Road Whiz – Darcy Pattison

Genre: Middle Grade, Young Adult, Realistic Fiction

Source: I received a copy to facilitate my review. The opinion expressed here are my own.

Your freshman year in high school is always an adjustment. But what if your height suddenly shot up. Being one of the tallest kids can sometimes cause bullying in the form of teasing. Jamie is dealing with this as well as trying to help his mom. His dad is out of the country on business and will be most of the year so it is up to Jamie to help his mom not feel so sad. Jamie has not really been into sports. However, Jamie and his mom have started running and realize they really enjoy it. They enter a marathon and learn that this is something that they want to continue. Jamie’s training takes a turn when he convinces his mom to adopt Road Whiz a retired greyhound. In some ways Jamie and Road Whiz are just what each other need.   This is a positive way to deal with realistic issues Jamie faces.  I have known many people who have adopted retired greyhounds. My husband used to raise greyhounds. They are one of his favorite dogs. That was one reason I wanted to read this book. The main reason is that I have read almost every book Darcy Pattison has written. I love her writing. It is concise and realistic. Kids can relate to her books.  I highly recommend this book.