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Bluford High #14
No Way Out
Bluford High freshman Harold Davis is trapped. Medical bills for his sick grandmother are piling up, and a social worker has threatened to put him in a foster home. Desperate for money, he reluctantly agrees to work for Londell James, a neighborhood drug dealer. The choice leads him into a world of dangerous streets where no one is safe. Will Harold escape the violence that surrounds him, or will he become its next victim?
140 pages, Paperback
First published September 22, 2008
167 people are currently reading
3238 people want to read
About the author
Peggy Kern
11 books89 followersPeggy Kern is the author of two books for the Bluford High Series. She lives with her daughter in Massachusetts.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 220 reviews
November 6, 2009
This book is about a boy named Harold Davis woth a lot of trouble on his hands. He lives with his Grandma everything comes crashing down once she falls down the steps of their apartment complex. She has a problem paying all of the medical bills, so he decides to deliver drugs from an ex-con, Londell James. He soon realizes that this isn't what he was supposed to be doing and tried to get out of the game, but Londell threatened him and Harold could find No Way Out. You'd have to read the book to find the outcome of all this.
I think this is a really good book and I would recommend this book to anybody. I would especially recommend this book to someone that has the same problems as the main character, Harold Davis. Just like the rest of the Bluford Series, this book tells about problems that happen in everyday life. It tells the right way to solve a crisis, without putting yourslef in danger.
I think this is a really good book and I would recommend this book to anybody. I would especially recommend this book to someone that has the same problems as the main character, Harold Davis. Just like the rest of the Bluford Series, this book tells about problems that happen in everyday life. It tells the right way to solve a crisis, without putting yourslef in danger.
December 16, 2014
I thought that the book "No Way Out" by Peggy Kern is a really good book. In most books i read i like when somebody goes through a struggle and gets help and there's a very important and useful lesson at the end. In this book thats exactly how it is because the main character has a life changing situation and cant help himself so he tries to be a big boy and do what he thinks is right and while he is doing that he is losing friends and is making the choice to practically lose his life. like i said before there is always that one hero , Mr.Harrison is his ! this man saved his life and could've got his take... Read the book to find out what happened .
January 5, 2015
If you like happy ending and rough beginnings than NO WAY OUT is the book for you.This book is realistic fiction because these characters are not real but the situations that's going on in this book are real and they're happening in everyday life. I really liked this book because it was very interesting and I really liked the way the author made the characters movement and things clear for me to picture. ***Spoiler Alert*** Harold will start working for harold and get into some trouble but New.harris will save him from almost getting killed!?!?!?!
This book is about a boy named Harold who is all alone well atleast feels that he's alone but he has his grandmother. His grandmother is sick and their very low on money. Harold's grandmother get something in the mail.grandma does want Harold to look at her papers because she doesn't want him to worry about anything.Harold see's the papers on the table and he starts snooping through the mail while grandma is sleep and he see's a paper with his name on it.... There really isn't a conflict to match this story because the story is very difficult and it just wasn't meant to fit a conflict.This book took place in California there we many different settings throughout the book but the main setting is and Harold and his Grandmother's house.
I can't relate to Harold but I have family members and close friends that can. Harold has no mother or father.In the text it states "there was no other family. His mom died in childbirth with him, and his father had run out shortly after that. He had no one else to stay with."This close friend of mine that I use to go to school with doesn't either because his mother died and his father isn't around...But the only difference between him and Harold is that he has and aunt instead of a grandmother. I felt really bad for Harold because he had book one but grandma and he barley had her because she was sick.
I noticed how the author made the characters movements and facial expressions more visible. In the text the author states "It's not so bad, Grandma," he replied. He noticed the bruise on here face was fading, and though she still looked tired, her eyes seemed a bit brighter.'' I really liked that cause I was able to picture the whole thing.
I would Rate this book 5 stars because I liked the way the author created the story and even though the characters may not have known each other very Well they still had a very good and kind heart for one another.I would recommend this book to everyone that likes happy endings sad beginning and rough middles and I would also recommended this to some of my close friends and family members so they can see that there's a better way to help out and make money.
This book is about a boy named Harold who is all alone well atleast feels that he's alone but he has his grandmother. His grandmother is sick and their very low on money. Harold's grandmother get something in the mail.grandma does want Harold to look at her papers because she doesn't want him to worry about anything.Harold see's the papers on the table and he starts snooping through the mail while grandma is sleep and he see's a paper with his name on it.... There really isn't a conflict to match this story because the story is very difficult and it just wasn't meant to fit a conflict.This book took place in California there we many different settings throughout the book but the main setting is and Harold and his Grandmother's house.
I can't relate to Harold but I have family members and close friends that can. Harold has no mother or father.In the text it states "there was no other family. His mom died in childbirth with him, and his father had run out shortly after that. He had no one else to stay with."This close friend of mine that I use to go to school with doesn't either because his mother died and his father isn't around...But the only difference between him and Harold is that he has and aunt instead of a grandmother. I felt really bad for Harold because he had book one but grandma and he barley had her because she was sick.
I noticed how the author made the characters movements and facial expressions more visible. In the text the author states "It's not so bad, Grandma," he replied. He noticed the bruise on here face was fading, and though she still looked tired, her eyes seemed a bit brighter.'' I really liked that cause I was able to picture the whole thing.
I would Rate this book 5 stars because I liked the way the author created the story and even though the characters may not have known each other very Well they still had a very good and kind heart for one another.I would recommend this book to everyone that likes happy endings sad beginning and rough middles and I would also recommended this to some of my close friends and family members so they can see that there's a better way to help out and make money.
October 24, 2017
No Way Out, makes the reader feel anxious to find out more. It makes you feel scared and almost shocked at the same time. Every time you start reading, you are able to visualize the small details the book has. You can almost feel what the characters emotions are at the time. I like how the author makes the small details into very important details. I recommend this book to all.
