Being shortlisted for an award is about the best kind of honor a book can receive, besides winning, of course. Run, my historical fiction novel from Raupo/Pearson Education New Zealand was a finalist for the 2008 Saskatchewan Book Awards for Young Adult Literature.

While it didn’t take first place, here’s what the judges had to say: “A fascinating and at times deeply moving story of a young girl’s struggle against a debilitating disease in the early years of the twentieth century. Set in the summer of 1911, Run tells the deeply moving story of Victoria’s affliction with infantile paralysis, with highly accurate depictions of her symptoms and an uncanny insight into her inner thoughts, hopes and fears in the face of unspeakable family tragedy. A remarkable relationship develops between Victoria and her step brother, Jacob, fueled by his desire to help her recover and her determination to teach him to read despite her illness, all with the help of the wonderful Wizard of Oz.”

Currently I’m distributing the novel in North America, so email me at aksomitis@sasktel.net for more information if you’d like to get a copy!