Rider the Runaway is set in a future of climate change. Have you sometimes thought of running away from home? You might have a tough time out in the world if you do. Saskia--alias Rider--barely a fourteen-year-old, inspired by riding on a dragon in a dream and longing to see the ocean, runs away. She is lucky to find a nice person, Jeff, to help her. But Rider has to fight a bully, run from kidnappers, and survive a bushfire too. When she meets up with her mother again, they reach a surprising agreement about Rider's future.