January 7, 2009
Is about a boy who lives with hes grandma because hes mom die and hes grandma is taking care of him. He gets trouble every day.
December 17, 2018
My students, most of whom are struggling readers who generally dislike books, really liked this book. That makes this one special in some capacity. However, I found it incredibly boring and at times, succumbing to white stereotypes of black people. I like the idea of the Bluford series because the stories deal with concepts that are relevant to kids who have often been left out of high school literature in a sea of white and normative characters. At the same time, I wish that they had hired an African American to write this story, which is entirely about African American characters. There were many points where the white author does a sort of awkward job. The examples are subtle, and they didn't bother my students at all, but they're still worth noting. For instance, the 'bad' characters have ethnic-sounding names (Londell, Jupiter) where the 'good' characters have passably white names (Harold, Cindy, Darryl). Black skin is described using words that usually describe food (this is a common practice, but it still seems demeaning to me. There are plenty of other options).
Perhaps I'm splitting hairs, but I think the series has the potential to do better in terms of cultural appreciation. I don't mean to say that I believe white people cannot write authentic black characters and vice versa (they certainly can), I just wonder if this book, which exclusively deals with urban culture and black characters, might not have benefitted from being told by a person with more direct insight.
Perhaps I'm splitting hairs, but I think the series has the potential to do better in terms of cultural appreciation. I don't mean to say that I believe white people cannot write authentic black characters and vice versa (they certainly can), I just wonder if this book, which exclusively deals with urban culture and black characters, might not have benefitted from being told by a person with more direct insight.
October 24, 2017
No way out is one of my favorite books. This book makes you feel worried and scared for the little boy because the grandma gets hurt and the little boy is feels all alone. I would recommend this book because it makes you want to read more and more just to know wants going on. There are series which are called Bluford High. I would recommend the series.
May 14, 2017
No Way Out Book Review
When times get rough around the house, some kids freeze up but for 15 year old Harold he wants to become the man of the house and help cover his grandmother’s hospital bills. He needs to find a quick easy way to help her get better fast so he can return back to his normal life. With the support system of his grandmother his childhood friend Cindy and a kind neighbor named Mr. Harris nothing could go wrong. Harold also has to deal with getting bullied at school about his weight. His grandmother told him two lessons that she always wanted him to follow, one was “Stay away from the boys that hang around the supermarket.”
When he didn’t listen to it and made a bad mistake, he got himself caught in something he wanted out of. When he started to pay for some of the bills with his money everything was going good until life took a bad turn. With no one to run to and no one and to tell, he was truly right where they wanted him. Would he be able to get himself out of this sticky situation. Also the other lesson she told him was, “Stay away from Drugs.”
Warning: Spoilers and Discussion of Essential Plot Elements Follow
When Harold’s grandmother fell down the stairs while he was at school she messed up her leg pretty bad so she’s going to have to stay off of it for a while. So Harold is now going to have to do all the things his grandmother did for him, such as cook, clean, and grocery shop. Mr. Harris a marine that moved back to his old neighbor to keep it safe from crime and misfits told Harold that he would help him when he needed it knowing a 15 year old wouldn’t be able to take care of his hurting grandmother. Also with the help of his one friend Darrell from school he has some who has his back. And a childhood friend that Harold had a crush on named Cindy would be there for help too, it seemed like the odds were in his favor.
The setting of the book are from several places around town the main place his Harold’s apartment in an apartment complex, this is also where Cindy and Mr. Harris stay. Another place is the supermarket a couple blocks away, this is where Harold first gets a job to help support his grandmother. The school where Cindy, Darrell and Harold attend are Bluford High, here they are all freshmen and short term friend Darrell is on the school wrestling team. The playground in the hood aka 25th Street is where Londell and his little brother Jupiter and their groupies hangout at and sell drugs. Shawn’s house is also a main setting in the story but you will find out about that later.
The protagonist in the story is Harold. Things you need to know about him is that he lives with his grandmother because his mother died giving birth to him and his father ran out soon after that. Also he doesn’t have any more known family around where they stay. He sold drugs to get money so his grandmother wouldn’t have to use hers to pay medical bills. He is an over weight kid that gets bullied a lot and is too embarrassed to try and defend himself.
The antagonist of the story is Londell. Things you need to know about are that he shot someone before but couldn’t be charged because they lacked evidence. Another thing is that he is a drug dealer and he is the big man of the neighborhood. Also the neighborhood he is the big man of happens to be 25th Street which is a bad neighborhood. He is the big brother of Jupiter who is someone Harold known for a long time since middle school.
The main conflict of the story is that Harold is trying to make quick money to help pay the bills with his grandmother. The conflict starts when Harold is taking care of his grandmother and sees a stack of bills on the table and when he looks through them the total was a couple thousands of dollars. At first he tries to solve the conflict by getting a job at the supermarket for minimum wage, when the pay checks weren’t coming out how he hoped he wanted to take a different approach. Londell told before that if he wanted to make money, he could talk to Londell at the playground on 25th Street and when he decided to take the offer he didn’t know what kind of trouble he was going to get himself into. He decided he was going to start selling drugs for Londell for 50 dollars a day.
The rising action started when Harold seen how easy it was to make his first 50 dollars when he went on a ride along with Londell to learn the ropes about selling. This is when Harold meet Shawn, who would buy drugs daily from Londell and now Harold. Londell dropped Harold off at home after the ride along and Cindy seen him with Londell and she told him about his grandmother not wanting Harold around him, she found out he was selling drugs with Londell too. When Harold replaced the first two bills checks that his grandmother put in there to cover the cost of them with the money he made from working and selling drugs. He thought things were going to start looking better around the house now that he’s making easy money.
