Running Full Tilt

**Thanks to NetGalley for providing me a complimentary e-copy of RUNNING FULL TILT in exchange for my honest review**

A new school. A fresh start. Leo's family has to move due to his autistic brother Caleb's violent behavior, including attacking Leo on a nightly basis. Leo begins running as a way of escaping the constant abuse. He joins the cross country team, but the more success he experiences, the more violent he becomes.

RUNNING FULL TILT made me mad and sad. Angry that Leo's parents didn't protect him (would locks on the door have been too much?), sad because I understood they needed respire from Caleb's constant needs. Like a child abused by his parents, Leo is ashamed and hides Caleb's abuse from his friends. I kept hoping their parents would find alternative housing for Caleb, because he wasn't safe at home.

RUNNING FULL TILT held my interest. The running scenes were well written, though I tired of reading them after a while and found myself skimming those scenes toward the end of the book.


I enjoyed reading Michael Currinder's debut story, which will appeal equally to boys and girls.

Thank you Net Galley for the free ARC.

I loved this book. The story line is basically the relationship of a brother to his abusive autistic brother and how he deals with it. The parents seem to have left most of the dealings to the son, who shares a room with his brother and never knows when his brother feels like beating him to pieces. To defend himself, he starts running away at first and running competitively later. Running also seems to help his brother's mood swings.

Very complicated relationship, which makes you think about how to deal fairly with a situation like this.

Highly recommend.

A great male POV-story (always looking for those) with a different but compassionate twist on the topic of autism. I especially liked the straightforward narration, without any unnecessary frills, and the realistic progression of the love interest.

Haven't read a good one like this in a while! Excited to get my students to read this one.

The book is about Leo Coughlin, a normal teenager whose life revolves around his elder brother Caleb who is a special child. The entire family is forced to keep moving from one place to another due to Caleb's antics (however understanding the neighbours are). They finally move to Geyer Road where Leo meets Curtis, a long-distance runner at school.

Leo's relationship with Caleb becomes rocky when Caleb starts hitting Leo without warning. Due to this, he develops a habit of running so as to escape the daily dose of being Caleb's punching bag. With the help of Curtis, Leo starts training to be a long-distance runner and starts winning competitions.

I loved the partnership between Leo and Curtis - the way they plan the course of a race together and come up with strategies to win. Leo also gets into a relationship with Mary, another normal teenage girl. Note my usage of the word "normal" everywhere? This is because, the characters were pretty ordinary, drama-free and didn't have all these weird obsessions/thoughts YA protagonists have. That's what I loved about the book. Two parents with flaws trying to put up with each other and their differently-abled son, the way they try not to hate Caleb for his ways, the way they try to function together as one family. The story felt so real and refreshing after reading a tonne of drama-filled, messed-up, abused protagonist stories.

As the book proceeds, Leo grows as a runner and learns to love his brother with the help of Curtis and Mary. Mary helps Leo come to terms with the abuse he faces and is a very supportive girlfriend. I do not wish to drop a spoiler, but the part at the end was really unexpected and frankly, did not appeal to me. Other than that, I absolutely enjoyed the book and recommend it to everyone who wants a breather from all those cliché YA novels.
*e-ARC provided by Netgalley and Charlesbridge Teen in exchange for an honest review*

I enjoyed this book. I would recommend it to my middle grade students. The relationship between the brothers was something all kids could relate to.

Running Full Tilt is an excellent examination of the complex relationship between siblings, with this particular one made more complicated by health problems. As a runner, I also enjoyed the main character's growing obsession with running and the discussion of training plans and race strategy.

I have some mixed feelings about this book. I get that parenting a kid with special needs is extremely difficult, but Leo's parents put entirely too much on his shoulders. The amount of responsibility he had was too much, and the fact his parents did basically nothing to intervene between Leo and Caleb was ridiculous. I also felt that the big shocker came too late in the book. I would have liked to see more of Leo dealing with what came next. Overall a good read, but just not quite there for me.

The book is so special. Exciting sports writing but equally compelling family dynamics. Clearly keeps a realistic line of tension throughout - and so well done.

I am always on the look out for books that the runners in my classes would connect with. Running Full Tilt not only had descriptive details about running, but the relationship between the brothers got me. This is not an easy topic to discuss or read about, but it was worth the time.

