Powell, Randy. Run If You Dare.POWELL Randy. Run if you dare. Farrar, Straus & Giroux Farrar, Straus & Giroux Publishing company in New York City noted for its literary excellence. It was founded in 1945 by John Farrar and Roger Straus as Farrar, Straus & Co. , Sunburst. 185p. 0-374-46375-1. $6.96. J To quote the review of the hardcover in KLIATT, March 2001: Fourteen-year-old Gardner has always felt close to his father, but now that his dad has lost his job he seems to have lost his sense of direction in life, and Gardner worries that they've become estranged es·trange tr.v. es·tranged, es·trang·ing, es·trang·es 1. To make hostile, unsympathetic, or indifferent; alienate. 2. To remove from an accustomed place or set of associations. . As his father's midlife crisis midlife crisis n. A period of psychological doubt and anxiety that some people experience in middle age. midlife crisis stretches out over a year of no work, Gardner, at least, starts to pull himself together. Like his father, he's always been better at coming up with ideas than following through on them, but now he starts an exercise routine chopping chop 1 v. chopped, chop·ping, chops v.tr. 1. a. To cut by striking with a heavy sharp tool, such as an ax: chop wood. b. wood (and makes money selling it as firewood), takes up running, and gets reacquainted with an attractive girl. His old friend Skeepbo provides distraction Distraction Divination (See OMEN.) Porlock a “person from Porlock” interrupted Coleridge while he was recollecting the dream on which he based “Kubla Khan”. [Br. Lit.: Poems of Coleridge in Magill IV, 756] and support, too. Although Gardner worries that his father may take off to try a new kind of life, he realizes that he can survive whatever may come: "I'm through sitting around waiting for life to happen. Like Dad said, I'll take what's left of my life and run with it." This coming-of-age story features realistic and often humorous dialogue, and an honest look at a boy's relationship with the father he once idolized i·dol·ize tr.v. i·dol·ized, i·dol·iz·ing, i·dol·iz·es 1. To regard with blind admiration or devotion. See Synonyms at revere1. 2. To worship as an idol. who he is now getting to know as a person. Gardner is a sympathetic main character who is struggling to understand the changes in his father and in his family. Powell, author of other thoughtful YA novels (Tribute to Another Dead Rock Star, The Whistling Toilets, Dean Duffy), presents life in all its puzzling complexity here. Paula Rohrlick, KLIATT J--Recommended for junior high school students. The contents are particular interest to young adolescents and their teachers. |
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