Azari's life has been split in two and the halves are as different as lemons and mangoes. She and her mother fled for their lives to Ireland, where they live in a bleak Direct Provision centre. They long for their own hot, vibrant country. But to go back would mean certain death.
When Azari runs she feels strong and free. But Azari has secrets — and she's still running for her life.
Suitable for readers from 11+ years, Run For Your Life explores Direct Provision, Ireland’s accommodation system for asylum-seekers. It is endorsed by Amnesty International (Ireland) as contributing to a better understanding of human rights and the values that underpin them.
Buy Run For Your Life directly from Little Island Books.
Run For Your Life was first published in Ireland in April 2022 by Little Island Books. It was published in the United States and Canada in January 2023, in France in April 2024, and in Georgia in June 2024.
In June 2024, published in translation in Georgia.
In May 2024, shortlisted for the UK's PageTurners’ School Book Awards. Page Turners is an annual, themed, book award for teenagers and young adults in the South East of England, representing over 10,000 students. In 2025, the theme is Reading around the British Isles, and the winning books and authors are announced at a gala evening in March 2025.
In April 2024, published in translation in France.
In February 2023, shortlisted for the 2023 KPMG Children's Books Ireland Awards. The awards are the most prestigious of their kind in Ireland and provide a significant opportunity for national and international recognition of Irish children's authors and illustrators.
Also in February 2023, selected as one of the books in the Empathy Lab's 2023 Read for Empathy collection. Each book is chosen to build young people’s ability to imagine and share someone else’s feelings and perspectives. The Empathy Lab says that each book 'explores timely, powerful themes, including food poverty and homelessness; handling and sharing emotions; identity; understanding different cultures and changing society for the better.'
In January 2023, published in the US.
Also in January 2023, shortlisted for the UK's Badger Book Award, designed to encourage reading for pleasure and to champion incredible books.
'Respectfully written with wonderfully vivid and complex characters, Mitchell’s brilliant narrative is one of freedom and constraint, secrets and lies, hope and heartache.' (KPMG Children's Books Ireland Awards 2023, February 2023).
'A compassionate look at the asylum seeker system in Ireland through the eyes of a teen girl.' (School Library Journal, February 2023).
'A gripping, educational page-turner about a pressing issue that affects millions worldwide.' (Kirkus Reviews Issue, January 2023) .
'A powerful story featuring resourceful women bravely making their way toward safety and hope.' (Publishers Weekly, December 2022) .
'When Azari and her mother flee their country, they don’t expect to end up sharing a room with a stranger. As Azari rebuilds her life and rediscovers her love of running, the horrors of what they fled are revealed. With incredible compassion the author explains what life in direct provision is like.' (The Sunday Times - Ireland edition, November 2022)
'Jane Mitchell’s Run For Your Life stands out from this year. It is a well researched and hugely empathetic novel about a teenage girl living within the direct provision system. Deft and lyrical, it is a shocking condemnation of an unjust system wrapped in an utterly compelling story.' (Best Young Adult Fiction of 2022, The Irish Times, November 2022)
'Mitchell ... is at the top of her game here. Deftly and lyrically, she moves between Azari’s past and present, slowly building tension.' (The Irish Times, March 2022 )
April 2022, Ireland, and January 2023, United States of America: Little Island Books. ISBN: 978 1 9124 17858
April 2024, France: Babelio. ISBN: 978 2 3626 66490. Translated by Yasmine Gateau
June 2024, Georgia: Sulakauri Publishing. ISBN: 978 9 9413 75897
©Jane Mitchell. Webpage updated 2025