The Long Run

TheLong Run by Joseph Bruchac, 114 pages

Travis is a great runner.  At 17, he and his father have been on the road for 4 years, ever since Travis's mother died.  But Travis's dad is a drunk and hasn't been able to hold down a job.  For the past few months they've been living in a homeless shelter.  Travis misses his grandparents and when some other boys in the shelter try to plant drugs on Travis to get him in trouble, he decides it's time to leave.  Unfortunately he and his father are in Seattle and his grandparents, the only place Travis can go, live in Maine.  Undeterred, Travis sets out on a journey that may change his life.  This is a great read for a reluctant or low level teen reader, especially boys who like realistic fiction.