A review by froydis
If I Ever Get Out of Here by Eric Gansworth
3.0
Thanks to Netgalley.com and Arthur A. Levine Books for early access to this title.
3 1/2 stars - This is a great book! I'm so used to teen books which are so over the top with emotion and action that this one felt a bit slow to begin with. It soon sucked me in, however. I fell in love with Louis and really felt for his problems. I also thoroughly enjoyed his friend, George, and loved that they "came together" through the Beatles. The families of both boys are also quite well done, particularly George's father. My only real down side, and the reason for 3 1/2 stars as opposed to 4, was that the bullies and their father were so one-dimentional. They served their plot purpose of being purely evil, but were not particularly realistic because of that. Its still a great read, and one I would Recommend to teens for several reasons: Great writing, great characterizations, great insight into cultural differences (both Native American and military), and the bullying plot line.
3 1/2 stars - This is a great book! I'm so used to teen books which are so over the top with emotion and action that this one felt a bit slow to begin with. It soon sucked me in, however. I fell in love with Louis and really felt for his problems. I also thoroughly enjoyed his friend, George, and loved that they "came together" through the Beatles. The families of both boys are also quite well done, particularly George's father. My only real down side, and the reason for 3 1/2 stars as opposed to 4, was that the bullies and their father were so one-dimentional. They served their plot purpose of being purely evil, but were not particularly realistic because of that. Its still a great read, and one I would Recommend to teens for several reasons: Great writing, great characterizations, great insight into cultural differences (both Native American and military), and the bullying plot line.