"Deena Jackson's world has come crashing down. Just before her senior year of high school, her father is diagnosed with cancer. Deena has always been a shy, quiet girl, unnoticed by her high school classmates. But something changes as she watches her dad struggle. She puts on a pair of snickers her dad had gotten her the year before and she goes outside to run. Then, aided by her dad's belief in her, Deena sets out to make the high school cross-country team. What she doesn't know is how difficult, and how inspiring, her journey of self-discovery will become."--Back cover.