Making the Run

Lu McClellan has been hearing the names for as long as she can remember. Growing up in a small town in Kentucky, she often feels that she is watching life from the edges. Photography gives her a way to make sense of the things she sees and feels but cannot yet fully understand.

Graduation is nearly here, and Lu and her best friend Ginny rush through their final months of high school, fueled by drugs and alcohol. Lu sees this stretch as a waiting period before her real life begins, but the path ahead proves less predictable than she expected.

Lu unexpectedly falls in love for the first time, while Ginny's life begins to unravel in a dangerous direction. Heather Henson uses spare, lyrical prose to explore what it means to reach a turning point and find the nerve to head toward the unknown. The book is written for readers aged twelve and up.