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list price: $12.95
edition:Paperback
category: Young Adult Fiction
published: Mar 2012
ISBN:9781896580210
publisher: Tradewind Books

The Runaway

by Glen Huser

tagged: theater & musicals, adoption, 20th century
Description

It's 1923 and Leroy is on the run from a couple of abusive cousins. He stumbles into a traveling Chautauqua show, where it's easy to get lost in a crowd—but also easy to lose your heart. This funny and endearing novel by Governor General's Award-winning novelist Glen Huser will make an absorbing read for fourteen- and fifteen-year-olds, boys and girls alike.

About the Author

Glen Huser

From his earliest years, Glen Huser has loved to write and read and draw and paint. That’s when he wasn’t losing himself in the dark cocoon of a movie theatre or picking out old-time radio standards and Broadway musical hits on the piano. As a teacher and school librarian for a lengthy career in Edmonton, he worked his passions for art and literature into school projects such as Magpie, an in-house quarterly featuring writing and art from students. In his off hours, he wrote movie reviews for a local weekly, children’s book reviews for The Edmonton Journal, and got his small ink landscapes into galleries. As he worked on a degree in Education and then a Masters in English at the U of A, he had the good fortune to work under the tutelage of Rudy Wiebe, Margaret Atwood and W. O. Mitchell. For several years he was a sessional lecturer in children’s literature, information studies and creative writing at the U of A in Edmonton and UBC in Vancouver. His first novel Grace Lake was shortlisted for the 1992 W.H. Smith-Books in Canada First Novel Award. He has written several books for young adult readers including the Governor General’s Award-winner Stitches and the GG finalist Skinnybones and the Wrinkle Queen. Short stories have appeared in a number of literary magazines, most recently Plenitude and Waterloo University’s The New Quarterly. Glen’s current home is Vancouver where he continues to write as well as pursue interests in art and film studies.

Recommended Age, Grade, and Reading Levels
Age:
12 to 18
Grade:
8 to 12
Reading age:
12 to 18
Awards
  • Short-listed, Chocolate Lily Book Awards
  • Short-listed, Hackmatack Award
  • Short-listed, BC and Yukon Book Prizes - Sheila A. Egoff Children's Literature Prize
  • Joint winner, CCBC Best Books for Kids and Teens
  • Commended, Resource Links "The Year's Best"
Editorial Reviews

"This first-person account by a good-hearted hero is the perfect guide through a charming and little-known piece of Americana. The style is plainsong poetry, and the story both evocative and heartrending. Highly recommended."

— Historical Novel Society

"Huser's writing style is simple with a vocabulary that is interesting without being too challenging. This piece of historical fiction vividly captures 1920s America through the heartwarming story of a young man who has lost everything...I would definitely recommend this book to both middle school and high school aged teens."

— Southwest Ohio and Neighboring Libraries (SWON)

"Readers will find the story of the Chautauqua entertaining."

— School Library Journal

"Intrigue, romance and fun leaven this tale of a good-hearted runaway boy beginning to find his way in the world. This likable protagonist makes for a fine introduction to an era before movies and radio caused the Chautauqua to fade away."

— Kirkus Reviews

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