This book was a great read. A boy named Joseph starts as a very skinny and not very sporty middle schooler. But he slowly rises to the top. He may not beat other people, but he beats his PR (personal record). This story is sort of sending a message to readers like, "No matter where you started, you will always have a good end." Even my mom was absorbed in this book! You must read it. It is very good for a boring weekend, or any other day!

A really good running book

This book is so good! When I read it I wished it would never end. This story was very inspiring, and made me think about how important it is to have good friends and family who always support you and push you to do your best. I also thought about how if your good at something, go try and help someone who may not be as good, but really wants to try, just like Heather did for Joseph.

When I read Sidetracked, I felt inspired to try something new. I thought that it was kind of Joseph to cheer on the slower boy the way he did. The only thing that I would change about this book is that I would have liked the characters to pressure Joseph a little less. I also liked that Joseph had realistic feelings for cross country running. He wasn't immediately crazy about it. But over time, he realized that it wasn't as important to be better than everyone else. The important thing was to build up his own strength. Sidetracked made me feel empowered, and it has a great message.