Gotta run: Life at These Speeds (Jeremy Jackson)

Missouri high schooler Kevin Schuler is fast. In cross-country and his track events, the 1600 and 800, he is untouchable. People hail him; he is showered with praise and rewards. However, Kevin wants none of that--he loves to run, but not compete and wishes to be left in peace. This story, however, also follows Kevin as he tries to work through his personal issues that originate from the accident that killed all his teammates from his first track team.


This book has a lot going for it. Jackson does a really good job of setting up Kevin's situation and also characterizes him well. The writing is extremely engaging, and I found myself reading huge chunks of the book at once, even though oftentimes I had other things I should have been doing (like homework or sleeping). The book reminded me a bit of some of Chris Crutcher's work in that Jackson uses sports to address more personal issues. My one complaint with the book was that I wanted to see more of Kevin's character development. His issues and Jackson's presentation of them are compelling, but, because I did not always like Kevin as a narrator, I wanted to read about more changes in him. That being said, the book is compelling enough and is a good read.

The Emerald Atlas (John Stephens)

Siblings Kate, Emma, and Michael P. have been shepherded from orphanage to orphanage ever since their parents mysteriously disappeared ten years ago. Finally, they are sent to Cambridge Falls to live under the care of a Doctor Pym. During their exploration of their new home, they discover a mysterious atlas that transports them back in time. There, they are forced to face down the Countess, a powerful witch, and her undead army. As Kate comes to realize this power of the atlas, she and her siblings try to save their new home and themselves from the Countess. In doing so, they discover that they are involved in a special prophecy...

I won't go too much more into the plot--it would be no fun if I summarized the whole thing, now would it? You'll just have to read it, and I think you'll at least want to check it out.

The Emerald Atlas is quite fun and, despite being over four hundred pages, is a quick read. I read the whole thing in a day with little trouble. Granted, I was trapped in a car, but it is definitely engaging enough to be enjoyable. Stephens has mixed fantasy and familial elements to create an engaging story and has effectively set up the next couple of books. The book definitely caters to younger audiences--the characters are fairly simplistic, the humor's fairly juvenile, and it's not too scary--but the tangled, fast-paced plot makes it enjoyable even for an older reader. As the simplistic characters were my main complaints, I am hoping that the characters will develop more over the next couple of books. Despite that reservation, I would recommend reading this book and then keeping an eye out for the sequels.