The climax of the story was when Harold went back the next day after school and went to go get in the car with Londell and he was told by him he needed to go make the sells by himself and Londell wasn’t giving him a ride along this time. This made Harold think about how he needed to be home by a certain time and if he didn’t hurry he wouldn’t make it back in time. The first house on the list was Shawns, when he arrived to the house the man’s wife was home and when he went to give Harold the money it was only 60 out of the 100 dollars that the poison in the paper bag costed, but at this moment Harold didn’t know what was on the inside of those bags. When Harold’s was telling Shawn he needed the rest of the money a little girl from the neighborhood seen Harold selling drugs and this made him all freaked out. Harold didn’t want people to know he was selling drugs so he decided that he wanted to quit but it isn’t that easy to get out of the game and Londell wasn’t going to let him.
The falling action started with Mr. Harris taking Harold grocery shopping so that him and his grandmother would have healthier food to eat and his grandmother could get better faster. When they were leaving the store Harold seen Londell waiting for Jupiter in the parking lot, Mr. Harris seen Londell staring at Harold so he confronted him protecting Harold and they got into a little altercation. Mr. Harris knee that Londell was a drug dealer just based off of what happened at the store. When Harold’s had to go to Shawns house to sell the first paper bag, Shawn came outside feening for the drug and when he found out Harold was alone he attacked him beating Harold up and breaking his nose and stealing the drugs without giving Harold any money for them. Harold raced home where he was already late and when he went start to the bathroom his grandmother found the bag of drugs in his backpack.
Without explaining Harold left before he could get yelled at and went to the playground to talk to Londell away from his neighborhood. This is when the resolution started to take place because Mr. Harris quickly followed him to the area as backup to keep Harold safe and when he showed up him and Londell got into it. As the fight was happening Londell’s gun went flying out of reach of everyone except Jupiter. Cop sirens were heading their way as Londell was telling Jupiter to pick up the gun and shoot Mr. Harris. After thinking about it for a split second Jupiter says, “I’ll take care of mom while you’re gone.” And starts running towards home with this friend who is always beside him.
The denouement of the story was when Mr. Harris took Harold back home after all the resolution happened. Everyone sat down with Harold including Cindy because she was there too and they started discussing why everything was happening. Harold brought up how he seen the bills and the letter from social services and that if something happened to his grandmother he would have no where to go. Mr. Harris then walked over to the letter that said this and signed his name to get custody if something was to happen and this took away all the pressure that was on Harold. His grandmother told him that they weren’t broke like Harold thought they were just tight on money at the moment and that she was going to make everything right.
The secondary characters that I didn’t talk about started with the school bully named Rodney Banks, he is the boy that picks on Harold when he is at school. Another secondary character is Mr. Marshall who is the manager at the supermarket and is Harold’s first boss. Keenan is the boy who Jupiter is always with, I’m pretty sure that they are best friends or it seems that way. Shawn who was the man who Harold sold the drugs to is another secondary character. And the last secondary character is the little boy named Bug with the yellow backpack who does little chores that Londell and Jupiter need done and don’t do it themselves, Harold wants Bug to stop because he doesn’t want him to go down the wrong path so he wants to get him to stop causing trouble and focus on his schooling more.
The first memorable quote is on page 32 and was when Londell told Harold “Maybe one day I’ll need a favor and you can help me out. Like I said men like us need to think about the future.” One memorable quote from the story is only memorable to Harold and it was when on page 98 the little girl seen Harold selling drugs and she screamed “Mommy!” Another inexpensive for Harold was when on page 6 the social worker asked “ Do you have any other family, Harold? Is there someone you could stay with?” The last memorable quote was on the very last page on page 140 when Mr. Harris told Harold that “ You’re worth fighting for, son. Don’t you ever forget that.”
My overall assessment of the book is that it was very interesting and I couldn’t put it down until it was finished. I rate this book a 4.5 out of 5 stars just because it would have been better if it was longer and I couldn’t finish it as fast. I believe that this is a really good book and I would like to read more books by Peggy Kern if they are just as interesting as this one. One way the book could be better though is if it had better transitions between the scenes of the book. I really enjoyed reading the book and I think it is in my top favorite books now.
When times get rough around the house, some kids freeze up but for 15 year old Harold he wants to become the man of the house and help cover his grandmother’s hospital bills. He needs to find a quick easy way to help her get better fast so he can return back to his normal life. With the support system of his grandmother his childhood friend Cindy and a kind neighbor named Mr. Harris nothing could go wrong. Harold also has to deal with getting bullied at school about his weight. His grandmother told him two lessons that she always wanted him to follow, one was “Stay away from the boys that hang around the supermarket.”
When he didn’t listen to it and made a bad mistake, he got himself caught in something he wanted out of. When he started to pay for some of the bills with his money everything was going good until life took a bad turn. With no one to run to and no one and to tell, he was truly right where they wanted him. Would he be able to get himself out of this sticky situation. Also the other lesson she told him was, “Stay away from Drugs.”
Warning: Spoilers and Discussion of Essential Plot Elements Follow
When Harold’s grandmother fell down the stairs while he was at school she messed up her leg pretty bad so she’s going to have to stay off of it for a while. So Harold is now going to have to do all the things his grandmother did for him, such as cook, clean, and grocery shop. Mr. Harris a marine that moved back to his old neighbor to keep it safe from crime and misfits told Harold that he would help him when he needed it knowing a 15 year old wouldn’t be able to take care of his hurting grandmother. Also with the help of his one friend Darrell from school he has some who has his back. And a childhood friend that Harold had a crush on named Cindy would be there for help too, it seemed like the odds were in his favor.
The setting of the book are from several places around town the main place his Harold’s apartment in an apartment complex, this is also where Cindy and Mr. Harris stay. Another place is the supermarket a couple blocks away, this is where Harold first gets a job to help support his grandmother. The school where Cindy, Darrell and Harold attend are Bluford High, here they are all freshmen and short term friend Darrell is on the school wrestling team. The playground in the hood aka 25th Street is where Londell and his little brother Jupiter and their groupies hangout at and sell drugs. Shawn’s house is also a main setting in the story but you will find out about that later.
