Jason Cockcroft

Rabbit and his mum have moved to the coast to run a small caravan park. Rabbit has been struggling since he saw his father die – he finds it hard to speak.

When he befriends a local boy, Joe, Rabbit begins to feel better – but he keeps having strange dreams of a frightened white horse. Hunting for the animal, the two boys stumble across something much more dangerous: a man being held hostage by a criminal gang.

Their discovery will set them on a dangerous path that will risk everything Rabbit holds dear…

Student Reviews

Commended Review
Running With Horses is a heart-warming novel about love, overcoming fears and the friendship of “Rabbit” and Joe. The dramatic start to this book is a dream depicting a silvery mare running from an unseen danger. It sets a rather intense undertone to the book and is, to some extent, establishing a theme that recurs in the rest of the thrilling narrative.
This next paragraph brings us onto our main protagonist, Rabbit. After witnessing the brutal murder of his father, Rabbit now loves with his single mother near the coast in a small town called East Ferry. After his father died, Rabbit found himself unable to talk, at least for a short time, which is where he got his nickname. His best friend, Joe, helps even out this quiet characteristic because he talks enough for both.
Their happy relationship takes a dark turn when Joe offers to show Rabbit a “dead horse”. Along the way there it becomes obvious from the way Joe is nervous that something is not right. Upon arrival they find Billy, Joe’s gangly older stepbrother acting maliciously towards a man trapped in a deep pit.
This book was written in first person, an important decision on the writer’s behalf, as, at least from my perspective, it improves every aspect of the overall telling. All the settings were described in a way that really helped paint a picture of where the people were. The depth of feelings and attitudes is remarkable, almost as if I knew all the characters.
This is a wonderful novel with clear morals and an underlying sense of love. The way the story unravels from there shows the author’s clear understanding of the story and skill as a writer. I would recommend it to any young readers as an opportunity to try something new.
– Harriet, Manor CE Academy

Running With Horses is a novel by Jason Cockcroft that tells the story of Rabbit and his mother who move to the coast to run a small caravan park. Rabbit has been struggling since he saw his father die and finds it hard to speak. When he befriends a local boy, Joe, Rabbit begins to feel better. However, he keeps having strange dreams of a frightened white horse. While hunting for the animal, the two boys stumble across something much more dangerous: a man being held hostage by a criminal gang. Their discovery will set them on a dangerous path that will risk everything Rabbit holds dear.
The book is written in first person and the story is presented in narrative format, with the plot unfolding through the eyes of Rabbit, the protagonist. The author uses vivid descriptions and imagery to bring the characters and settings to life. The book is suitable for young adults and older readers who enjoy stories of adventure, friendship, and overcoming adversity.
I personally think that this book is amazing because I love adventure books and this one I think is one of the best adventure books I have ever read, so from me this book deserves a solid 10 out of 10. Thank you for reading and have a nice day.
– Manor CE Academy

This book has received several writing and illustration awards, and has been praised for its messages – but how will it fare in the prestigious York Book Awards?
The book focuses on a child, nicknamed ‘Rabbit’, who has moved to the coast with his mother after a traumatic time, and his friend Joe. They find someone who has been captured and tormented by Joe’s malevolent brother, Billy. They then proceed not to tell police or reasonable adults, but instead stumble through the plot, making poor choices along the way.
The writing is evocative, emotional and well-crafted, almost poetic in its style. The only flaw in the wordcraft is that it is sometimes difficult to understand, with long, slang-filled descriptions of the main character’s psyche (the story in first person) – though in all fairness, this fits the book’s focus on the character’s feelings.
This book is well-crafted and deserves its awards, although the author’s style may not be for everyone.
– Toby, All Saints

This was an excellent but sad novel. I thought the story could have developed more quickly to catch the reader’s attention, but it was a fantastic read!
– Amara, St Peter’s School

This book narrates the adventure of Rabbit and his friend Joe, depicting their warm friendship, the fear of a bully, and the sadness of losing a loved one. The story is full of sorrowful events that may bring tears to your eyes.
Rabbit and Joe are the main characters and their friendship is beautifully portrayed through words and illustrations, reminding you of the sadness and hope in life.
The story’s special touch is the stunning illustrations that pull you into the story and intensify the tension. The high-quality pictures convey a story that words cannot express.
This book is an outstanding piece that I have read this year. The writer’s words paint a vivid picture of the horse running through the story, creating a sense of depression but also hope. I highly recommend this book to a lot of people as I enjoyed every page!
– Isaac, St Peter’s School

