A review by falconerreader
If I Ever Get Out of Here by Eric Gansworth

5.0

I stayed up until 2 am finishing this. When I started, I was all, "Oh, Part-Time Indian in upstate New York." But no. I still love Alexie's book, but this is no imitation or little brother. If I Ever Get Out of Here stands firmly on its own feet. It is a story of friendship, first and foremost. It's a story of family, school, poverty, standing up for yourself in the face of intense prejudice--but mostly it's about the power of friendship. And music.

Grittier than many MG novels, but solidly PG, with an ending that is realistic yet optimistic. I could read this to a middle school class--porn movies and magazines are alluded to, and a few people who really, really deserve it are called assholes, but that's as far as it goes.