Run If You Dare

Rating:
Summary: Not as compelling as Powell's previous books
Review: I found it difficult to believe that high school students would be interested in this story, which seems to focus more on Gardner Dickinson's father's mid-life crisis than on the teenager and his struggle to deal with the problems this causes for his family. Although there are some elements that usually draw teen readers in--such as the hint of romance, and Gardner's increasing interest in running--the story didn't suck me in or keep me interested. It was sort of a depressing look at parental unemployment and mid-life ennui, without any analysis of the effect that has on individual teens. I won't reveal the ending, but I will comment that it seemed unlikely that a high school student would make the choice Gardner did.

Rating:
Summary: Kinda....Gay!
Review: Wow, this was an awful book! When I finished this book I was extremely disappointed.
This book was crazy random. Like...Gardner states he's extremely lazy and never commits to anything in the beginning of this story, but all of a sudden he has this urge to run and work out? Ok, that would be fine if it leaded to anything but it doesn't. He does eventually try out for track because of his running but he doesn't even LIKE it. He's just training and working out for absolutely nothing even at the end of the book. His fathers reasons for mid-life crisis are stupid and extremely unrealistic. "..When I was a boy I always wanted to run away. God, I didn't want to tell you, but and I have to do that, Gardner! I could go south to mexico or something." And leave and abandon his family? Please. Give me a break.
Powell also drops little sex information here and there that have no point or purpose, and the little romance that is supposed to draw us in a bit, turns out to not go anywhere. Ever.
Skeepo doesn't even act like a real friend should, and for the life of me, I haven't figured out what in the worlds Gardner's sister's malfunction is. She seems anti-family all the way through, but the Powell never takes a moment to explain why.
I admit, that this book's wit does make you smirk every so often, but those times are few and far between. This books a train wreck. Please don't read it. You could use all that wasted time sleeping or something.

Rating:
Summary: Kinda....Gay!
Review: Wow, this was an awful book! When I finished this book I was extremely disappointed.
This book was crazy random. Like...Gardner states he's extremely lazy and never commits to anything in the beginning of this story, but all of a sudden he has this urge to run and work out? Ok, that would be fine if it leaded to anything but it doesn't. He does eventually try out for track because of his running but he doesn't even LIKE it. He's just training and working out for absolutely nothing even at the end of the book. His fathers reasons for mid-life crisis are stupid and extremely unrealistic. "..When I was a boy I always wanted to run away. God, I didn't want to tell you, but and I have to do that, Gardner! I could go south to mexico or something." And leave and abandon his family? Please. Give me a break.
Powell also drops little sex information here and there that have no point or purpose, and the little romance that is supposed to draw us in a bit, turns out to not go anywhere. Ever.
Skeepo doesn't even act like a real friend should, and for the life of me, I haven't figured out what in the worlds Gardner's sister's malfunction is. She seems anti-family all the way through, but the Powell never takes a moment to explain why.
I admit, that this book's wit does make you smirk every so often, but those times are few and far between. This books a train wreck. Please don't read it. You could use all that wasted time sleeping or something.