harsh world. But Kazy is determined for little Beth's sake. This was excellant as a historical novel, but the story of Kazy and her determination to protect her little sister could take place anywhere in any time period.

5.0 out of 5 stars Hold My Hand & Run, December 14, 2005

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Hold My Hand and Run (Hardcover)

Hold My Hand & Run, Margaret McAllister, 5 stars.

I gave this book, Hold My Hand & Run, 5 stars because it had everything. That is all you can say about it. It had(s) everything. The story is of two desperate children who are beaten by their tyrannical Aunt. The oldest, Kazia, decides that she is fed up with her aunt constantly scaring her 6 year old sister and in the early setting of the sun, run away. During their journey, they encounter trials, tribulations, and hardships, as Kazy-her sister's nickname for her- goes from a young girl to a young woman. She is forced to let go of her childish behaviors and adopt adult-like ones in order to let her sister and her survive.

This book deserves nothing less than 5 stars because it makes, as Shakespeare once said, " the reader laugh, the reader cry, and the reader love." This book "Hit's it Home" with the way it makes you feel for these children struggling for their God-given right to survive. It will definitely make you appreciate everything that you have been blessed with.

If you enjoy this book I'd also recommend The Goddess of Yesterday, White Dove, Lily's Crossing, The Pictures of Hollis Wood, and Sirena. All of these are survival stories that any female would love. I do not know if a male would enjoy this book because I am a female. This book is definitely on my list of "tops" because it has a wonderful "happy" ending and made me cry. It made me want to just reach out and give these kids a BIG HUG!!!! I am 13 years old, and I thoroughly enjoyed every bit of Hold My Hand & Run. I would recommend this book to THE WORLD!!