The protagonist in the story is Harold. Things you need to know about him is that he lives with his grandmother because his mother died giving birth to him and his father ran out soon after that. Also he doesn’t have any more known family around where they stay. He sold drugs to get money so his grandmother wouldn’t have to use hers to pay medical bills. He is an over weight kid that gets bullied a lot and is too embarrassed to try and defend himself.
The antagonist of the story is Londell. Things you need to know about are that he shot someone before but couldn’t be charged because they lacked evidence. Another thing is that he is a drug dealer and he is the big man of the neighborhood. Also the neighborhood he is the big man of happens to be 25th Street which is a bad neighborhood. He is the big brother of Jupiter who is someone Harold known for a long time since middle school.
The main conflict of the story is that Harold is trying to make quick money to help pay the bills with his grandmother. The conflict starts when Harold is taking care of his grandmother and sees a stack of bills on the table and when he looks through them the total was a couple thousands of dollars. At first he tries to solve the conflict by getting a job at the supermarket for minimum wage, when the pay checks weren’t coming out how he hoped he wanted to take a different approach. Londell told before that if he wanted to make money, he could talk to Londell at the playground on 25th Street and when he decided to take the offer he didn’t know what kind of trouble he was going to get himself into. He decided he was going to start selling drugs for Londell for 50 dollars a day.
The rising action started when Harold seen how easy it was to make his first 50 dollars when he went on a ride along with Londell to learn the ropes about selling. This is when Harold meet Shawn, who would buy drugs daily from Londell and now Harold. Londell dropped Harold off at home after the ride along and Cindy seen him with Londell and she told him about his grandmother not wanting Harold around him, she found out he was selling drugs with Londell too. When Harold replaced the first two bills checks that his grandmother put in there to cover the cost of them with the money he made from working and selling drugs. He thought things were going to start looking better around the house now that he’s making easy money.
The climax of the story was when Harold went back the next day after school and went to go get in the car with Londell and he was told by him he needed to go make the sells by himself and Londell wasn’t giving him a ride along this time. This made Harold think about how he needed to be home by a certain time and if he didn’t hurry he wouldn’t make it back in time. The first house on the list was Shawns, when he arrived to the house the man’s wife was home and when he went to give Harold the money it was only 60 out of the 100 dollars that the poison in the paper bag costed, but at this moment Harold didn’t know what was on the inside of those bags. When Harold’s was telling Shawn he needed the rest of the money a little girl from the neighborhood seen Harold selling drugs and this made him all freaked out. Harold didn’t want people to know he was selling drugs so he decided that he wanted to quit but it isn’t that easy to get out of the game and Londell wasn’t going to let him.
The falling action started with Mr. Harris taking Harold grocery shopping so that him and his grandmother would have healthier food to eat and his grandmother could get better faster. When they were leaving the store Harold seen Londell waiting for Jupiter in the parking lot, Mr. Harris seen Londell staring at Harold so he confronted him protecting Harold and they got into a little altercation. Mr. Harris knee that Londell was a drug dealer just based off of what happened at the store. When Harold’s had to go to Shawns house to sell the first paper bag, Shawn came outside feening for the drug and when he found out Harold was alone he attacked him beating Harold up and breaking his nose and stealing the drugs without giving Harold any money for them. Harold raced home where he was already late and when he went start to the bathroom his grandmother found the bag of drugs in his backpack.
Without explaining Harold left before he could get yelled at and went to the playground to talk to Londell away from his neighborhood. This is when the resolution started to take place because Mr. Harris quickly followed him to the area as backup to keep Harold safe and when he showed up him and Londell got into it. As the fight was happening Londell’s gun went flying out of reach of everyone except Jupiter. Cop sirens were heading their way as Londell was telling Jupiter to pick up the gun and shoot Mr. Harris. After thinking about it for a split second Jupiter says, “I’ll take care of mom while you’re gone.” And starts running towards home with this friend who is always beside him.
The denouement of the story was when Mr. Harris took Harold back home after all the resolution happened. Everyone sat down with Harold including Cindy because she was there too and they started discussing why everything was happening. Harold brought up how he seen the bills and the letter from social services and that if something happened to his grandmother he would have no where to go. Mr. Harris then walked over to the letter that said this and signed his name to get custody if something was to happen and this took away all the pressure that was on Harold. His grandmother told him that they weren’t broke like Harold thought they were just tight on money at the moment and that she was going to make everything right.
The secondary characters that I didn’t talk about started with the school bully named Rodney Banks, he is the boy that picks on Harold when he is at school. Another secondary character is Mr. Marshall who is the manager at the supermarket and is Harold’s first boss. Keenan is the boy who Jupiter is always with, I’m pretty sure that they are best friends or it seems that way. Shawn who was the man who Harold sold the drugs to is another secondary character. And the last secondary character is the little boy named Bug with the yellow backpack who does little chores that Londell and Jupiter need done and don’t do it themselves, Harold wants Bug to stop because he doesn’t want him to go down the wrong path so he wants to get him to stop causing trouble and focus on his schooling more.
The first memorable quote is on page 32 and was when Londell told Harold “Maybe one day I’ll need a favor and you can help me out. Like I said men like us need to think about the future.” One memorable quote from the story is only memorable to Harold and it was when on page 98 the little girl seen Harold selling drugs and she screamed “Mommy!” Another inexpensive for Harold was when on page 6 the social worker asked “ Do you have any other family, Harold? Is there someone you could stay with?” The last memorable quote was on the very last page on page 140 when Mr. Harris told Harold that “ You’re worth fighting for, son. Don’t you ever forget that.”
My overall assessment of the book is that it was very interesting and I couldn’t put it down until it was finished. I rate this book a 4.5 out of 5 stars just because it would have been better if it was longer and I couldn’t finish it as fast. I believe that this is a really good book and I would like to read more books by Peggy Kern if they are just as interesting as this one. One way the book could be better though is if it had better transitions between the scenes of the book. I really enjoyed reading the book and I think it is in my top favorite books now.
