ON THE RUN

A social media–obsessed teen trades her smartphone for a pair of running shoes in Folan’s YA novel, an installment of the long-running Bluford High series.

High school freshman Naveah is a young Black girl whose social life is tied up online. She has no “in real life” friends to speak of, as she opts to focus on her favorite social media influencer, Klassy Kay. One day, in gym class, Naveah is teamed up with the school’s track star, Jonique—and, to everyone’s surprise, nearly beats her. Video of the race is quickly uploaded to social media and goes viral, sparking a feud between Naveah and Jonique. Jonique demands a rematch, and Naveah, annoyed by the other girl’s constant bloviating and spurred on by her own erstwhile track-superstar mother, accepts. Over 10 days, Naveah trains to be the best runner she can be, despite Jonique’s campaign of cyberbullying. Meanwhile, her mother’s pancreatic cancer diagnosis changes the family dynamic, and Naveah’s training becomes more vital to her and her mother’s relationship as she prepares for the race. Her mother’s treatment schedule requires Naveah to miss the race, and she faces more abuse from her peers. As a result, Naveah decides to disconnect from social media (“At the end of the day, no one will look back on their life and wish they posted more or spent more time on their phones”) and, with her mother’s encouragement, she refocuses on preparing for the Bluford Cross Country Team tryouts. Folan expertly weaves high drama and profound themes to create a story that is at once entertaining and inspiring. Teen readers of all levels will enjoy the depiction of real-world problems (bullying, family strife, health scares) while relating to Naveah’s struggles with technology addiction and feelings of social isolation. Folan’s knack for depicting Black youth without falling into stereotypes helps this book to avoid the pitfalls of overmoralizing that are typical of many titles in the genre.

A dramatic and moving story about the virtues of abandoning social media and getting on track with your values.