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Running Out of Time
Unavailable
Running Out of Time
Unavailable
Running Out of Time
Audiobook5 hours

Running Out of Time

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

4/5

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Currently unavailable

About this audiobook

Jessie lives with her family in the frontier village of Clifton, Indiana. When diphtheria strikes the village and the children of Clifton start dying, Jessie's mother sends her on a dangerous mission to bring back help.

But beyond the walls of Clifton, Jessie discovers a world even more alien and threatening than she could have imagined, and soon she finds her own life in jeopardy. Can she get help before the children of Clifton, and Jessie herself, run out of time?

LanguageEnglish
Release dateMar 31, 2009
ISBN9780307745637
Unavailable
Running Out of Time
Author

Margaret Peterson Haddix

Margaret Peterson Haddix grew up on a farm in Ohio. As a kid, she knew two girls who had the exact same first, middle, and last names and shared the same birthday—only one year apart—and she always thought that was bizarre. As an adult, Haddix worked as a newspaper reporter and copy editor in Indiana before her first book, Running Out of Time, was published. She has since written more than forty books for kids and teens, including the Greystone Secrets series, the Shadow Children series, the Missing series, the Children of Exile series, and lots of stand-alones. Haddix and her husband, Doug, now live in Columbus, Ohio, where they raised their two kids. You can learn more about her at haddixbooks.com.

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Reviews for Running Out of Time

Rating: 3.923558161157025 out of 5 stars
4/5

484 ratings36 reviews

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  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Interesting premise.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Jessie is growing up in 1840 in Clifton, Indiana. She spends her days like all the other kids in the frontier village; she goes to school and does chores. Lately a lot of kids have been missing from school because of illness. One night, Jessie's mother takes her along to help a nearby child who is sick. Her mom seems distressed when they leave, and she asks Jessie to meet her in the woods the next day after school and not to say anything about the meeting. To Jessie’s surprise, her mother tells her that although she thinks it's 1840, it's really 1996. She quickly explains that the adults in the village agreed to live like it's the 1840s, and people come from all over to watch their town through special mirrors and viewing stations. None of this makes sense to Jessie, but she listens carefully as questions fill her brain. Her mom explains that a terrible illness is making the children of Clifton Village sick, and they need medicine from the outside world. Jessie is sent from the village on a dangerous mission to get the medicine, and she must hurry. There will be many obstacles on the way, and her mom doesn’t have time to tell her everything. Although it will be extremely risky, Jessie agrees to try to find help. How different will life be in 1996 from the life she has known? How will she find the man her mom asked her to contact? She can’t let anyone know that she's from Clifton Village, but will she be able to blend in with the jeans and t-shirt her mother gave her? You will have to read this thriller to find out what awaits Jessie outside the Clifton Village Tourist Center and how she deals with a world where everything is foreign and most definitely frightening.

    I have long been a fan of Margaret Peterson Haddix and her books. I was excited to read Running Out of Time, which came out in 1994. My heart went out to Jessie as she came to the conclusion that she had been living a lie. I could not even imagine finding out that I was living in a world in which tourists were paying to watch me! All the times she thought she was alone and she wasn’t! Plus, it would be hard to adjust to a world that was over 100 years away from the life you are currently living. The book really got me thinking about the past, the present, and the future. Jessie is definitely someone that I would want to be friends with because she is caring and brave. I think this is a great book for kids who enjoy stories that take them by surprise, because Jessie has a lot to learn when she enters the 1990s. I recommend this book to kids in fourth grade and up, especially those who have an interest in either historical fiction for dystopian books because it is a mix of both. This book will have you hoping for more time!
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I read this as a kid and enjoyed reading it again. The general premise of this book was shamelessly used without credit for the movie The Village.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Compared to The Giver because it's about a kid escaping a society that's an unsuccessful utopia. Compared to Ray Bradbury because it's got nostalgia for a simpler time. I don't really subscribe to either comparison. I did like the adventure but it was pretty simplistic - could really only be recommended to unsophisticated readers who read The Giver and want more like it but aren't ready for 1984 etc. (spoiler ahead:) The key theme I see in is the eugenics debate.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    A perfect page-turner for a middle school student who has middle school comprehension abilities and the reading level of a fourth grader (a very common plight).


