Can’t Get There From Here

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Her street name is Maybe. Thrown out by her abusive mom, she lives with a tribe of homeless teens — runaways and throwaways, kids who have no place to go other than the cold city streets, and no family except for one another. Abused, abandoned, and forgotten, they struggle against the cold, hunger, and constant danger.
With the frigid winds of January comes a new girl: Tears, a twelve-year-old whose mother doesn’t believe Tears’s stepfather abuses her. As the other kids start to disappear — victims of violence, addiction, and exposure — Maybe tries to help Tears get off the streets…if it’s not already too late.

1. Realistic Fiction for YA

Reviews

Booklist

A story about people that we pretend don’t exist; Strasser makes us know them.

Kirkus

Strasser’s vibrant prose plunges young readers into Maybe’s hard life, all without the use of profanity. A very welcome addition to the slice-of-life genre in YA literature that may help change some real lives.

School Library Journal

A powerful and disturbing look at the downward spiral of despair that remains too common for too many teens.

Awards

  • American Library Association: Best Book for Teens.
  • American Library Association: Quick Pick For Reluctant Readers.
  • American Library Association: Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults. 2010
  • Inter­na­tional Read­ing Association: Young Adult Choice Award.