On the Road to Find Out
Farrar, Straus & Giroux (BYR), 2014
Agent: Elise Capron
A funny, uplifting debut about running, romance, and dealing with college rejection and other hurdles
On New Year's Day, Alice Davis goes for a run. Her first ever. It's painful and embarrassing, but so was getting denied by the only college she cares about. Alice knows she has to stop sitting around and complaining to her best friend, Jenni, and her pet rat, Walter, about what a loser she is. But what doesn't know is that by taking those first steps out the door, she is setting off down a road filled with new challenges, including vicious side stitches, chafing in unmentionable places, and race-paced first love, and strengthening herself to endure when the going suddenly gets tougher than she ever imagined.
Reviews:
“Rachel Toor gets it about running; this is the book I’d like my daughters to read, and I suspect a lot of young people would like their parents to read. Rachel can write like hell—she’s got the firepower and understands how the simple act of becoming a runner changes lives for the better.”
—Bill Rodgers, four-time winner of the Boston and NYC marathons, author of Marathon Man: My 26.2-Mile Journey from Unknown Grad Student to the Top of the Running World
“[Toor’s] heroine’s rejection and doldrums are relatable, as is her winding journey to figuring out who she is. For many readers who are just starting to feel the pressures of college apps, as well as those who love running (and maybe rats) as much as Alice does, this is a road worth taking.”
—Publishers Weekly
“(Toor) is challenging, upbeat, poignant, funny and just … so cool. I wish I hadn’t read this story of running-as-life so I’d still have it to look forward to.”
—Jacquelyn Mitchard, author of The Deep End of the Ocean