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Plot
The Running Dream by Wendelin Van Draanen took place at Liberty High and Jessica’s house. Jessica is the main character. Jessica’s best friend is Fiona, some of the other characters are Rosa, Gavin, Kaylee, her mom and dad, and her dog Sherlock. This book shows her struggles with being an amputee and how she gets to run again. Jessica lost her leg in a car crash only a little bit after she broke the school's record in the 400 meter dash. I chose this book because I wanted something new. -
Below the Knee Amputee
After Jessica set a new record for the school’s 400 meter dash, the team bus collided with someone's car. One person dead, most with only a few bruises, but Jessica left the crash with one less limb. The only thing that made her heart whole was her love for running and now she will never be the same runner ever again. Jessica is now without half of her right leg. Her leg was amputated just below the knee which is an easier recovery for patients than above the knee. -
Coming Back Home
The day Jessica came home was the day she found out what her first struggle would be. Before she even got home Jessica had to figure out how to get in a car without help. Jessica was struggling for a good 5 minutes before her dad helped her. He said, "Don't worry we will figure it out." When they got home the living room became Jessica's bedroom because she could not go up the stairs yet. After a couple days being home she got sick of having to bathe in a sink so she decided to conquer steps. -
Getting Back into Routine
Jessica would always run with her dog, Sherlock, before the car accident and even though she can not run at the moment she finds another way to keep him happy. Jessica decided to play catch with him instead. All she wanted to do was run with him, but she couldn't anymore. At least not until she gets a running leg which right now was a pipe dream for her since her parents did not have her insured because of how much insurance costs. So now they were in a heaping pile of debt. -
Going Back to School
Jessica’s best friend Fiona has been pushing her to get back to school. It took a ton of convincing on Fiona's part but she finally managed to get Jessica on board. The only thing standing in her way was a month's worth of homework to do. She tried her best to get most of it done, but Jessica knew that it is not possible to get it all done in a short amount of time. So when she went back to school she asked her teachers what assignments they can let her slide on and ended up with only half left. -
Getting to Know Rosa
Rosa is the girl Jessica was seated by in math when she first went back to school. Rosa has cerebral palsy and is in a wheelchair. Jessica gets to know Rosa through passing notes in math and during lunch in room 402 when she needs help on math homework. Rosa always asks what it is like to run and why jessica loves it so much. After a little while of talking to Rosa, Jessica wants to help her, but she doesn't know quite how yet. The first step to helping Rosa is getting to run. -
Leg Fitting
When Jessica got out of the hospital she was given instructions for helping her leg become less sensitive. When the swelling went down she would be fitted for a new leg. When she was in the hospital the idea of a fake leg made her feel strange so Jessica started to call Hank, the leg guy, Hankenstein. He got a kick out of that. The fitting process takes weeks. The first thing they had to do was get a plaster mold of her leg and get measurements of her left leg so both legs match. -
The Fundraiser
Coach Kyro got the whole track team to do a fundraiser for a running leg for Jessica. When Jessica found out she thought it was a pipe dream because it's $20,000 for her new leg. The school could barely raise $2,000 last year for a new disc golf basket. Gavin Vance wrote an article in the paper to help raise money, but only raised was $40. The car wash was as a lot more successful in raising a couple grand. An anonymous person said he would double what they raised up to $10,000. -
Getting Her Running Leg
The running team raised enough money for Jessica's running leg and then some to help pay the bills. She got fitted for her leg and what design she wanted on it. Now she just had to wait a few weeks. When the leg was given to Jessica it was at a team party. The design she wanted was flames, but what she got was a lot better. The team and Gavin put inspiring little sayings they thought she might want to hear and she was happier than ever. This inspired her to run and be a true competitor. -
Trainning
When Jessica first walked out to the track with her new leg it was not a smooth stride, but she remembered that her new leg was made for running not walking. Her first time going around the track was not even close to her time before the accident but she knows that she will get there soon enough. Jessaca had running sessions every week with her track coach, Kyro. After a couple weeks passed Jessica's mother finally let her run outside on her old running route like she did a few months before. -
Getting Rosa Across the Finish Line
Jessica has been planning for weeks to do the River Run while pushing Rosa in her wheelchair. She has been pushing a wheelchair for a couple weeks now with added weight. While doing this ten mile run Jessica will be pushing up to about 115 pounds while running her race. Jessica got permission from Rosa's mom to take Rosa on this race with her. Jessica wanted this race to be about Rosa not her because she wanted Rosa to know what it feels like to run and cross the finish line. -
Reflection
I thought my book had some dull parts, but I kept reading to find out what was going to happen. I would only recommend this book to someone who likes running stories and seeing how a character can change completely because of something that happened in their life. If there was a movie made for this book I would love to see how it is portrayed through the director's eyes. If this book had a sequel I would most likely not read it because I did not enjoy it towards the end.
