The Books

Running Away for Beginners

by Mark Illis

ISBN: 9780702329937

After being diagnosed with cancer, 14 year old Jasper, decides to run away with his friends for a weekend trip to escape the news. However, Jasper secretly plans not to return, intending to live with his estranged uncle. The book explores themes of friendship, facing difficult news, and the challenges of dealing with illness and its impact on relationships.

Reviews

Sonam - Nottingham Girls High School - 2026

I really enjoyed this book because of the intresting plot and storyline. My favourite part was the adventure and thrilling story of friendship and loyalty. It was one of my favourite books that I have read in a long time.

Maya - Nottingham Girls High School - 2026

I loved this book. From the exciting idea of running away to the happy ending, I really enjoyed reading it. The only thing I would say is that at the start it was a bit hard to get into, but I always find that those kind of books are the best in the end!

Imogen - Nottingham Girls High School - 2026

It was a great book and I really enjoyed reading it. I absolutely loved how it was like real life and it was thrilling and amazing all at once. I would definitely recommend this.

Freya - Nottingham Girls High School - 2026

I really enjoyed this book as it felt real ! I loved all the different plot twists and the story line was great. Although it did drag on a tiny bit at the start once you get into it it's a great book.

Elsie - Nottingham Girls High School - 2026

I liked this book as it showed me an insight of what having cancer is really like. This was a funny, heartfelt and beautiful book. I enjoyed it thoroughly.

Dina - Nottingham Girls High School - 2026

I loved your book, with my own Dad being a Doctor in the speacialty of cancer I kind of understood all the medical terms. I loved the bit at the end where they are all back on the roof of his house again!

Piper Rae - Arnold Hill Academy - 2026

It was a really good book and I really liked it because the plot was good and I liked the character development throughout .Also did Jasper die because it didn't tell us...?Overall it was a really good book and has a good plot and I like the characters too. :D

Laurel - Arnold Hill Academy - 2026

I loved this one !! My fave character was Barney, it used to be flat face until i found out the truth about him... I liked the creepy elements hidden in it and the suspense was cool.

Paige - Arnold Hill Academy - 2026

This was really exciting and I never knew what was going to happen next!

Arabella - Arnold Hill Academy - 2026

I really liked the dogs and how he saved them and his friends.

Ella - Arnold Hill Academy - 2026

Kind of boring in parts, an emotional read.

Haadiyah - Arnold Hill Academy - 2026

I did not like this book as it was VERY boring and was not a good concept in my opinion ;)

Charis - Arnold Hill Academy - 2026

I found it hard to get through and quite boring

Erin - Arnold Hill Academy - 2026

I didn't really like this book as all the action could of been quicker. I found it a bit boring and hard to get through.

Rory - Outwood Academy Kirkby - 2026

It was a bit upsetting but definutally 4 stars.

Lara - Nottingham Girls High School - 2026

I really enjoyed this book and it was a great read. The plot was so deep and was very surprising. I loved how the plot twisted and the development of the characters.

Florence - Nottingham Girls High School - 2026

I found this book fairly enjoyable but at the same time quite sad in places. I like how it focused on real life problems not made up issues. I also like how the friendship bond stayed strong throughout. I would definitely read again.

Safoora - Nottingham Girls High School - 2026

An emotional, funny, and deeply human journey. Running Away for Beginners is a fantastic, fast-paced read about friendship and finding strength in the face of impossible odds. Highly recommended for fans of John Green.

Allegra - Nottingham Girls High School - 2026

I have given this star rating because this wasn't my sort of book. Although I didn't love reading it, I did think the opening of the book was powerful and got you reading, but I don't like the concept of sadness even though I guess everyone has a reason to be sad one day or another. Overall thought it's a good book.

Anveesha - Nottingham Girls High School - 2026

This is definitely one of my top 10 books. It just sucked me in. I loved it. All the characters were so different but they all became friends eventually. The plot of this book was amazing and I loved it the whole way through.