This was a decent story about a young man having to come to grips with learning about people with different backgrounds and also facing some stereotypes that scare him. The premise is running as he and his friend from another country are runners. The story and characters are developed well and the reader will both be entertained and enlightened. Intended for readers in middle school, this tale is one that would be well received by this age group.

An excellently written story that is perfect for middle-grade readers. A well-paced story with hidden lessons. This book can teach priorities, acceptance, and how important it is to stand up to bullies. Even readers who aren't sports fans can enjoy reading this!

This is a book about t family, running, friendship, acceptance and racism.

Chris Khalili is a cross-country runner and is all about winning. He has an interesting technique for hitting top speeds. Chris imagines scary figures chasing him through the woods around his home in Victoria, B.C. Chris is bummed one day when his race is cancelled by some forest fires in the north that he hasn't even heard about. These fires have caused mass destruction. Displaced residents of a Native American nation are temporarily moving to Chris's school. Chris doesn't see why he has to participate in the charity fun run to help refugees from the fire, when he should be concentrating on winning the city finals.

Then Chris becomes friends with Jason, a First Nations kid whose home has been partially destroyed by the fire. Jason is a hockey player and since he's not on a team here, he decides to train with the cross country team further sealing the friendship.

Chris is surprised by his dad's sudden interest in helping Jason and his family. His mother is reluctant. Oh, and dear reader, might like to know that Chris' dad is native to Iran. He knows first hand, racism. For the first time, Chris wonders about his father's emigration from Iran as a young man, and starts to think about what it means to be a refugee and to have to actually run for your life.

An enjoyable read about running, friendship and descrimination. The book is aimed at the young teenage market and broached the subject of racism and discrimination in a well written manner. It is a quick read at just over 80 pages and would be an enjoyable read for teens into sports.