Ok, so most of you know my story being a struggling reader who's not a big fan of reading but there is something about how this author writes that won't let you put her books down.  I read The Running Dream in a weekend and if you haven't read that book, you are missing out.  The PCMS Hub has had the book Runaway for a year and I didn't even realize Van Draanen had another newer book.  I picked up the Runaway and had to carry it with me all weekend so I could keep reading it wherever we went.  

This book is a diary of a runaway girl and her search for a home celebrates hope, resilience, and happy endings.

Holly has run away before, but this time she actually gets away—and what at first felt like an escape soon becomes a daily struggle for survival. She is smart and resourceful, and she manages to make it across the country on her own. But how long can this go on? It’s getting harder to avoid the truth—Holly is now homeless.

Runaway is a remarkably uplifting portrait of a girl still young and stubborn and naive enough to believe there’s a better place for her in the world.