    Adding this to my pile for just those kinds of kids:

    Abduction
    Missing
    Among the Hidden


    Do you have any others to add?
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    This book covers two genres at the same time, which makes for an interesting read. I have never read anything like it. Originally the protagonist Jessie believes that the year is 1840, but soon finds out from her mother that it is actually 1996 and she lives in a historical village that tourists flock to. Jessie must escape the confines of the village and go out into the modern world in order to get the aid that her village needs since it has been infected with diphtheria. The novel also references the Holocaust and the idea of creating a super-race. It is an engaging read and students might imagine what they would do if they were in Jessie's position. It also gives students the chance to think about what people from the past would think if they were in present-day. The ending still left questions open for me as a reader. What would become of Jessie's family? That is why I only gave it 3 stars.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    this is about a town that thinks it is 1840 when it is really 1996. now Jessie needs to go out in the real world to find help and get the medicine to same the towns children.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I've loved this book ever since I was a child. It was so interesting and fascinating to see the world I live in through the eyes of someone who's never experienced it before. It was fun to experience normal, everyday things as though I've never experienced them before. This book would be great to use in a fourth or fifth grade classroom to teach ethics and
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Looking for a strong female protagonist, a mystery that will thrill a young reader and snag both historical fiction lovers and sci-fi kids, a story that underscores why education and problem-solving are necessary for young people in general and girls in particular?Many comments have been made about the book's resemblance to a later film, but the resemblance is only in the setting. Adults with priorities out of synch, kids with unexpected strength, and one girl's clever, compassionate, honest heroism make this story much richer, and the author's skill with addressing the YA audience will resonate also with adult readers who know how easily following an ideal can collapse into falling into a trap.Bonus: The story contains one line about Nazi medical experiments that is worth assigning the book all by itself. The book provides a way for young Americans to approach the ethical issues raised by 'eugenics' without confusing those issues with the thousands of other philosophical and historical problems presented by Nazi Germany. Particularly now, when 'medical ethics' as defined by the insurance industry and as defined by valiant medical practitioners like Dr. Abraham Verghese have diverged so frighteningly, this book's approach is importantly relevant.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I loved this book as a kid.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    This story includes some mystery with some historic fiction and science fiction. It was an easy read.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This is a great book to step back and take a look at what we have now and what we do now that was different from 150 years ago. This is the story of Jessie and how she finds out she has been living in 1840 even though the real calendar time is 1996. Her mom sends her on a dangerous mission in order to save her family, friends, and village. The suspense was real and was a very engaging read. I would recommend this book to anyone who wishes to step into a twelve-year-old 1840 girl thrust into a modern world.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Jessie is living in 1840 village with her family, at least she thinks she is. That is until diphtheria breaks out in her village, and Jessie's ma tells her they are actually living in a tourist attraction in 1996. To save the children from diphtheria, Jessie must escape the village and bring help to her family and friends. But with the secret disease research that lies under the facade of the tourist village, this will prove to be more of challenge than Jessie was expecting. Genre: Realistic Fiction/ Historical fictionCritique: This book is a good example of realistic fiction because it is a fictional story with events and characters that really could exist. The setting, plot, and characters are very believable. This book also has elements of historical fiction, although because the events actually take place in 1996 even though they are perceived to be in 1840, it does not quite fit in the genre.Critique of Plot:In this book, Haddix uses the person vs. society type of conflict. The author is effective in the use of this type of conflict because she sets up the predicament of Jessie against the organizers of Clifton and the naive tourists very well. This provides for an engaging, fast-paced, and suspenseful plot.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    It's a shame the author didn't make more of an effort to learn about life in 19th century America before writing this book. The "living history" premise was interesting, but there were far too many anachronisms, especially since so much stress was supposedly laid upon the townsfolk's remaining in character. In particular, the casual assumption that students in the town's schoolhouse would be grouped by age rather than ability was grating.