Running Out of Time

By: Margaret Peterson Haddix

Science Fiction

(Chapter Book)

Jessie is a thirteen year old girl who lives with her mother, father, and siblings.  The year is 1840, or at least that is what Jessie and her siblings think.  Jessie's mother ends up telling her that truth about their life.  It is actually 1996, and they are living in a historical village called Clifton where tourist watch them through hidden cameras.  The people in Clifton are brainwashed into believing that it is 1840 and are being held captive by the owner of the complex.  There is an outbreak of diphtheria in Clifton and the owner will not provide them with medicine.  This is why Jessie's mother tells her the truth, because she wants her to escape into the real world to get help.  In her adventure Jessie is almost drugged and killed, she talks to the local newspaper and media, and at one point she wakes up in a hospital.  In the end Clifton is closed down, but read this book to find out more about the struggles that Jessie faced along her journey.

I would have my students read this chapter book on their own.  I would provide each student with a copy and assign times inside and outside of class to read the book.  After every assigned reading from the book we would talk as a class about what the students read, and at the end I would give the students a test on the book to check their comprehension of what they read.