Freerunner

Book excerpt: Fourteen-year-old Patrick and his mother leave their small town for Ottawa, where Patrick quickly becomes frustrated at his new-kid status. Out of boredom, he steals a pair of headphones from the Rideau Centre, and tries to run, climb and jump his way out of trouble when he is caught. To his surprise, the police officer, Constable Jack, is willing to get the charges dropped — on one condition: Patrick has to train with him in parkour, or freerunning, for twelve weeks. Since he's behind his teammates, Patrick trains extra hard and finds that he has a talent for parkour — and that, maybe, he belongs in the city. He also finds a crush, Parker, who has a background in gymnastics, and a rival, Jayden, who has a bad attitude. Both boys become determined to outdo one another and win Parker's heart. When the tension between them reaches new heights, Constable Jack surprises Patrick again: He won't punish the boys, and they'll settle the score in a competition. But they aren't just fighting for the prize for best individual — there's also the prize for best club at stake. That means Patrick and Jayden will have to learn to work together. Freerunner is David Trifunov's latest story exploring jealousy, status and self-esteem on and off the play area.