Tomorrow, Maybe
Grade 7-10-Gretchen, nicknamed Chan, is a 15-year-old runaway living on the streets of New York City. She left home two years earlier when her recently widowed father married an abusive woman. She has learned how to survive, finding places to crash with people she hopes are friends. One night, as she and her friend Jef are settling into a new squat, a child shows up. The others try to make her leave, but Chan takes the 11-year-old in, and she and Elizabeth start to save money from their begging forays so that they can leave town. One night Jef invites them to a rock show, but it is a trap that will send them into enslaved prostitution. They barely escape, and the next day Elizabeth runs off with their money. Devastated, Gretchen breaks down and calls her father, who is overjoyed to hear from her and comes to get her. James has created a believable world for these two girls, a harsh and scary yet often tender place. The language is raw yet poetic; Chan's voice is appropriate and fresh. The author has done a fine job of presenting the issues surrounding teen homelessness.Angela J. Reynolds, Washington County Cooperative Library Services, Hillsboro, ORCopyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.