Running on the Cracks [Hardcover]

Julia Donaldson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 15, 2009

Leo’s running from her past. Finlay’s running into trouble. Together, they stumble into a crazy new world of secrets, lies, and Chinese food.

But someone is on Leo’s trail . . . Eccentric, unforgettable characters and genuine, heart-pounding suspense make for a stunning combination as celebrated author Julia Donaldson expands her talents in her first novel for young adults.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 6–9—Still reeling from the recent death of her parents in a plane crash, Leo, a 15-year-old girl of mixed Chinese and English descent, runs away from an unpleasant living situation and boards a train to Glasgow. Remaining incognito in the city proves to be difficult, but she eventually finds refuge with a kindhearted, mentally ill woman. After seeing Leo's picture in the paper, Finlay, a 13-year-old Goth paperboy, figures out who she is. They become friends as he learns of her circumstances and volunteers to help her locate the Chinese grandparents she's never known. Finding them is imperative, as Leo doesn't want to be forced back to her aunt's home, a dangerous environment with a leering Uncle John. Donaldson's novel, told from the shifting perspectives of Leo, Finlay, and Uncle John, is slow to start, but picks up as Leo's predator uncle appears on the scene to track her down. American readers will find bits of the dialect hard to understand, but the slowly building suspense, strong characterizations, and a narrative that includes information about the Chinese immigrant experience in Scotland and insight into the lives of the mentally ill make the book a worthwhile read.—Shawna Sherman, Hayward Public Library, CA
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Review

“Leo’s plight is universal and sure to attract the attention and empathy of many American teens.”—Booklist

“This fast-paced, richly characterized Scottish import, imbued with the important message that friends are the family you choose, will be a boon to libraries looking to add more world literature to their teen collections.”—Kirkus Reviews

“This engaging, bittersweet story follows biracial British teenager Leonora ('Leo') Watts-Chan… The fast pace and short chapters should appeal to readers, who will celebrate the hopeful ending.”—Publishers Weekly

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR); First Edition edition (September 15, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0805090541
• ISBN-13: 978-0805090543
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,566,218 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Julia Donaldson is the author of many successful books for children, including the classic THE GRUFFALO, which has won the Smarties Prize and the Blue Peter Award for the Best Book to Read Aloud. THE GRUFFALO'S CHILD was one of the biggest best-sellers of 2004 and won WHS Children's Book of the Year at the British Book Awards. Julia has also written many children's plays and songs, and runs regular storytelling and drama workshops. She lives in Glasgow with her family.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Running on the Cracks, October 2, 2009

By 

Haley Mathiot "Haleyknitz" (North Carolina) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Running on the Cracks (Hardcover)

Running on the Cracks, by Julia Donaldson
Rating: 3-ish/5

My Summary: Leo is scared. She's not quite sure what to think of her kooky uncle anymore, and she doesn't want to take chances. What if he does something to her... Leo runs away. She goes in search of her grandparents, her only living relatives. She accidentally gets her photo in the newspaper, and had to hide. She meets a boy named Finlay, who seems to be the one who's going to put an end to her new freedom... at first anyway. But then Finlay becomes a friend to Leo, and he becomes her key to staying away from her uncle. Leo will do anything to keep from being found and being sent back there. She ends up staying with a crazy lady who is hospitable enough, but refuses to take her medication and whose friends aren't much better. Then she realizes that her Uncle is on her tail. How will she stay away?

What I thought: Running on the Cracks was an enjoyable read. When I first saw the cover, I imagined an action filled YA novel with a lot of suspense. Although there was suspense, it wasn't anything that got your blood racing. I thoroughly enjoyed this book when I sat down to read it, but I had to be in the right mood to do it.

The Writing: The format of writing was different than I'd read before, but it was very engaging. It switched viewpoints, had pieces of the story in written-story form (meaning a whole chapter was just a letter or a newspaper article or an e-mail), had whole sections where it was just dialogue (those were my favorite sections--mostly it was when characters were on the phone, and they were all very funny) and even had a few chapters from the "crazy" person's perspective (it's always interesting being inside the head of a madman...). Also, the writer has written the book in an accent, meaning that some of the words are spelled wrong so that you can hear it pronounced with an accent in your head--quite engaging and welcoming. The writing was good, but as it was foreign it was a little odd (i.e. "lead" instead of "leash" etc), but not in a bad way.

The Characters: The characters were pretty relatable. I felt scared for Leo when she was running from her Uncle, and sorry for Finlay when we was stressed about lying to his mom. The characters were really cool, well developed, and some of them were kooky. I really liked Leo and Finlay. They had such cool names! I loved the "President", but the "Godfather" was my favorite. He was just so... weirdly cool... (I don't know, maybe that's because I'm a little insane myself). Not too much, I rather enjoyed it actually. It's always fun to read something a little different.

The Plot: The plot was pretty believable, and I know that (sadly) there are true stories like this all the time. I don't know how the police are over in Scotland but I doubt very seriously that Leo would have gotten away with hiding from the American police for as long as she did from the Scottish police (but that's my opinion as a police and spy novel writer). Although there was suggestion of the Uncle trying to sexually abuse women in the book, it never actually happened, and it was very age appropriate.

My Recommendation: I would recommend it to a friend ages 11-15, maybe even a little younger, but not older than that. Again, I enjoyed it when I sat down to read it, but it wasn't quite my personal attention level (I'm 18). All in all, I enjoyed this book a lot.

Thank you to Henry Holt In Group for supplying my review copy of this book!

~Haleyknitz

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