Reviewed by Holly for TeensReadToo.com

After Charlie Feehan's beloved father passes away, it seems the whole Feehan family hits rock bottom -- until Squizzy Taylor offers Charlie an amazing job with a matching miraculous paycheck.

The illegal liquor runs turn Charlie into someone he truly isn't, though. And when his good mate, Nostrils, gets a beating, Charlie has to decide whether to choose a dangerous path in life or a wiser one.

With top-notch training, Charlie is either ready for his big mile-long race -- or not.

RUNNER is a very well-detailed and exciting book. Robert Newton is a talented writer. A great read! ( )

This is a story for people who like molester tales or historical fiction. The book is Charlie’s personal story, but is historically accurate. You get a real feel for his story and the Melbourne, Australia of 1919. AHS/LB

It is winter, 1919, and Charlie Feehan’s father has died and left Charlie, his mother and baby brother with very little to live on in working-class Richmond.
It is there first winter without him and they are struggling. Charlie starts running around the neighborhood streets at night partly to get warm and partly as an outlet to deal with his daily problems. The nighttime runs are brought to the attention of the local gangster, Squizzy Taylor.
To make money, to help make a better life for his mother and little brother, Charlie “auditions” for the job of Squizzie’s runner, along with 3 other boys. Charlie wins the race, with a little help along the way, and secretly leaves school to start working for Squizzy, ignoring the warnings from his mother and friends. At first he finds the job thrilling but he soon begins to see the less savoury side of the Squizzie’s life. He is drawn into a world of illegal alcohol and debt collecting.
Charlie comes to realize that the dangers on the streets are very real and that a gang war seems sure to break out. After his friend, Nostrils, is brutally beaten up on a job, and Squizzy is less than sympathetic, Charlie quits his job.
To make money in a legal way, Charlie enters the Ballarat Mile, a footrace with a cash prize. Charlie’s neighbor, Mr Redmond, trains him and, using some of the experience gained in Squizzie’s employ, he makes the final.
His future, and hat of his family, depends on the result of that final race. ( )

This was an easy read but a gave food for thought and made teaching this novel a joy. The author has captured the essence of Richmond in 1919 so as a result I purchased a copy of this book for my father for Christmas. ( )