Wendelin Van Draanen’s book, The Running Dream, is about a teenage girl, Jessica, whos life changed after a bus crash with her whole track team on it. This tragic accident left one dead, and Jessica with an amputated leg. This was an experience that no one could forget. After Jessica loses her leg, she thinks that her life is over, and her dream to win a sponsorship to college can’t happen. With a prosthetic leg, Jessica thinks that she is in the spotlight, but also “invisible”. She feels that one little thing can change how people look at others. When Jessica learns that, she realizes that she has made others “invisible” because she didn’t know what to say to them. She did that to a girl named Rosa who has cerebral palsy. Their friendship sparks a light in Jessica's life and makes her want to give something back to Rosa. With the help of her family and friends, Jessica's dream may come true.
On April 15, 2013, the Boston Marathon Bombing occured. This was an event where two men made homemade bombs and set them off near the finish line during the Boston Marathon. This bomb killed 3 people …show more content…
The writer is trying to tell the readers to not let one accident or thing define them. After the accident Jessica is no longer a “typical teenage girl”, she has to learn how to live her life again, but with a prosthetic leg this time. Jessica didn’t lose her life, but she feels it would have been simpler that way. She has to relearn many obstacles, like how to walk on a different leg. When Jessica is figuring out life with her new leg, she learns to look beyond the disability and discover the real person inside people. That is when she becomes friends with Rosa, who has cerebral palsy. Jessica and Rosa help each other out and in the end they both “win their race”. Wendelin is trying to teach its reader that they should never give up hope, and never take life for