Run Like a Girl
Written by Amaka Egbe
Published by HarperCollins
Dera Edwards knows her life is over when she’s shipped off to live with her estranged father in the middle of White Suburbia. To make matters worse, Dera learns that her new school doesn’t have a girls’ track team, shattering her dreams of getting a track scholarship and, one day, competing in the Olympics.
Not one to give up easily, Dera joins the boys’ team instead. But while she has the school administration’s blessing, her new teammates and classmates are less than welcoming. Between that and her frustratingly distant father, Dera is positive her junior year is ruined.
Just as she starts to accept her status as an outsider, Dera’s approached by her classmate Rosalyn, who wants to feature Dera’s story in her blog. Eager to change the narrative and spend more time with Rosalyn’s gorgeous cousin Gael—also known as one of the few teammates who will talk to her—Dera agrees.
But when she goes viral and gains attention across the state, Dera’s new notoriety opens the door for trolls both online and at school. Paired with her deteriorating relationship with her father, she soon finds everything to be too much. Will Dera be able to keep outrunning her problems, or will her dream be the very thing that derails her?
Primary ISBN: 9781335009937
Publication Date: May 2025
Available As: Hardcover, Audiobook, eBook
Young Adult, Age 13 or older
Community Represented: Nigerian/Nigerian American
Themes: Accolades & Awards, Accolades & Awards: Starred Review, Cross-Group Friendship, Discrimination: Gender and Sexual, Discrimination: Racial, Family Relationship: Parents, Own Voices/Lived Experience, Sports
Setting: United States (Texas)
Character's Place in the Immigration Journey: 1st Generation
Book Creator(s) Connection to the Community Represented: Own Voices/Lived Experience
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