Vo, Nancy. The Runaway. Toronto: Groundwood Books/House of Anansi Press, 2024.
During the 1800s, many people contracted cholera, a disease caused by bacteria in contaminated food or water. It was a major cause of death when people were spreading west across America, and there was no cure. In this quiet story, a boy runs away after his mother dies of the sickness. He is taken in by a family and helps them by working the land on their settlement until his older sister arrives to take him home.
That’s the plot line: short. And the words are few. But the book is brilliant. Right from the beginning, even before the title page appears, the story starts in the pictures. So much is told in those softly coloured illustrations. This is not a book to rush through quickly. Take a deep breath, relax, and start noticing all the clues that show what is happening in both the outer and inner world of the main character. Highly recommended for readers seven years old and up, especially for teachers looking for a read-aloud to show students how to make inferences.
P.S. Make sure to notice that the boy’s name – Jack – isn’t mentioned until the very last page. Now why could that be?Â
