Tomorrow, Maybe

Tomorrow, Maybe by Brian James PUSH, Scholastic Inc., 2003, 248 pp., $6.99 Coming of Age/Urban Street Life ISBN:0-439-49035-9

Gretchen, 15, most commonly known by her fellow street kids as Chen, is growing up homeless on the streets of New York. She faces the reality of having to beg for money, stealing to eat, and having an uncertainty of where she will sleep each night.

Not everything is depressing in Chen's world. She keeps her head held high and looks for the best in every drab situation. Although she sometimes misses the everyday luxuries of having a family and a home, she finds her place in the freedom of the streets.

Chen's life takes a significant turn on a typically cold winter night in New York City when young Elizabeth, 11, enters the picture. Chen vows she will always take care of Elizabeth and never leave her side. The two are like sisters. They beg together, they share the money made, and they watch out for one another. After teaching themselves for years that they cannot trust anyone, not even their own fathers, they find the trust and strength in one another to help get through another night.

Invoking many emotions, this novel will take young readers through turns and twists that are rather scary and sometimes very sad situations. But perhaps it will make those young people, uncertain of this time in their lives, more aware of their surroundings each day and hopefully provide a little light on the sometimes dark circumstances of their lives.

Erin Murphy

Minneapolis, MN

Copyright Assembly on Literature for Adolescents -- National Council of Teachers of English Winter 2004
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