Wendelin Van Draanen
Runaway
Paperback
(Laurel Leaf Aug. 16, 2008)
When Holly's teacher, Mrs. Leone, gives her a blank journal, Holly is disgusted. Writing in a journal can't make her forget that she's a 12-year-old orphan and that her mother died of a heroin overdose, or that the foster parents she's living with abuse her, locking her in the laundry room for days and sticking her head in the toilet when she tries to defend herself. Mrs. Leone could never understand Holly and, in Holly's opinion, probably doesn't care to. No one knows what she faces each day because she tells no one. But when boredom threatens to drive her crazy one night in the laundry room, Holly starts to write. And despite her scorn at the mere idea of keeping a journal, she continues writing. When Holly can no longer take the abuse, she runs away. Unlike her previous attempts, this time she succeeds, making it out of town and heading west. She takes only the essentials...and her journal, filling long hours of fear and boredom by updating Mrs. Leone, despite the fact that her teacher will never see her or the journal again. Over the course of her journey she also learns to face her past through her writing and discovers a true knack for poetry, much to her surprise. What started as a way to fend off boredom by writing angry and sarcastic notes to Mrs. Leone slowly becomes a tool for self-discovery, an honest account of her life and, in a way, her only confidante and most prized possession. As Holly comes to terms with her life and overcomes obstacle after obstacle to improve it, she eventually learns to accept love and kindness instead of running from it.
- ISBN
- 0440421098 / 9780440421092
- Weight
- 4.8 oz.
- Dimensions
- 6.8 x 4.0 in.
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