Run If You Dare

Book excerpt: A teenager's-eye view of parental desperation What do you do when your dad has a midlife crisis? This is the dilemma of fourteen-year-old Gardner, whose father's been laid off and is now expressing boredom with his life, and even talking to Gardner about leaving the family. Gardner has all along thought he'd like to grow up to emulate his father, whom he has idolized since childhood. But, with this disappointment and possible betrayal haunting his family, Gardner isn't so sure anymore. Eventually, through old and new friendships and a dedicated endeavor to become physically strong, Gardner finds the emotional strength and identity to survive whatever upset may be in store for him and his family's future. In scenes both comical and heartbreaking, Randy Powell demonstrates once more that he is one of the foremost contemporary writers for young adults.