The joy of children’s books is reading about things, and thereby living vicariously, without actually having to experience the discomforts or stress of it. Herein lies the beauty of runaways in children’s books. I remember two runaway chapter books that made me jealous of such a wonderful adventure. They bookend my list.
And these runaway kids were not even angry at their parents. It’s these independent adventures that fascinated me as a child reading these chapter books. My Side of the Mountain made me want to live in a burned-out gigantic tree, subsiding by foraging off the land with a pet falcon, no less. From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler made art museums suddenly interesting.
Not all runaways are so lucky. Some run from domestic violence; others can’t control their violent tantrums. Either way, these runaway experiences are more traumatic.
Do you have a favorite children’s book with a runaway? Please share!
Top 10: Runaways in Children’s Books
10. My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George
Sam Gribley just wanted adventure so he took off for his grandfather’s abandoned land in the Catskill Mountains, thus starting the greatest runaway adventure in children’s literature! He made it sound so enticing that other envious readers besides myself were moved to action. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was also affected:
“…I thought the Craigheads might be the only family in America that was having more fun than the Kennedys. Obssessed with falcons as I was from birth, I read My Side of the Mountain in 1964. … I entered Millbrook upstate New York drawn by its informal falconry program….My experience as a young falconer accounts in large part for my lifelong devotion to raptors and my continued interest in natural history….My years as a falconer helped drive my own career choice as an environmental lawyer and advocate. The knowledge and experience I acquired from falconers have marked my life and made me a far more effective advocate on nature’s behalf.”
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
[middle grade, ages 8 and up]
9. The Runaway Bunny by Margaret Wise Brown
Mother bunny assures her young wannabe runaway that no matter where the little bunny goes, mama will be right there too! [picture book, ages 1 and up]
8. Don’t Feed the Boy by Irene Latham
Young Whit has grown up at the zoo and doesn’t get out much. That’s what happens when you’re homeschooled at Meadowbrook zoo because your mom’s the zoo director and your father is in charge of the elephants. When he meets Bird Girl, he’s intrigued. She comes to the zoo by herself. He’s eager to befriend her but when he finds out why she is always alone, he has to make a tough choice. [middle grade, ages 9 and up]
7. The Boxcar Children Beginning: The Aldens of Fair Meadow Farm by Patricia MacLachlan
MacLachlan lovingly pens the prequel emulating Gertrude Chandler Warner’s voice exactly. It was difficult, though, for me to read about the happy Alden family knowing that tragedy would strike by the end of the book. Still, for kids who want to know why the Boxcar children ended up as orphans running away from their grandfather, this is a must-read to this classic and cherished series. [easy chapter book series, ages 6 and up]
6. Hoot by Karl Hiaasen
Although this chapter book centers around Roy Eberhardt, newly transplanted to Florida in the town Coconut Cove, and now the bully-victim of Dana Matherson, it’s Mullet Fingers, the mysterious barefoot kid, that steals the scene each time he appears. Is he a runaway? And if so, why? [middle grade, ages 10 and up]
5. Sophie Gets Angry, Really, Really Angry by Molly Bang
Sophie is having a really, really bad day. And this makes her really, really angry. To blow off steam, she runs away and returns to find that everything is ok. [Caldecott picture book, ages 2 and up]
4. Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli
Maniac Magee is another mysterious runaway like Mullet Fingers of Hoot but in this Newbery-winning chapter book, he’s the main character. Jeffrey Lionel “Maniac” Magee is an orphan with a special gift of running faster than the wind. His other gift is more subtle. His racial blindness changes a town forever. [middle grade, ages 10 and up]
3. A Baby Sister for Frances by Russell and Lillian Hoban
It’s not easy getting a new baby sister so Frances decides to run away. She chooses a cozy place — the dining room table — and wisely brings along provisions. Mother and Father know how to get Frances back … and it involves chocolate cake! [picture book, ages 4 and up]
2. Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis
It’s 1936 and the middle of the Great Depression. 10-year-old Bud decides to leave the orphanage that is his home since he was six in search of his father, who he has never met and knows nothing about. His only clue is a flyer advertising a jazz band that used to belong to Bud’s mother, Angela Janet Caldwell. Will finding Herman E. Calloway and the Dusky Devastators of the Depression give Bud the answers he seeks? [middlegrade, ages 9 and up]
1. From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg
Perhaps the greatest runaway caper ever performed in children’s literature. It’s an adventure that surely inspired kids in real life to hide out at an art museum. I know I’ve considered it. Along the way, Claudia and her little brother meet elderly Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler as she is the key to unraveling the origins of a mysterious sculpture Claudia discovers with her brother while hiding out at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. [middle grade, ages 9 and up]
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p.s. Related posts:
These book lists are for those difficult situations that come up when you want to talk to kids about something but don’t know where to start:
- 9/11
- Afraid of the Dark
- Anxiety
- Best Friend Moves Away
- Birds and Bees Talk
- Bullying
- Cancer
- Domestic Violence
- Foster Care
- Grief and Loss
- Homelessness
- Inappropriate Touch
- Incarcerated Parents
- Living in Alcoholic Home
- Loss of Pet
- Poverty
- Racism and White Fragility
- War
Are you looking for something different? I indexed and cross-referenced my 300+ book lists: List of Lists: All My Book Lists.
