Two kids from different worlds form an unexpected friendship.

Cody’s home life is a mess. He has suffered neglect and abuse at the hands of his father and it has become too much to bear. He knows he needs to get out. But, he has nowhere to go.

Autumn lives, quite literally, on the other side of the tracks, in a loving and secure home. She is popular at school but she hides her nerdy adoration of Dr. Who, because of the pressure she feels to fit in. As a result, she spends hours making herself look “perfect.”

On her way to a party one night, Autumn finds Cody face down in the hedge beside her house. Though they aren’t exactly friends, Autumn opts to help. She hides Cody in her father’s studio, at least for the night. Then, over the next two days as she sneaks food and bandages to Cody, his story comes out. And so does hers.

Told in alternating narratives, Autumn Bird and the Runaway is a powerful collaboration by two of Canada’s finest writers of books for young readers. It reminds us that we are all more than our circumstances, and we are all more connected than we think.