Run

â This exhilarating suspense thriller is the 2026 CBCA Honour Book & WINNER of the CBCA Shadow Judging for Book of the Year for Younger Readers!â

From multi-award-winning Australian author Sarah Armstrong comes this electrifying middle-grade novel about 12-year-old Cas, who runs away to avoid a reunion with his estranged father. Cas soon finds himself lost in the wilderness, completely alone and without help. Or is he?

Cas thought running away from home would solve all his problems. But he didnât count on getting hopelessly lost in the tangled Australian bush. Alone and afraid, Cas has given up all hope of rescue when he stumbles upon a strange family hiding out in the wilderness. He wonât survive without their help. But when he discovers theyâre also on the run â" from something so big, they wonât even talk about it â" he realises his problems are just beginning â¦

Hatchet meets Stand By Me in this brilliantly suspenseful novel from the acclaimed author of Big Magic and Magic Awry. With a spiky, memorable cast, gripping twists and turns and thorny moral dilemmas, RUN is perfect for fans of Bren MacDibble and Nat Amoore â" and it will keep readers glued to the page all night!

Want more survivalist suspense from author Sarah Armstrong? Read her new novel, THE WAVE â" out now!
 

Awards for RUN:

• WINNER: CBCA Shadow Judges Book of the Year for Younger Readers
• WINNER: Davitt Award for Children's Crime Fiction
• HONOUR: CBCA Book of the Year for Younger Readers
• SHORTLISTED: R.E.A.L. Childrenâs Choice Book Awards
• LONGLISTED: ABIA Book of the Year for Younger Children

Perfect for:

• Readers aged 9â"14 years who love high-stakes adventure set in the real world.
• Suspense/thriller fans who want high-stakes/high intrigue plots without too much grit or violence.
• Fans of suspenseful novels such as Tristan Bancks's Scar Town and Bren Macdibble's The Dog Runner.
• Book clubs, teachers and educators wanting a page-turner that also has meaningful themes for discussion

Read all of Sarah Armstrong's novels for young readers:

• The Wave
• Big Magic
• Magic Awry