Running on Empty

AJ’s parents are different than most parents; both his mom and dad have learning disabilities that make it difficult for them to do the regular things that parents do. It never really bothered AJ because his grandfather, who is also his best friend, always took care of everything for them. Unfortunately AJ’s grandfather has died, and now AJ has to learn how to live without the person who he was closest to his whole life. Also, being a teenager is hard, and it has made him very cranky. The one thing that has always kept AJ going, and the thing he shared with his grandfather, is his love for running. He is determined to make the Year 7 running team at school.

Throughout the story you feel really bad for AJ because he is sad about his grandfather dying, and he is having a hard time adjusting to all of his new responsibilities that he has because his parents aren’t able to. But you also get mad at AJ sometimes for the way he treats other people in his family; he takes his anger out on them. It was good to see how AJ changed throughout the story and started acting better.