Will Jessie Run Out of Time?

Jessie is growing up in 1840 in Clifton, Indiana. She spends her days like all the other kids in the frontier village; she goes to school and does chores. Lately a lot of kids have been missing from school because of illness. One night, Jessie's mother takes her along to help a nearby child who is sick. Her mom seems distressed when they leave, and she asks Jessie to meet her in the woods the next day after school and not to say anything about the meeting. To Jessie’s surprise, her mother tells her that although she thinks it's 1840, it's really 1996. She quickly explains that the adults in the village agreed to live like it's the 1840s, and people come from all over to watch their town through special mirrors and viewing stations. None of this makes sense to Jessie, but she listens carefully as questions fill her brain. Her mom explains that a terrible illness is making the children of Clifton Village sick, and they need medicine from the outside world. Jessie is sent from the village on a dangerous mission to get the medicine, and she must hurry. There will be many obstacles on the way, and her mom doesn’t have time to tell her everything. Although it will be extremely risky, Jessie agrees to try to find help. How different will life be in 1996 from the life she has known? How will she find the man her mom asked her to contact? She can’t let anyone know that she's from Clifton Village, but will she be able to blend in with the jeans and t-shirt her mother gave her? You will have to read this thriller to find out what awaits Jessie outside the Clifton Village Tourist Center and how she deals with a world where everything is foreign and most definitely frightening. 

I have long been a fan of Margaret Peterson Haddix and her books. I was excited to read Running Out of Time, which came out in 1994. My heart went out to Jessie as she came to the conclusion that she had been living a lie. I could not even imagine finding out that I was living in a world in which tourists were paying to watch me! All the times she thought she was alone and she wasn’t! Plus, it would be hard to adjust to a world that was over 100 years away from the life you are currently living. The book really got me thinking about the past, the present, and the future. Jessie is definitely someone that I would want to be friends with because she is caring and brave. I think this is a great book for kids who enjoy stories that take them by surprise, because Jessie has a lot to learn when she enters the 1990s. I recommend this book to kids in fourth grade and up, especially those who have an interest in either historical fiction for dystopian books because it is a mix of both. This book will have you hoping for more time!

Has anyone else read Running Out of Time? Or have you read another book by Margaret Peterson Haddix? We would love to hear your thoughts! Check out our interview with the author to learn more about this fascinating storyteller.      

Happy Reading!

~L 

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