Run Like a Girl

Egbe, Amaka. Run Like a Girl
July 3, 2025 by HarperCollins

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

When Chidera's mother tells her that she is going to have to move from Sunridge to live with her father in West Harmony, a posh suburb of Dallas, Dera is not happy. She knows that things are tough for her mother, and that she has to focus on her schoolwork, but she hasn't lived with her father since she was five and her father left. Knowing there's nothing to be done, she makes the move, and hopes that she can get onto the new school's track team so that she can be spotted by recruiters for colleges. When she falls while running in the neighborhood, she meets Liam, who bandages her knees and tells her there IS no girls' team, but he's the captain of the boys' track team. Starting school is a festival of microaggressions, not only from the white staff who can't get her name right, but also from one of the few Black girls, Arnell, who dismisses her down market clothing and box braids. Dera talks to a guidance counselor about running track, citing Title IX, and luckily, Coach Holder is understanding. Dera can train with the boys, and run in their meets for times. This doesn't go over quite as well with some of the boys on the team, who make inappropriate and dismissive comments. Gael, however, is very supportive... and a little cute. His cousin, Roz, wants to interview Dera for her blog, and information gets out about the girl who wants to be on the boys' team. Some people make unflattering comments, even opining that Dera might be trans, but there's generally some support. JJ, however, is angry that Dera beat him in a race, and rips off one of her braids after a meet. Her father calls the school, and the coach tells the team they have to do better. Things are rocky at home as well, since Dera's father, a doctor, is dating a woman with a Nigerian background like his own. Dera's mother is from the US South, so Dera knows little about her father's culture. Joyce is really nice, and introduces Dera to different foods, and is also in her corner about the braid incident. Dera manages to do well when put in as a sub on a boys' 4x4 race, but runs into some problems when a picture of her and Gael in what looks like a compromising position at a party gets spread around. Will Dera be able to find her place in the school and make peace with her family? Strengths: This was an excellent upper grade novel that involves sports, racial identity, romance, and friend drama. The characters were all very well developed. Dera was particularly well rendered, and my heart broke for her as she had to put up with all sorts of horrible treatment and still said that things were "just fine" and that the treatment "didn't matter". It was also good to see that there were people, like the coach and Joyce, who were much nicer than I would have expected them to be. The addition of Nigerian culture was excellent, and the details about the father's estrangement were interesting to find out. I loved Gael and Liam, and they were super supportive. Dera's best friend from Sunridge, Moot, makes an appearance frequently when he calls her. I'm not sure how many high schools can't field girls' track teams, but the sports details were good as well.  
Weaknesses: I wasn't quite ready for the viral pictures of Gael and Dera, and all of the drama that that created. They weren't doing anything inappropriate, but the fallout could have been bad. Since this is a young adult book, I should have known that there would be a little more drama than I was expecting. This is a little longer (384 pages) than a middle grade title, but I think a lot of my 8th graders will really enjoy this one. 
What I really think: This is a great choice for readers who like books about running, like Van Draanen's The Running Dream, or books like Riguad's Simone Breaks All the Rules that address the conflicts between children and adults who have different cultural backgrounds. I really enjoyed this one, and was glad that it was set in a high school but didn't have any more mature language or situations. I will definitely purchase a copy.