July 18, 2018
I read this episode as a trial to make sure the series was appropriate for a middle school student. After reading, I decided to read this series along with my granddaughter. The storyline was realistic as Harold tried to help his grandmother. Good easy read that held my attention.
#14
#14
March 25, 2010
This was a really good book. It showed how people’s lives are in the real world. How this story can happen to anyone. One thing that I learned is that you need to be careful of who you trust and hang out with. Harold didn’t do a good job of that. He knew that when he went to 25th street that trouble was going to start and that once he got there, there was no turning back. This book also made me think about how you should love your family while you’re alive and that when ever there is a problem between you and your family you should talk about it with them. Harold didn’t talk about it with his grandmother so he got himself in deep crap for no reason.
This book is like all the other Bluford books I read. This book kept me engage even when I got up to boring parts of it. Usually when I get up to boring parts of a book I will stop reading it even though the rest of the book might be amazing. I think that Harold really cared about his grandmother and him staying with her all the time forever until she is gone forever. One thing that I didn’t understand about Harold is why he would get himself tied up in drug dealing for Londell. He knew that Londell was bad news in the begging and he knew that once he joined is “crew” he would never be able to leave. I mean yeah it shows how much he cares about his grandmother and taking care of her bills and helping out a little bit, but was working for Londell his only option for good bucks???
I think that Harold knew that what he was getting himself into was wrong but he wanted to help out so he went on with it. I think that Harold is a good person, but what if Mr. Harris wasn’t there to save Harold from getting his but killed by Londell Harold probably would have died. The two other kids that were there are terrified of Londell so they probably wouldn’t do anything. I wonder own the ending of the book would have been if Mr. Harris wasn’t there to save Harold.
This book was really good. It kept me engaged at all times and my fluency was awesome. At some points of the story I wasn’t that committed. Sometimes I just wanted to put down the book, but I kept reading anyway. Not a lot of books can do that with me because I am a very picky reader. As soon as I don’t like a part of the book I tend to put it down and get another one. All of the Bluford books that I have read have kind of the same things going on. But overall this book was really good.
This book is like all the other Bluford books I read. This book kept me engage even when I got up to boring parts of it. Usually when I get up to boring parts of a book I will stop reading it even though the rest of the book might be amazing. I think that Harold really cared about his grandmother and him staying with her all the time forever until she is gone forever. One thing that I didn’t understand about Harold is why he would get himself tied up in drug dealing for Londell. He knew that Londell was bad news in the begging and he knew that once he joined is “crew” he would never be able to leave. I mean yeah it shows how much he cares about his grandmother and taking care of her bills and helping out a little bit, but was working for Londell his only option for good bucks???
I think that Harold knew that what he was getting himself into was wrong but he wanted to help out so he went on with it. I think that Harold is a good person, but what if Mr. Harris wasn’t there to save Harold from getting his but killed by Londell Harold probably would have died. The two other kids that were there are terrified of Londell so they probably wouldn’t do anything. I wonder own the ending of the book would have been if Mr. Harris wasn’t there to save Harold.
This book was really good. It kept me engaged at all times and my fluency was awesome. At some points of the story I wasn’t that committed. Sometimes I just wanted to put down the book, but I kept reading anyway. Not a lot of books can do that with me because I am a very picky reader. As soon as I don’t like a part of the book I tend to put it down and get another one. All of the Bluford books that I have read have kind of the same things going on. But overall this book was really good.
October 29, 2009
I have just finished the book No Way Out by Peggy Kern, it is a Bluford Series. This book is about a boy named Harold Davis who lives with his grandmother, and they were living good. Until, one day his grandmother fell down the stairs of their apartment complex, and then everything went wrong. She used to care for him and make sure Harold had everything he needed, now he was the one caring for her. Because her hospital bills were so high, his grandmother used most of her money trying to pay them back, which caused them to have a very scarce amount of money. Harold knew what he had to do, he had to find some way to get money. He then started working at a supermarket as a stockboy, and he started to notice that his paycheck wasnt enough because him and his grandma still had to budget their money on alot of things. So he then found another way to get paid, even more than 3 times what he got paid at the supermarket, as a Drug Dealer. He worked for this ex-con named Londell.And he later found out that this wasnt the place for him, and he tried to get out of the game, but Londell was not having it. He threatened Harold, and Harold soon found out, that there was NO WAY OUT. You have to read the book to find out more!
I liked this book alot mostly because it is reality. Alot of authors try to make a book be like a fairytale, and that nothing will go wrong and if something does go wrong, you can go back and make everything better. NOPE! That is not reality. There are actually some things that cant be changed, it is your job to forgive yourself and forget the past, but no matter how much you forget it, it will always be there because it is a part of your past. And I think that is what makes the author so unique, she is very realistic about this story and she doesnt "sugar coat" anything. I also like how the author "pulls you into" the story, and keeps you there. Basically what I am trying to say is that she keeps you interested. She always leaves you wondering what will happen next. One night I sat up in bed til 12 am in the morning reading the book because she just kept, at the end of every chapter, leaving me with the urge to read the next chapter, because I wanted to know what would happen next. It is a very suspenseful book and I think all suspense book lovers will love it, maybe even the non-suspense lovers..
I liked this book alot mostly because it is reality. Alot of authors try to make a book be like a fairytale, and that nothing will go wrong and if something does go wrong, you can go back and make everything better. NOPE! That is not reality. There are actually some things that cant be changed, it is your job to forgive yourself and forget the past, but no matter how much you forget it, it will always be there because it is a part of your past. And I think that is what makes the author so unique, she is very realistic about this story and she doesnt "sugar coat" anything. I also like how the author "pulls you into" the story, and keeps you there. Basically what I am trying to say is that she keeps you interested. She always leaves you wondering what will happen next. One night I sat up in bed til 12 am in the morning reading the book because she just kept, at the end of every chapter, leaving me with the urge to read the next chapter, because I wanted to know what would happen next. It is a very suspenseful book and I think all suspense book lovers will love it, maybe even the non-suspense lovers..