Book Lists for Difficult Situations
Antiracist Books for Kids, Teens, and Adults
9/11 #NeverForget Books for Kids
White Fragility Books for Kids
A Unit to Teach Kids About Microaggressions
A Unit on Skin Color: Picture Books & Videos
Top Children’s Books to Help You Address the Diversity of Human Race
Understanding Poverty: A Book List for Ages 4-11
Homelessness in Children’s Books
11 Chapter Books About Grief and Loss
Death and Loss in Middle Grade Literature
Foster Care in Tween Books
Birds and the Bees Talk Books for Kids
10 Books Featuring Kids with Incarcerated Parents
Best Friend Moves Away Picture Books
Top 10: Afraid of the Dark Picture Books
Keeping Kids Safe from Inappropriate Touch
New Picture Books to Teach Consent
Living in an Alcoholic Home Books for Kids
Domestic Violence Awareness Books for Kids
Top 10: Best Books for Kids that Deal with Bullies
Top 10: Multicultural Picture Books on Bullying
Top 10: Coping with Loss of Pets Books for Kids
Books About Cancer for Kids and Teens
Picture Books About Anxiety for Kids Who Worry
Picture Books About Children and War
BEST #OWNVOICES CHILDREN’S BOOKS: My Favorite Diversity Books for Kids Ages 1-12 is a book that I created to highlight books written by authors who share the same marginalized identity as the characters in their books.
Interesting, I never thought of books featuring runaways, but Annabeth, Luke and Thalia are runaways in Percy Jackson’s series, but their back story is told over several books in flashbacks.
Hi Natalie,
I’d forgotten about Percy Jackson and his friends. Good call! Adding to the list!!
I love “From the Mixed Up Files of of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler.”
But Runaway Bunny is a fun one too. When my oldest was about four we had a game where one of us would name what we’d turn into and the other would have to pretend to turn into something to counter it, like in the Runaway Bunny.
When I think of runaway stories, the two others that come to my mind are both by Cynthia Voigt, and for a slightly older audience (young adult). They are “Homecoming” and “On Fortune’s Wheel.”
Hi Christy,
What a wonderfully sweet game you played with your kids! I lvoe it.
Thank you for your wonderful additions to the list too!!
My daughter LOVES the Boxcar books! And I’ve noticed that the kids always eliminate the parents immediately when they start up a pretend play scheme. So much easier to just do what you want, that way 🙂
Hi MaryAnne,
Maybe this is why the Runaway theme is so popular in Children’s Books! I love it when the adventure is based more on exploring and less on being mad at someone.
Another great list! In one of Beverly Cleary’s Ramona books (it might be Ramona Quimby, Age 8, but I’m not sure) Ramona packs a suitcase to run away and is hurt when her mom helps her fill it. As she feels more and more distraught and unloved, she picks up her suitcase to leave, but can’t pick it up — then she realizes that her mom helped her fill it so it would be too heavy for her to go. I tear up every time I read that! Thanks so much for linking up!
Hi Anna,
I remember that part!! It was such a wonderful scene and reaction for a mom to have at the prospect of her child about to run away. Thank you for the beautiful reminder and the great addition to the list!!!
Wonderful list Mia! I know Runaway Bunny well! These others I’m looking forward to.
Hi Rae,
So glad you like the list! Thank you for your kind words!
You’re welcome! Interested in getting my hands on From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. Going to check our local library this weekend.
Hi Rae,
I always loved Frm the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler but, sadly, I could not get either of my daughters to read it. My oldest was confused from the narrator point of view. It isn’t clear how everyone is connected from the get go and she found that annoying. Next time, I think I would read aloud a few chapters with my kid to help her navigate until she got caught up in the story.
Chapter books that make your mind work from the first chapter are more old fashioned I guess. My kids are used to be drawn in from page 1. It’s still an amazing book.
Love Runaway Bunny, Boxcar Children, and a Little Sister for Frances! Bud, not Buddy has been on my list forever to read- I’m heading to the library site now to request it!
Hi Becky,
My middle daughter highly recommends Bud, Not Buddy. She read it last year in 5th grade. I hope you like it too!
I really enjoyed YA reading ,Homecoming by Cynthia Voigt & The Whipping Boy by Sid Fleischman. Not happy stories, but definitely had the runaway element, and reminded me of the joys of being home.
Hi AC,
Thank you so much for your wonderful recommendations for the Runaways list! I remember reading The Whipping Boy when I was a child! I had forgotten he was a runaway too!
Thats an awesome list! We loved Boxcar Children and Francis series very much.. can’t wait to read Hoot once DD is grown into reading longer books! Thanks for sharing Mia!
-Reshama @ Stackingbooks.com
Thanks so much Reshama!
Hoot is great! I am reading that series myself; my kids don’t seem as interested in it as I am but I keep buying his books and I think I have the whole series.
Thanks for sharing these. I’ve read a few, but there are some here that I didn’t know. Always on the lookout for books for my grandson. Cheryl – Kid Lit Blog Hop Hostess
Thanks so much Cheryl! Your grandson is so lucky that you think about books for him!
I was one of the kids who used to run away from home all the time (couldn’t get very far in a rural setting). I was a bit “pouty”! I can laugh about it now of course. The first time I read the Runaway Bunny I had tears streaming down my cheeks! I just LOVE that book. Thanks for linking into the Kid Lit Blog Hop Mia!
Hi Renee,
I never got too far when I “ran away” either! LOL! Thanks for hosting the Kid Lit Blog Hop Renee!