I really liked this book as it was an interesting insight on a life very different from mine. It was extremely well written as it made quite a straightforward plot into an excitable read. It portrayed emotions very well and made me quite emotional at some parts. Rabbit (Jonny) was a likeable character who I sympathised with and smiled with as he embarked on small adventures with his remarkable friend, Joe. This book was unlike others I have read and I thoroughly enjoyed it! Great read.
– Rose, All Saints

I enjoyed this book ten times more than I thought I would. It was easy to read and engaging from start to finish, and I could hardly put it down. The story was very tense but had a content ending where everything is not perfect but draws together nicely. It kept me on the edge of my seat. The main character was Rabbit and his best friend is Joe, who has a dangerous brother called Billy. They find a man named Mac down a hole and have to help him. Rabbit’s dad had died, which adds sadness to the storyline. The addition of the characters Louise (Rabbit’s counsellor) and Sophie (Rabbit’s girlfriend from his old town) add a sort of relief from the darkness of the story. It is beautifully illustrated and I really recommend it.
– Elena, Millthorpe School

I must preface this review with the fact that I, unfortunately did not get to read the latter parts of this book.
I will start this review with the one major gripe that I have with this book is that you never really get to know who Rabbit is. I mean, halfway through you do get to know his first name, Johnny Hill, named after his dead Father, John Hill. The reason I mention this is that I struggled to really connect with him the way it is often to do this, though it does add to the turmoil between him and his past that I will mention later. Whether this is an active design choice or not, I just do not enjoy this aspect of the story.
Now that I have finished talking about this books’ only major flaw (in my opinion), I want to talk about the amazing parts of this book that made me love its’ environment. This is the amazing use of similes and metaphors in this book, that intertwine between its words and produce an amazing portrait of words, a story in its own right. It’s hard to read through a paragraph of this book without falling into their trap.
One final reason I found this book enjoyable to read was the internal struggle between Rabbits’ past and present, shown and his dream and a constant motif throughout, with the first major plot point almost being a red herring, making you think that Max, the man in the hole might just be his dad, though Rabbit quickly dismisses this as nonsense, his father is a consistent shadow hanging over the story.
In conclusion, I believe that Jason Cockcroft has done an amazing job in the creation of this book, with only a few flaws throughout.
– Felix, All Saints

This book, Running With Horses by Jason Cockcroft, is an intriguing book that follows Rabbit and his friend Joe. For Rabbit, Joe seems like one of the only people he can talk to after the death of his father. This novel follows them as they wander their way into and out of trouble, but still, through it all, they stick by each other’s side, even as Joe struggles to stand up to a member of his own family.
Personally, I rally enjoyed this book and I think that it is extremely well written. Cockcroft starts off by putting you in the mind of Rabbit and he really develops his character before beginning to venture into his past whilst simultaneously leaving you with questions we only hope will be answered. This element in particular just kept me reading. For me, the plot of this book seemed predictable at first, but by the end the winding plot twists proved me wrong.
I would definitely give this book 4.5 stars. Its characters are really well developed, almost as if you’re in the mind of them, and the storyline throughout this novel is intriguing. I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone looking for an absorbing and enjoyable read.
– Lucy, St Peter’s School

It was amazing. It was sooo good. I could read it 100,000 times and still love it. It really gets you thinking about others and what can go wrong. I think that the author has some personal experience with bullies as well which is horrible. But overall, really good and amazing!
– Niamh, All Saints

I think this book was a wonderful short story but fills up many chapters because of the amazing amount of description. I love how each character is introduced with a story themselves. Near the end in the last, sadder chapters, I have to admit I was about to cry ☹. I loved when everybody is reunited with someone they love.
The story was very well written because one night I kept saying to myself “ok, stop next page,” but I just couldn’t stop reading so I read until the end.
My favourite chapter was when they free Half Moon and ride back home.
– Seri, All Saints

Running with Horses is good! It’s about a boy nicknamed Rabbit who lives near the seaside after his dad’s death. He has a new best friend called Joe and everything is alright until Joe’s older brother, Billy, comes to stay. When Joe leads Rabbit to a hole in the ground containing a man whom Billy hurt and imprisoned, they embark on a wild adventure to stop Billy.
When reading, I felt tense to see what would happen next and sad for Rabbit and what happened to him. Rabbit is quiet, shy and has a sense of justice, and Joe is confident and happy, but tense and scared when Billy is around.
Reading the story is fairly easy but something was hard to follow. There weren’t really any twists which makes the story less exciting. I would recommend this book for readers aged 11+ because it deals with difficult emotions and topics. Also, it has swearing in it which would be inappropriate for younger readers.
Overall, this is a good book and deserves to be in the York Book Awards.
– Emily, All Saints