The Running Dream by Wendelin Van Draanen is a story about perseverance and never giving up. Rated 4.7 stars on Amazon and 4.3 on Goodreads, and a personal rating of 10/10, it’s definitely a book that I would recommend. 

This book made my top 10 favorite books list, mainly because of the juicy plot but also because of the humor and sarcasm throughout the book. What I liked about it most was the shorter chapters, which left cliffhangers at the end of each one and made me eager to read the next one and find out what happens. 

It also teaches a valuable lesson that all of us can relate to. When I first got this book and started reading it, I was done with at least  a quarter of it by that night. 

The Running Dream is a story about Jessica Carlisle, a 16 year old girl who is very passionate about running. Her life turned upside down after a tragic car crash, and her dreams and goals were suddenly over. Her right leg was crushed and eventually amputated. This book takes readers through the ups and downs of her life after that incident, her struggle between depression and optimism, until she sees something that gives her hope- that there’s light at the end of the tunnel. With help from her coach, friends, and family, she eventually reaches that light and gets ‘back on track’. In the end, Jessica learns a valuable lesson that we all can learn from: finishing lines are always starting lines, as one adventure ends, another waits to begin. 

The Running Dream is a heartwarming story about friendship, perseverance, and never giving up. Also rated by Olympic track and field runners themselves, they praise this book for how real and inspiring it was to them. This book is heart-touching to everyone who reads it and inspires them to dream big and go for their dreams. I definitely recommend this book to you all, and I’m sure that you will all love it as much as I did.