Runner (Book Review)

From Wiki 5A

Summary

Chance Taylor lives on a run-down sailboat with his father. He used to run cross-country until his mother left. When he was running one day the fat man (as Chance calls him) asked him if he wanted a job that paid $200 a week just to run and pick up packages. Chance had been worked a place called Ray’s and getting paid seven dollars an hour over the weekend. So he accepted the job because his father, who is an alcoholic, had lost his job and couldn’t make his boat payments. His friend Melissa asked him to help with the school newspaper. At first he didn’t go to the meetings but he went once. He got the job of reporting something around the bay, like terrorist or seals. Meanwhile he was running for the fat guy. Everyday he would stretch by a tree and look for a package. If the package was black he would put it in his backpack and take to the marina showers (where the fat guy worked). If the package was red he would take it to the boat. He had always suspected that he was running for a smuggling ring but he wasn’t for sure. He wanted to get rid of the red packages so he asked the fat man about it. The fat man said it was gems stuck in putty and that someone would pick them up on May 31. When that day came the boat was ransacked but Chance had hid the “gems” to well. When the police came to the marina (for no special reason), Chance thought that they were on to him. He told his dad everything, who had served in the Marinas. His dad knew immediately that it was plastic explosives. He told Chance to go to Melissa’s dad, who was in the army and is a lawyer. He told Melissa’s dad everything. While he was at their house (which was along the shore he noticed that the boat Tiny Dancer was gone. He told Melissa’s dad that and he sent Chance on a helicopter to find the boat. While in the helicopter he spotted the boat which was about to collide with another ship. He saw his dad steering the boat and to guys pointing guns at him (terrorists). Instead of giving up the boat and the explosives. He set the explosives off and killed himself and the terrorists. Chance’s Dad was a hero.

Review

I liked this book because it had a lot of action and was suspenseful. I would recommend this book who like mystery and suspense. My favorite part was when Chance’s father risked his life so that other people wouldn’t die. That part show real patriotism. Dayton06 14:12, 2 September 2008 (PDT)