Running on the Cracks

by Julia Donaldson, Andy Arnold (Adapted by)

Overview

"Run. Keep running. You're doing the right thing. Lay low. Head down. Don't look back. Just keep running. And whatever you do, don't tread on the cracks..."

Leo's world has been turned upside down. Her parents are gone and her bird-loving uncle is getting too close for comfort. She is only sure of one thing...she must get out.

In a desperate bid to find the grandparents she never knew, Leo jumps on a train to Glasgow, penniless and stealing food to survive. A nationwide hunt for her begins. Will she track down her grandparents, or will her uncle get to her first?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781783198689
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	10/10/2017
Series:	Oberon Modern Plays
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	96
Product dimensions:	4.90(w) x 8.10(h) x 0.30(d)
Age Range:	11 - 15 Years

About the Author

Julia Donaldson has written some of the world's best-loved children's books, and was the 2011-2013 Children's Laureate. Her books include the modern classic The Gruffalo, the Princess Mirror-Belle series and Running on the Cracks, winner of the Nasen Inclusive Children's Book Award 2009. Julia also writes poems, songs and plays – and her brilliant live shows are always in demand. Julia and her husband Malcolm divide their time between West Sussex and Edinburgh.

Andy Arnold was appointed to the post of Artistic Director of the Tron Theatre in 2008 following a long stint at the Arches Theatre in Glasgow – a theatre company and arts centre he personally established in 1991.

Editorial Reviews

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

From the Publisher

Leonora (aka Leo), a recently orphaned half-white/half-Chinese teen, has run away from her unhappy aunt and uncle's house in England to search for her estranged Chinese grandparents in Glasgow. Finlay, a wannabe Goth and part-time paperboy, is trying to grow his meager savings by working a snack van on the weekends, when starving Leo steals a bag of donuts. The ensuing chase leads to an unlikely friendship, as the two set out on a quest to find Leo's family. On the way they become involved with an assortment of down-and-out street people, including a sweet, batty old lady named Mary, who lets Leo crash in her hovel of a flat. Meanwhile, Leo's unsavory uncle has traced her to Glasgow and the race is on as to whether he will find her before she finds safety. 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. (Fiction. 12 & up)

Kirkus Reviews