Harry Miller's Run

A lovely book about how friendship and the memories thereof is something connecting us to others even over generations. It is humorous, heartfelt, with great illustrations capturing the spirit of the writing. Highly recommended.

Developed from the short story that appeared in Half a Creature from the Sea, this children’s fiction version is illustrated in full color. Liam wants to be out with his friends practicing for the upcoming Junior Great North Run, but his mother wants him to come to help Harry clear out his home. As they visit with Harry, he shares the story of his own run as a boy when he and some friends ran from their town all the way to the sea. It’s a story of friendship, shared experience, a hot sunny day, and the wonder of ice cream at the end.I enjoyed this short story immensely in the original short story collection and was very pleased to discover it again in this illustrated format. The story is immensely fun, beginning with the mistake of how far the boys were actually going to run and then their determination to finish anyway. Framed by the story of Harry as an old man telling the tale and Liam listening, the story within a story shines with the brightness of a summer day against the more somber tones of aging.Rubbino’s illustrations make this version of the story accessible for younger audiences who will appreciate the text being broken up by bright-colored images. The illustrations reflect the story with the modern illustrations done in blacks and grays with a pop of blue provided by Harry’s cap. The illustrations for Harry’s memories suddenly turn into full color with Harry still in the same blue cap.A lovely new version that makes this story available to more people, this is a winner. Appropriate for ages 7-9.

For all you teachers out there this is a perfect introduction to historical fiction for 7-9 year olds. The story is delightful and accompanied by the most enchanting pictures. The story weaves seemlessly between past and present day reliving past times relevant to today.

Beautiful story. Close to home for us and I loved it as a teacher and as a dad.

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