If I Ever Get Out of Here
Scholastic Inc | ISBN 9780545417310 Paperback
368 Pages | 5.27" x 8.03" | Ages 12 & Up
Scholastic Inc | ISBN 9780545417303 Hardcover
368 Pages | 5.75" x 8.55" | Ages 12 & Up
Scholastic Inc | ISBN 9780545631969 Ebook
368 Pages | Ages 12 & Up
A debut novel that "fearlessly lays down the truth"* about friendship, poverty, and the joys of rock 'n' roll.
Lewis "Shoe" Blake is used to the joys and difficulties of life on the Tuscarora Indian reservation in 1975: the joking, the Fireball games, the snow blowing through his roof. What he's not used to is white people being nice to him - people like George Haddonfield, whose family recently moved to town with the Air Force.
As the boys connect through their mutual passion for music, especially the Beatles, Lewis has to lie more and more to hide the reality of his family's poverty from George. He also has to deal with the vicious Evan Reininger, who makes Lewis the special target of his wrath. But when everyone else is on Evan's side, how can he be defeated? And if George finds out the truth about Lewis's home - will he still be his friend?
Raves & reviews:
Praise for If I Ever Get Out of Here:
* " Eric Gansworth fearlessly lays down the truth about what it's like to grow up poor, and the strength it takes to hold your head high and find a way out." -Laurie Halse Anderson, author of Speak
" If I Ever Get Out of Here rings true with a sophisticated look at what it's like to be an outsider and what it takes to be a true friend . . . More than just engaging, [it] is the sort of book that can spark all kinds of meaningful conversation." -Los Angeles Times
" Lewis' desire to move between cultures, and his difficulty doing so, will resonate with readers of many backgrounds . . . a worthy exploration of identity and friendship between middle school boys who live in different worlds." -Kirkus
" Readers will appreciate the teenager's sharp insights into being an outsider and Gansworth's intimate knowledge of the prejudices and injustices inherent to Lewis's life." -Publishers Weekly