The Running Dream

By: Wendelin Van Draanen

Narrated by: Laura Flanagan

Length: 6 hrs and 59 mins

Publisher's summary

The acclaimed author of Flipped delivers a powerful and healing story that’s perfect for anyone who’s ever thought that something was impossible. Listeners will revel in the story of a girl who puts herself back together - and learns to dream bigger than ever before - after she’s told she’ll never run again.

Jessica thinks her life is over when she loses a leg in a car accident. She's not comforted by the news that she'll be able to walk with the help of a prosthetic leg. Who cares about walking when you live to run?

As she struggles to cope with crutches and a first cyborg-like prosthetic, Jessica feels oddly both in the spotlight and invisible. People who don't know what to say, act like she's not there. Which she could handle better if she weren't now keenly aware that she'd done the same thing herself to a girl with CP named Rosa. A girl who is going to tutor her through all the math she's missed. A girl who sees right into the heart of her.

With the support of family, friends, a coach, and her track teammates, Jessica may actually be able to run again. But that's not enough for her now. She doesn't just want to cross finish lines herself - she wants to take Rosa with her.

©2011 Wendelin Van Draanen (P)2010 Listening Library

Critic reviews

Winner of the Schneider Family Book Award

9 year old rates this 15 stars

I don't WANT to relisten to this immediately. I NEED to relisten to this immediately.

You'll love it if you like Out of My Mind.

excellent choice for my 14-years old daughter

This is the first audible book that I listened and bought having my 14-years daughter in mind. She has been learning English for 8 years and she could perfectly understand this audio book. Our whole family listened the book and we liked it a lot. The story is very interesting and very well told and the narrator is excellent - very clear voice, expressing all sorts of emotions and characters in a different way. I prefer stories about a real life that have some deeper values and meanings in it - this book is like that. Last but not least the story begins in a sad moment of a girls life but it has a happy ending.

Bad Narrators

What other book might you compare The Running Dream to and why?

Flipped; Runaway; Confessions of a Serial Kisser; all also by Wendelin Van Draanen in her characteristic charismatic, touching style. They all have Y.A. female leads and tell stories of self discovery.

How could the performance have been better?

it was a good book with a touching ending, but I was distracted by the narrator. She kept going up at the end of her sentences? Like everything was a question? And? I just don't think? that because the person telling the story? was a teenage girl? That she needed to keep doing that? It made me dizzy. Still, all in all an inspiring story :)

Inspirational story, but a valley-girl narrator

This is a book I will read again, but I will not listen to it again unless it gets read by a different narrator. Each of the teenage girls characters had the annoying and distracting valley girl accent. With many lines read by teenage girls, it took away from the story. This book is one story I am going to return to Audible. Unless you love valley girls, buy the book.

Amazing

I’ve never read books my whole life but this one and will bird are the most beautiful stories I’ve ever read.

OMG Best Book Ever

This book shows that perseverance, dedication, and determination can get you anywhere you need to go this book is so empowering and I recommend it for all ages

Inspiring story of Jessica!

We don't really know the struggles that we have not gone through. That is why books like 'The Running dream' has to be made. Wendelin Van Draanen crushed it! The narrator was very good at expressing Jessica(the main character)'s mentality. I just wish that Laura Flanagan could have acted out the different characters individually. Except for that, this book/listen was the book/listen of my life!

Middle school summer reading

It was hard at first because of her state of depression but mental health is real and,as a parent, I appreciated the rawness on how it showed the journey through it. My son was cheering the characters on and one point he said “ I can feel the wind on my face “. It’s definitely a story of setting goals, overcoming obstacles, expanding friendships, and finding self worth.

😍love it

I loved everything its the best book ever
the narrator is the best ever

This book was the Best!

If you are looking for a read that will inspire you to soar through life and see the world in new eyes, read this! From this day on I will look at the world differently and be more grateful for what I have!