May 1, 2013
I respect the fact that Harold did what he had to do to take good care of his grandmother. I would have done the same because I love my grandma dearly. Drug dealing is illegal but i certainly dont knock it because you're making money. Finding aswell as maintaining a job isnt always easy so if you decide to sale drugs I agree with your decision.
This novel grabbed my attention in multiple ways. It showed how people’s lives are in the real world. How this story can happen to anyone. One thing that I learned is that you need to be careful of who you trust and hang out with. Harold didn’t do a good job of that. He knew that when he went to 25th street that trouble was going to start and that once he got there, there was no turning back. This book also made me think about how you should love your family while you’re alive and that when ever there is a problem between you and your family you should talk about it with them. Harold didn’t talk about it with his grandmother so he got himself in deep crap for no reason.
One thing that I didn’t understand about Harold is why he would get himself tied up in drug dealing for Londell when he had something going for himself, he had a job to be exact. He also knew that Londell was bad news and he knew that once he joined his “crew” he would never be able to leave. I understand that he's showing how much he cares about his grandmother and taking care of her bills and helping out a bit, but was working for Londell his only option for good bucks???
I think that Harold knew that what he was getting himself into was wrong but he wanted to help out so he went on with it. I think that Harold is a good dude, but what if Mr. Harris wasn’t there to save Harold from getting killed by Londell, Harold would have been a victim.
This book was good overall. It kept me engaged at all times and it influenced me in a way. I recommend this book to readers who love their grandma but mainly to all readers. Its far from the worst so read it. !
This novel grabbed my attention in multiple ways. It showed how people’s lives are in the real world. How this story can happen to anyone. One thing that I learned is that you need to be careful of who you trust and hang out with. Harold didn’t do a good job of that. He knew that when he went to 25th street that trouble was going to start and that once he got there, there was no turning back. This book also made me think about how you should love your family while you’re alive and that when ever there is a problem between you and your family you should talk about it with them. Harold didn’t talk about it with his grandmother so he got himself in deep crap for no reason.
One thing that I didn’t understand about Harold is why he would get himself tied up in drug dealing for Londell when he had something going for himself, he had a job to be exact. He also knew that Londell was bad news and he knew that once he joined his “crew” he would never be able to leave. I understand that he's showing how much he cares about his grandmother and taking care of her bills and helping out a bit, but was working for Londell his only option for good bucks???
I think that Harold knew that what he was getting himself into was wrong but he wanted to help out so he went on with it. I think that Harold is a good dude, but what if Mr. Harris wasn’t there to save Harold from getting killed by Londell, Harold would have been a victim.
This book was good overall. It kept me engaged at all times and it influenced me in a way. I recommend this book to readers who love their grandma but mainly to all readers. Its far from the worst so read it. !
January 16, 2019
I found this book really great. The suspense and drama is what keeps me reading it. I couldn't really relate to the main character's struggles though. The book was so detailed that you can actually image what's happening to the main character and what he has to go through. I'd recommend this book if you like suspenses, mysteries, and realistic fiction.
November 22, 2013
have u ever took care of your grandmother? will I have when my grandmother had cancer. the of this book is realistic fiction. this book is really good I like the characters in the book such as Harold because he is a helpful person to me. in the story it says that Harold glanced up at his grandmother lying on the couch he could tell she was in pain from the way she gripped the cushion, but she still smiled at him.
This book is about a boy name Harold he is fat, an didn't nobody liked him, Harold was a freshman at bluford high school, his grandmother was really sick an Harold wanted to help. also his grandmother had to pay a lot of money for the medical bill an they didn't have any money to pay for it so Harold said he wanted to sell drugs with londell James who was a drug dealer. the setting of this book is in a neighborhood by bluford high school. the conflict of this book is person vs person. in my opinion this book is good because it relate to me when I was taking care of my grandmother when she had cancer.
I rate this book to a 10 this the greatest book I ever read because this book really relate to my life. I recommend this book to me and my grandmother when I was taking care of her. if u got a relative in your family help them or take care of them like Harold did with his grandmother because u never no Wym they are going to die and just because you having family problems doesn't mean that you have to do something bad like Harold did in the book just make them proud.
THATS MY BOOK REVIEW!!!!!!
This book is about a boy name Harold he is fat, an didn't nobody liked him, Harold was a freshman at bluford high school, his grandmother was really sick an Harold wanted to help. also his grandmother had to pay a lot of money for the medical bill an they didn't have any money to pay for it so Harold said he wanted to sell drugs with londell James who was a drug dealer. the setting of this book is in a neighborhood by bluford high school. the conflict of this book is person vs person. in my opinion this book is good because it relate to me when I was taking care of my grandmother when she had cancer.
I rate this book to a 10 this the greatest book I ever read because this book really relate to my life. I recommend this book to me and my grandmother when I was taking care of her. if u got a relative in your family help them or take care of them like Harold did with his grandmother because u never no Wym they are going to die and just because you having family problems doesn't mean that you have to do something bad like Harold did in the book just make them proud.
THATS MY BOOK REVIEW!!!!!!
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October 28, 2009 I read the book the book No Way Out by Perry Kern. This had its ups and downs but it turned pretty good.
No Way Out is about a young 9th grade boy named Harold. Harolds' grandmother fell down some steps and got really banged up and he was the only one to support her. He tries a job and it doesn't work and he goes to worse job in the world. DRUG DEALING. At first when he was with the boss Lendell it was going good. But it all turned around when he went alone, he was attacked by a junkie and wanted out. He knew Lendell wouldn't like this so he didn't tell him. When he went home his grandmother found out he was drug dealing. So he had to leave so his grandmother wouldn't be involved, but what he didn't know was she was going to tell there neighbor to help him.
