Running Out of Time

Running Out of Time
by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Edition: Paperback
Price: $5.99
Amazon.com

Little House On the Prairie Meets the Truman Show, August 20, 2008

Running Out of Time
By Margaret Peterson Haddix

Thirteen-year-old Jessie Keyser is growing up in 1844, or so she believed, until an epidemic of diphtheria broke out in her community. Jessie's mother makes a confession that their village set in the 1800's is, in reality an experiment, set up in a modern world.

The villagers were asked to live in Clifton Village. They were told they could leave at any time. They were also told that their families would always be provided with modern medicine. Now things have changed and Clifton has become a prison; without medication people will die of diphtheria. Jessie is needed to help her village and save the lives of her sister and many other children. Jessie's mother gives her a set of clothing, including jeans and a tee shirt and helps her escape into the night.

After spending the night in a brightly lit bathroom, she joins a school group who are actually watching her village perform their usual duties. She sees her father working in his blacksmith shop, and watches her classmates recite. It is all Jessie can do to keep the shock out of her voice as she asks, "Why are there so many empty seats in the classroom?"

Jessie faces a scary world of automobiles, traffic lights, telephones, radios and televisions, as she escapes into the unknown world of 1996. Her mission is to find a payphone and call a man who can help the village. Her mother told her that this man will call a press conference and contact the health department.
Will Jessie get caught escaping from what has become her family's prison? Can she survive in an unknown world? Can she get help for her village? Will anyone believe her story?

At first I thought this story was like so many other stories, but I was wrong. Running Out of Time is a fast paced story with mystery and danger at every turn.

Jill Ammon Vanderwood
author:Through the Rug
Through The Rug 2: Follow That Dog (Through the Rug)