Running Man

by Michael Gerard Bauer

Reviewed by Rex T. of Year 10

The Running Man by Michael Bauer is the first novel that he has written. The Running Man is about a boy named Joseph Davidson, who is a quiet, self-conscious fourteen year old with a talent for art. His life starts to change when his neighbour Caroline asks to draw a portrait of his brother Tom. But there has been bad rumours and gossip about Tom, so Joseph goes in with suspicion.

When Joseph finally meets his mysterious neighbour he finds a cold, brooding man lost deep within his own “cocoon” of silence. He soon realises that in order to truly draw Tom Leyton out, he must find the courage to unlock the man’s dark and perhaps dangerous secrets.

The running man is a story on how we perceive others, the judgements we make about them, how we cope with tragedy, the nature of war, change, the healing power of love, and the nature of miracles.

I rate it 9/10