The Runaway's Diary

April 1, 2022

Gr 5-8-Eleanor, a gloriously auburn-maned high school outcast, boards a bus to Seattle to find her runaway older sister, and in the process becomes a runaway herself. When she touches down in the big city, she stumbles into the world of young unhoused people, finds her touch as a storytelling busker, and ultimately starts to unravel the mystery of her sister's disappearance. It sounds like a potentially dark story, but it has a persistently peppy tone, replete with trips to Seattle tourist landmarks such as the Space Needle, the Central Library, and Pike Place Market. Serendipity finds Eleanor supported by a grumpy woman from her bus who houses her briefly, then by a cute blond busker boy who keeps her company. She never goes hungry, she's never assaulted, and she brushes shoulders with drug users for a mere moment. The detective work of following her sister's trail and flashing back to their complicated relationship at home makes for a very readable story, and Wicker's colorful, straightforward illustrations make the streets of Seattle a rather appealing place to be unhoused. The narrative's gentle tone makes for an enjoyable, if sitcomlike read, but the saccharine simplification of runaway life may feel off-putting for more critical readers. All the major characters in this story appear to be white. VERDICT A energetic read with a tenuous presentation of unhoused life.-Emilia Packard

Copyright 2022 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 1, 2022
A teenager runs away to Seattle, hoping to locate her missing sister. Fifteen-year-old Eleanor idolizes her older sister, Sam, despite their being complete opposites: Sam is outgoing and wild, while socially awkward Eleanor is known as Little Miss Perfect, always doing the right and safe thing. After Sam runs away from home, the only communication she has with Eleanor are three postcards sent from Seattle. Eleanor decides to trace her 18-year-old sister's footsteps, leaving her messages and hopping on a bus to find her. But when Sam doesn't meet her at the bus depot, Eleanor, who has no real plan, has to learn how to survive on her own while searching the city for her sister. While the close bond between the girls is well depicted through flashbacks, the reveal of an important secret ultimately feels anticlimactic. A major plot point relies too heavily on chance and coincidence to be fully believable. While the color scheme, cityscapes, and background illustrations are atmospheric, the manga-inspired drawing style comes across as dated and flat. The depiction of the fabricated stories Eleanor tells is intriguing, as are the themes of friendship, living in the moment, and maintaining hope; unfortunately, none are thematically strong enough to resonate. The emotional impact of Eleanor's experiences is diluted by her at times humorous narration. Eleanor and the main cast read as White. A somewhat entertaining, fast-paced journey that fizzles at the end. (Graphic novel. 12-15)

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