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Running out of time is a very odd book. It is about a girl (Jessie Keyser) who has lived her whole life in a village called Clifton, where the year is 1840 and they are having an epidemic of diptheria. Outside her small village, the year is 1996. A long time ago a big millionaire had an idea to create this place ( a tourist attraction) where tourists can secretly watch while these people live there not knowing anything. To save the village, someone has to escape and go get modern medicine. Jessie is that one. I find the idea about Running out of Time quite weird, but there are book about everything.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I love this book! As a former third and fourth grade teacher, I would read this book aloud to my students during our after lunch quiet time. Each time I had to stop reading because we were out of time...the kids would beg for me to read just one more chapter. I must have read this book 5-6 times and each time, I loved it just as much as the kids.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Excellent book for middle school book club - lots to discuss.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Haddix's dystopian novel about Jesse, a young girl who thinks she's living in the 1800s, but really is in 1996, is an engrossing read. I enjoyed it and it wasn't hard to follow. Jesse's fear seemed genuine and the plot was relatively interesting. I wasn't quite content with the ending, but I'm not sure I could have done any better.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    In 1996, one of the top vacation and “school-trip” attractions in the US is Clifton Village, hidden away in forests outside Indianapolis. A well-made road carries yellow school busses to the entrance station, and barbed wire fences keep the “wild animals” of an authentic 1840s environment safely separate from local farmers. They also make it hard for young Jessie, wild human rather than wild animal, to escape on her quest to find help and medicine for her family and friends.Running out of Time, by Margaret Peterson Haddix, tells the story of a young teenager with a very big quest. When Jessie learns that her parents have lived a lie, and forced her to live one too, for most of her life, she struggles to decide who to trust. But she knows who she loves and cares for and bravely sets forth on their behalf. The mysteries of 1996 America are viewed delightfully through Jessie’s 1840s eyes. Braving the phone to call for help, Jessie wonders why a stranger’s voice asks for money but refuses to wait for an answer. Radios make sounds out of thin air. Cars move like magic carriages propelled without horses.A naturally brave and adventurous girl, Jessie conquers numerous obstacles in her quest to both save her friends and find the truth about her home. The result is a fast-paced story, with convincing characters, fascinating ethical dilemmas, and realistic excitement, making a really good read for middle-grade students and adults.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Though this book was obviously written for much younger readers, I enjoyed it. It made me think of the movie The Village, though it was quite a bit different. I think my daughter (age 10) would also enjoy this book.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Jessi has to save the people of Clifton before they all die of diptheria.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Thirteen-year-old Jessie lives an idyllic life in a small town in Indiana. That is, until an epidemic of diphtheria affects the village’s children, and Jessie’s mother confesses the truth to Jessie – they are living in a tourist site designed to be an authentic 1840s town but in the outside world, it is really 1996. Before Jessie even has time to digest this information, her mother sends her on a dangerous trip into the outside world to save the sick children. The book is hard to classify, bridging gaps between historical fiction, science fiction, and mystery. It begins a bit slowly, sounding like a Little House on the Prairie or some equivalent book of homespun stories. However, it then quickly picks up and reads like a thriller, with each chapter ending with a cliffhanger, pushing the reader forward. This isn’t great literature by any stretch, but it’s a quick, entertaining read that can appeal to older children and teens.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    A girl discovers that she is in a make up life. she thought she was in the 1800s but she really is in the 1900s. She finds herself running for her life and many others.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    When a diphtheria epidemic breaks out in Jessie’s 1840 village, Jessie’s mother reveals the shocking truth—they’re actually living in a historical tourist site, and the year is actually 1996. Normally the people who run Clifton Village would not let the children die, but for some reason luxuries like modern medicine have been withheld. Jessie must escape Clifton Village, brave the terrifying modern world, and get help for the village children before it’s too late.Haddix’s first novel, and still one of my favorites of hers. Everything is just perfect in this book. The pitch-perfect narrator, on the fence between naïve childhood security and scary adolescence. The suspense that will keep you reading breathlessly until you find out what happens at the end. The world-building that makes you wonder if this couldn’t be happening right next door. RUNNING OUT OF TIME is a beautiful blend of the speculative and the probable, and earns its title as one of the best speculative juvenile fiction novels out there today.