So he went to see Lendell without his money. Lendell was furious at Harold saying this. So Lendell was beating on Harold then told his brother beat him up. (Harold and Jupiter were becoming close friends.) So he refused. Then when the neighbor came he hit Lendell in the face about 3 or 4 times then kept like that until the cops came. The neighbor was preety brave to do this and wanted to be Harlod's guardian so he signed the papers Harold was so worried about while he was in the hospital.
No Way Out is about a young 9th grade boy named Harold. Harolds' grandmother fell down some steps and got really banged up and he was the only one to support her. He tries a job and it doesn't work and he goes to worse job in the world. DRUG DEALING. At first when he was with the boss Lendell it was going good. But it all turned around when he went alone, he was attacked by a junkie and wanted out. He knew Lendell wouldn't like this so he didn't tell him. When he went home his grandmother found out he was drug dealing. So he had to leave so his grandmother wouldn't be involved, but what he didn't know was she was going to tell there neighbor to help him.
So he went to see Lendell without his money. Lendell was furious at Harold saying this. So Lendell was beating on Harold then told his brother beat him up. (Harold and Jupiter were becoming close friends.) So he refused. Then when the neighbor came he hit Lendell in the face about 3 or 4 times then kept like that until the cops came. The neighbor was preety brave to do this and wanted to be Harlod's guardian so he signed the papers Harold was so worried about while he was in the hospital.
April 4, 2010
This book was about a 9th grade boy named Harold that has to worry not only about school but also about the lack of money and his injured grandmother. In order to help out he gets a part time job in a grocery store but that does little to help with the bills. He thinks that trusting londell was the right thing to do because he needed the money. He thought that selling drugs and working for londell was the right thing to do but he didn't realize that not everybody could be trusted. I liked this book because it tells a story of someones life that could happen to anybody.this whole book happens in just weeks but they tell everything that happened step by step so it seems to take much longer.
April 9, 2009
Good addition to the Bluford series! Harold is in high school and worrying about his sick grandmother and the mounting bills. His part-time job at a grocery store does little to help with the money situation, so it is very tempting to fall in with Londell, the local drug dealer, who is quick to give Harold an easy $50 here and there to deliver his drugs. Harold soon regrets his decision to work for Londell, but he finds there is no way out.
November 25, 2008
Harold faces many problems in his life. The only person in his family is his Grandmother and she is very ill. Harold is worried about the hospital bills. He gets a job stocking groceris in a local store, but soon realizes that he can make money much quicker and easier...will he do the right thing??
September 16, 2009
I am so glad that they are making more Bluford books. I have never read books that are so simple and yet so heart-wrenching and applicable to the situations of my students. I was impressed that Kern was able to make Harold, a chubby, weak grandma's boy, so endearing and so "worth saving." Exciting, simple, and I read it in 50 minutes.
September 30, 2009
The narrorator was a great grandson and he messed upp but it was all for the better in his eyes.He got beat up a couple of times because he joined the street gamee[selling drugs:]. His neighbor helped him and his problems was solved for goodd.
October 13, 2017
This was is most definitely on my favorite list, once I saw this Title and Cover I knew for sure I need to read this! if someone wants a story with a kid in need for money I'd recommend this. you get so invested with the characters, and the story is told is such good detail.
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December 16, 2008its a good book
March 17, 2009
This book was really good. Not as good as the fallen but it was interesting. This book really shows the hardship af some people and what people will do to try to fix it.
September 15, 2009
Nail biter about Harold a teen who feels pressure to help with his grandmother's hospital bills and gets involved with a drug dealer to make quick money.
Currently reading
October 9, 2009to never talk trash
November 9, 2008
Another fantastic read from the Bluford High series!
December 6, 2009
make good choices in life staying on the street can put you in jail or get you killed
January 29, 2020
Genre switch with this one and its my second one in the Bluford High series I have heard nothing but great things about—had to see for myself LOL as though this series was in the early 2003-2013s they are constantly mentioned as being “real”…So read one about catty girls and now this one is about a freshman Harold who takes care of his grandma, a good kid with a huge decision…His grandma is his only family after losing his mom in childbirth with him and his father leaving soon after—his grandma is all he has so when she falls down and hurts herself his future is not as secure and poor Harold has a lot on his plate—
“School’s the least of my worries now Grandma, he wanted to say. Dishes needed to be washed. Laundry needs to be done. The bathroom needed scrubbing. Groceries needed to be bought. And more than anything, Grandma needed his help.” (Pg. 8)
Harold’s life is stressful right now add to that the financial burden of hospitals and Grandma’s diabetes he runs into the wrong crowd offering the right solution…
“We ain’t like those other kids you see at Bluford, worryin’ about class, parents all savin’ up for college” Londell said with a bitter laugh. “No one’s lookin’ out for us. I take care o’ my boys. I give ‘em a family, I give ‘em money. And a future. You think on that.” (Pg. 48)
Harold was raised right by his grandmother and because he realizes his responsibilities to his grandma does the responsible thing and gets a job stocking a grocery store—and his first paycheck experience is a real one for everyone….Sigh the deductions LOL….
“Harold grabbed the paystub that was in the envelope. At the top, it said he earned $65.25. But then there was a list of “deductions” like taxes and other things Harold didn’t understand. In the end, he’d take home only $48.20.” (Pg. 53)
I liked how this book also was a great example of showing not telling as you get a picture of the bad neighborhoods without it ever being written which is a great skill for new and emerging readers and writers to grasp and it was done so subtly it will teach quietly—love it.
“Twenty minutes later the bus hissed to a stop, and Harold climbed down onto the dirty sidewalk. The streets were eerily quiet. There were no kids running home from school, no mothers carrying groceries, no delivery trucks or people walking dogs. All Harold could see were blocks of small dingy houses huddled close together.” (Pg. 65)
Such a deceptively simple paragraph that told so much but was easy to get into for children-especially my young male readers..
