Starred Review for Kirkus Reviews (Thu Apr 28 00:00:00 CDT 2022)

Nearing the end of his life, a beloved old runner passes the torch to an eager young one.Weaving past and present together in ways that infuse deep themes into common incidents, Almond sits 11-year-old Liam, already proudly wearing his official shirt for the upcoming Junior Great North Run, down with the failing Harry to share old photos and hear about a 1938 run to the sea. It begins as a lark but becomes a marathon, and by the time Harry and his friends stagger exhaustedly into the waves 13 weary miles later, they (and readers) have picked up some insights about the profound importance both of keeping on and of accepting help along the way. Much of that help comes from Veronica, a robust girl who leads them part of the way and by the end is holding Harry's hand. Her oblique reference to an internal disorder or weakness, coupled with her absence from Harry's later life, paints a whole tragic story of its own. Harry's valedictory "Me great achievement is that I've been happy, that I've never been nowt but happy," is a win in itself. Rubbino's loosely brushed watercolors expertly capture both the tale's period and its high spirits, rendering the present-day story in a gray wash and Harry's reminiscence in full color. All the characters appear to be white. A rich and resonant short story. (Illustrated fiction. 10 & up)

School Library Journal Starred Review (Wed Mar 01 00:00:00 CST 2017)

Gr 4-6In this charming generational tale, elderly, frail Harry Miller shares a piece of his past with 11-year old Liam and his kindly mother, who are helping Harry pack up his home and move into a nursing home. Liam has been training for the Junior Great Northern Run, a short version of the now-famous annual half-marathon from Newcastle upon Tyne to South Shields, England. Seeing Liam in his race entry T-shirt prompts Harry to recall a hot April day in 1938 when he, at age 11, and two friends spontaneously and exuberantly embarked on the same run just to cool off with a swim in the North Sea. Along the way, they met Veronica, a spunky lass who joined their adventure, and Mr. Gabrieli, the ice-cream maker, who gave them all huge treats and handmade certificates for their 13-mile accomplishment. Harry revisits his past between naps and cups of tea while Liam and his mother sort through a box of photographs that spark Harry's memory, reveal his younger self, and hint at a longer, deeper relationship with Veronica. When Liam and his friend run the race a week later, after Harry's death, Liam's youthful jubilation matches Harry's fond reminisce. Liam delivers an engaging narration infused with delightful Briticisms and understated, sensitive observations. Like Liam, middle grade readers will begin to see Harry not as a quirky, failing old man but as a once-spirited boy who loved life. Rubbino's lively watercolor illustrations enhance the tale's warmth and contrasts, depicting Harry's vivid recollections in bright colors and current happenings in a gray wash. VERDICT Once again, Almond's masterly evocation of place, time, relationships, and indomitable spirit is superb. An excellent addition to middle grade fiction collections.—Gerry Larson, formerly at Durham School of the Arts, NC

ALA Booklist (Wed Feb 01 00:00:00 CST 2017)

Liam is a runner, practicing for the Junior Great Northern Run. But he can't go running today because he has to help his mother close down the house of old Harry, who is going to a nursing home. The neighborhood has always been fond of Harry, and he's always encouraged Liam in his running, and now the boy finally discovers why. In an extended flashback, Harry tells the story of how, as a lad of Liam's age, he and a couple of mates ran 13 miles from Newcastle to the sea. In a heavy Northern accent, full of slang, Harry describes the arduous run, marked by heat, thirst, a sweet little gal, and ice cream. A tender and surprising ending gives the book extra weight. The language may be a hurdle for some readers, but it is tempered by Rubbino's watercolor, gouache, pencil, and ink illustrations that delight with every page and bring the story to life. This intergenerational story sweetly captures the importance of memory and shows how the yearning for fun and adventure never really changes.

Horn Book (Tue Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2017)

Elderly Harry recounts a remarkable boyhood run to child runner Liam before Liam's own race. The old Brit vividly describes the day's heat, the pain, the meeting of a girl who would become his sweetheart, and the rewards at race's end: the sea and a giant ice cream. Rubbino's charming illustrations are in grayscale for the present and full color for the well-remembered past.

Kirkus Reviews (Fri Oct 04 00:00:00 CDT 2024)

Nearing the end of his life, a beloved old runner passes the torch to an eager young one.Weaving past and present together in ways that infuse deep themes into common incidents, Almond sits 11-year-old Liam, already proudly wearing his official shirt for the upcoming Junior Great North Run, down with the failing Harry to share old photos and hear about a 1938 run to the sea. It begins as a lark but becomes a marathon, and by the time Harry and his friends stagger exhaustedly into the waves 13 weary miles later, they (and readers) have picked up some insights about the profound importance both of keeping on and of accepting help along the way. Much of that help comes from Veronica, a robust girl who leads them part of the way and by the end is holding Harry's hand. Her oblique reference to an internal disorder or weakness, coupled with her absence from Harry's later life, paints a whole tragic story of its own. Harry's valedictory "Me great achievement is that I've been happy, that I've never been nowt but happy," is a win in itself. Rubbino's loosely brushed watercolors expertly capture both the tale's period and its high spirits, rendering the present-day story in a gray wash and Harry's reminiscence in full color. All the characters appear to be white. A rich and resonant short story. (Illustrated fiction. 10 & up)

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

In a moving and exuberantly illustrated short story, 11-year-old Liam has entered the Junior Great North Run with his friend Jacksie, but his Saturday morning practice is preempted by his mother, who takes him to visit their elderly neighbor. Harry sits shakily in his chair, waiting to be moved to a nursing home: -It smells of old bloke in here,- thinks Liam. -Pee and sweat and ancient clothes and dust.- But a long talk reveals that when Harry was Liam-s age, he and three friends ran all the way to South Shields from Newcastle one hot summer-s day: -Thirteen miles,- he tells them with pride. Treasured photographs help Harry tell the story of his epic run, and of the girl he loved. Narrated in the working-class British dialect common to several of Almond-s books, the story may require parental translation in places, yet it-s near impossible to remain untouched by Harry-s tale. Rubbino-s airy full-color pictures, splashed across the pages, reveal that the frail, elderly Harry lived a life every bit as full of action, fun, and pleasure as Liam-s. Ages 7-9. (Feb.)