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Jessie lives with her family in the frontier village of Clifton, Indiana. When diptheria strikes and the children of Clifton start dying, Jessie's mother sends Jessie to bring back help. Jessie is not aware that Clifton is a tourist attraction and a scientific experiment. As she seeks help from the modern world, she must convince them that the experiement has gone awry. This will appeal to a reader who would like a book that blends adventure, historical fiction, and science fiction.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This book was really good but really odd. Jessie is going on a big adventure. She's time traveling from the 1840's to the 1990's! well...sorta. read it to see what im talking about
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Running Out of Time is a Wonderful book . It gives you the prospective of what it would be like to travel to the future, and the things you would think would call miracles and can't figure out, but everyone else a round you takes for granted.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Running Out of Timewritten by Margaret Peterson HaddixThe last time I read this book was in the 4th grade upon entering the Gateway program. I loved it then, although I found some of the terminology hard to get through. Reading it when I'm older, it's still as good as ever plotwise, and gave me the additional depth of knowing exactly what I was reading, as well as picking up some things I missed the first time around. Reading the second time around, I also noticed lots and lots of hints that I missed the first time (ex: her teacher constantly asking the class what the current year is). The book, despite the fact that I knew exactly what was going to happen, still read as a really heart-thumping, suspenseful adventure, albeit with some laggy places (still as interesting, just not really adding to the plot). Jessie's story and well-created character is really an inspiration to kids, letting them know they can do wacky things they'd never even dream of doing, like holding a press conference! I think it would have been really nice to see a 5 years later, whether in the form of a sequel or just a quick epilogue, letting us know how they've adjusted to society, what they're still missing, what becomes of everything.Rating: 4.5/5
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Know who else read this book? M Night Shyamalan. Because if this ain't the uncredited first draft of the movie "The Village", I'm an illiterate 19th century peasant. But no one ever accused Shyamalan of an overabundance of creativity, so there you go.Anyway, this is one of several young adult level books on my list. It wasn't bad - an entertaining idea, set out fairly well - but it's no Swiftly Tilting Planet. I like giving dystopian fiction to children and teens. I say, teach 'em young that what authority tells you may be a big, fat lie, that it's important to find out for yourself, and that bucking the system's not necessarily a bad thing. Anyone who takes on a healthy helping of dystopia along with their Blume and Rowling is forearmed against just accepting bullshit like secret US prisons on foreign soil being none of our business and good for our society.The book itself? Not bad. The action flows just a little too obviously, but shit - kid's book. It's apt to be simplistic. Haddix does well not simply taking the easy way out - people do die, after all - though of course our spunky heroine wins out in the end. I'd have liked to know more about the father and his attempts to rejoin society after going whole hog with the "old days" lifestyle, but you can't always get what you want.final thought: Young adult fiction is perfect for a brain that's mushy after 24 hours on a Greyhound bus.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Thirteen-year-old Jessie Keyser lives with her family in the small town of Clifton, Indiana in 1840. Her father is the village blacksmith, and her mother, a midwife, sneaks out at night to help sick families. Jessie has noticed a few odd things about Clifton, like the way her teacher always makes them say what year it is in class, the odd box that was attached to one of the trees in the village square, and the way the adults react angrily when the children use the word "okay". Most alarmingly, however, she's noticed recently that the town doctor has stopped giving out medicines, and that the village children are getting sick. Extremely sick. Including Jessie's precious youngest sister.Jessie's world turns on its axis when her mother reveals to her that it isn't really 1840 at all, but rather 1996. Jessie's parents moved to Clifton, a "historical preserve" 12 years earlier, agreeing to raise their children as though they were really living in the 1800's. Clifton is actually a tourist attraction, the citizens watched through 2-way mirrors and video cameras. Things have turned dark in Clifton, however, and now Jessie must make a dangerous quest to the outside world, to seek medicine.