Can't Get There from Here - by Todd Strasser (Paperback)

About the Book

The author of the powerful "Give a Boy a Gun" again focuses on an important social issue as he tells a thought-provoking, heart-wrenching story of young lives lost to the streets, and of a society that has forgotten how to care.

Book Synopsis

"A powerful and disturbing look at the downward spiral of despair that remains too common for too many teens (School Library Journal)."

Her street name is Maybe. 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 weather, hunger, and constant danger.

With the frigid winds of January comes a new girl: Tears, a twelve-year-old whose mother doesn't believe her husband is abusive. 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.

Review Quotes

"A powerful and disturbing look at the downward spiral of despair that remains too common for too many teens."--School Library Journal


"A true-to-life novel that should hold strong appeal for teen readers--and help keep them off the streets."--Bookpage

"Strasser's vibrant prose plunges young reads 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 to change some real lives."--Kirkus Reviews

About the Author

Todd Strasser has written more than 120 novels for adults, teenagers, and children, including Famous, If I Grow Up, Boot Camp, Give a Boy a Gun, and Girl Gives Birth to Own Prom Date, which was adapted for the Fox feature film Drive Me Crazy. He also wrote Shirts and Shoes Not Required, now part of The Shore bind-up. He speaks frequently at schools and lives in Westchester County, New York.