This book was amazing and something I wasn't sure I really liked. The writing style was different for me, I guess since the POV is that of a 16-17 yo boy I wasn't too much into it but I soon learned to like it. I don't usually read realistic fiction nor do I read books about sports, but this one was amazing. I loved the characters and how the real life situations were dealt with. Leo was relatable and you totally feel for him and just root for him. The family is relatable, they are not the happy-go-lucky family and that makes the story so much more real for readers. Middle grade students can find this story relatable and interesting. I am excited to purchase this book for my library!

I am not a runner and never have been, but I still loved this book. I loved Leo's journey to becoming a runner and his relationship with Caleb. The characters are well formed and drew me into the story. Very enjoyable.

As a teacher the feels I have for the main character hurts! I have had students who I can see as the main character and as the big brother. It explains so much and it hurts that kids feel the need to stay quiet. You truly never know what someone is going through. The author does a great job writing from a teenagers point of view and I can imagine so much of the scenery. This will be a book that I use as a learning tool to explain to students about differences and being able to speak up.

A truly great read and I am glad to,have read it!

I truly enjoyed reading Running Full Tilt. Michael Currinder created a story that had the perfect blend of sports and the story of a boy dealing with the difficulties of having a brother who has severe special needs. Currinder beautifully captures the complications and difficulties of having such a relationship. He also does a wonderful job in describing the cross country that becomes Leo's outlet. Running Full Tilt is a compelling and moving story told in an authentic voice that tells about the experience of having a family member on a different level of the autism spectrum.

Thanks to the publisher for providing me with an advanced reader's copy.

Funny and inspiring, RUNNING FULL TILT by Michael Currinder happily lingers in my mind long after I finished the book. Leo stumbles into running, mostly because his brother Caleb, who is autistic and is very unpredictable, violently attacks Leo and Leo's defense is to run. Quickly, Leo finds out what a runner's high is and learns he is quite adept at running. Joining his high school running team lets him thrive and excel at running, while also creating a training structure Leo can depend upon and look forward to, which compared to his unpredictable home life, provides Leo a welcome relief of structure and defined purpose.
Currinder's writing style sophisticated yet relatable; he crafts an excellent story with up and downs, successes and failures, but maintains a high schooler's coming of age voice of hope, trepidation, and wonder. Being a runner myself, I found the way that Currinder wrote about running comes from a strong connection to running and in a way a non-runner couldn't have written. The way Currinder handles the brother's (Caleb)situation is through humor, harsh reality, and compassion; and by doing so, we see the underlying love and dedication Leo has for his brother, no matter what his brother throws at him.
Any runner, or someone who is familiar with a person with an autistic or other mentally disabling problem I'm convinced will feel a strong connection to RUNNING FULL TILT. Those who don't will still find Currinder's book exciting and uplifting tale with a rewarding ending.

I am always looking for new sports books for my students. This one is great.

Running Full Tilt was one of the more interesting cross country running books I have read in quite some time. With the right mix of drama, running description, and banter, this is a YA book that I think will appeal to many readers middle school through high school.

As a cross country and track coach, I really appreciated how well the author was able to describe Leo’s races, training, and general conversations around strategy. I think these qualities are sure appeal to runners. I also think Leo’s family conflicts, dating drama, and team hijinks add another great dimension to the story that will be enough to pull in non-runners as well.

Leo’s brother Caleb is autistic and he is also dealing with other health issues throughout the book. In the night, Caleb sometimes attacks Leo causing him to have to flee the house running, which eventually inspires him to try out for the cross country team at his new school. Caleb is often misunderstood, but the author shows us his heart and good nature throughout the story. I also appreciated how messy Leo’s home life was throughout.

Having had several students who run cross country and track read Currinder's book throughout this past year, I am glad to see it ringing true for them as well. Definitely a great book for a wide range of readers!

A relatable and at times funny story about Leo as he deals with tension in his family, especially between him and his older brother, Caleb, who is autistic. Leo begins running cross country as a way to deal with his emotions. Turns out, he's actually a good distance runner, and he finds a place for himself on the team.

I think this could be a good book for students interested in high school sports, especially cross country and track. It also brings up issues of strained family relationships and living with kids who are on the autism spectrum.

A connected book about running but with a female protagonist is The Running Dream by Wendelin Van Draanen.