Alright so Harold wants (and needs) fast money and so the setup for him to enter the dark side and the money makers who sell drugs. Harold becomes a delivery boy and I wont give any spoilers but he gets in pretty deep for this short read..Overall was it believable umm to an extent but it was entertaining and motivational as it teaches lessons and has a lot of talking/discussion points on what you would do and why..Okay so maybe one more book but I am a fan of this Bluford High series!!
“School’s the least of my worries now Grandma, he wanted to say. Dishes needed to be washed. Laundry needs to be done. The bathroom needed scrubbing. Groceries needed to be bought. And more than anything, Grandma needed his help.” (Pg. 8)
Harold’s life is stressful right now add to that the financial burden of hospitals and Grandma’s diabetes he runs into the wrong crowd offering the right solution…
“We ain’t like those other kids you see at Bluford, worryin’ about class, parents all savin’ up for college” Londell said with a bitter laugh. “No one’s lookin’ out for us. I take care o’ my boys. I give ‘em a family, I give ‘em money. And a future. You think on that.” (Pg. 48)
Harold was raised right by his grandmother and because he realizes his responsibilities to his grandma does the responsible thing and gets a job stocking a grocery store—and his first paycheck experience is a real one for everyone….Sigh the deductions LOL….
“Harold grabbed the paystub that was in the envelope. At the top, it said he earned $65.25. But then there was a list of “deductions” like taxes and other things Harold didn’t understand. In the end, he’d take home only $48.20.” (Pg. 53)
I liked how this book also was a great example of showing not telling as you get a picture of the bad neighborhoods without it ever being written which is a great skill for new and emerging readers and writers to grasp and it was done so subtly it will teach quietly—love it.
“Twenty minutes later the bus hissed to a stop, and Harold climbed down onto the dirty sidewalk. The streets were eerily quiet. There were no kids running home from school, no mothers carrying groceries, no delivery trucks or people walking dogs. All Harold could see were blocks of small dingy houses huddled close together.” (Pg. 65)
Such a deceptively simple paragraph that told so much but was easy to get into for children-especially my young male readers..
Alright so Harold wants (and needs) fast money and so the setup for him to enter the dark side and the money makers who sell drugs. Harold becomes a delivery boy and I wont give any spoilers but he gets in pretty deep for this short read..Overall was it believable umm to an extent but it was entertaining and motivational as it teaches lessons and has a lot of talking/discussion points on what you would do and why..Okay so maybe one more book but I am a fan of this Bluford High series!!
October 15, 2021
Peggy Kern
‘’No way out’’ is about medical bills for Harold's sick grandmother piling up. Another thing that is also going on is social workers have threatened to put him in a foster home. Harold was desperate for money and decided to work for Londell who the neighborhood drug dealer is. The choice he made will only bring nothing but trouble.
My least favorite part of the book is basically when it was going on about how he couldn’t pay for his grandmother’s medicine. I can and can't relate to that at the same time because my cousin was trying to find ways to earn money to get our grandma’s medicine. I helped him out the best way I could. We set up basketball and football tournaments to play against people for money because we both were pretty good at playing those sports. Another thing we tried doing to earn money was go around and ask people if they wanted us to cut their grass depending on the size of the yard is how we will go about the price.
If I could change something about the book it would be how the main characters are living and things of that nature. The area that they live in I would change the surroundings around the area and make it a safe place to live and for kids to go out and play. Another thing I would change would be how the people in the area were poor most people living in the area wouldn't be poor, things would be evenly fair for everyone in the area.
Me, personally I would say it depends on the person, if they would want to read the book or not because I know not everyone enjoy reading certain things. I would say if you are the type of person that likes to read books of this nature then it would definitely be a perfect fit. I honestly like how the author put everything together in the book the way it was thought out and how the sequences go. I feel like it really kept me wondering what was going to happen next in the book after almost every chapter.
‘’No way out’’ is about medical bills for Harold's sick grandmother piling up. Another thing that is also going on is social workers have threatened to put him in a foster home. Harold was desperate for money and decided to work for Londell who the neighborhood drug dealer is. The choice he made will only bring nothing but trouble.
My least favorite part of the book is basically when it was going on about how he couldn’t pay for his grandmother’s medicine. I can and can't relate to that at the same time because my cousin was trying to find ways to earn money to get our grandma’s medicine. I helped him out the best way I could. We set up basketball and football tournaments to play against people for money because we both were pretty good at playing those sports. Another thing we tried doing to earn money was go around and ask people if they wanted us to cut their grass depending on the size of the yard is how we will go about the price.
If I could change something about the book it would be how the main characters are living and things of that nature. The area that they live in I would change the surroundings around the area and make it a safe place to live and for kids to go out and play. Another thing I would change would be how the people in the area were poor most people living in the area wouldn't be poor, things would be evenly fair for everyone in the area.
Me, personally I would say it depends on the person, if they would want to read the book or not because I know not everyone enjoy reading certain things. I would say if you are the type of person that likes to read books of this nature then it would definitely be a perfect fit. I honestly like how the author put everything together in the book the way it was thought out and how the sequences go. I feel like it really kept me wondering what was going to happen next in the book after almost every chapter.
November 23, 2021
I really enjoyed this book; it was easy to read and a good story line. It uses descriptive words which cause me to create easy images in my head.I wish it was just a little bit longer but Kern still got her theme across. Kern did a great job writing this book by not making it to descriptive where its didn't make any sense but just enough to make the book nice and juicy. I really liked how Kern used Harold in the book; Harold was the perfect character to use in the book. Harold was a short and stubby kid with no parents. He lived with his grandma but she got hurt really bad and couldn't provide for him. He had to start making money so he started working a a foods store right down the street. after one week of working he realized it wasn't gonna be enough; one day he was walking home a Londell, a local drug dealer, found out about his situation and asked him if he wanted to be his delivery kid. His grandma has told him his whole life to stay away from him but he knew he had to start providing. He started working for him and realized how bad of things he was doing but Londell didn't let him quit. Harold couldn't get his money to londell so Harlod's neighbor, Mr. Harris, came and too care of londell.
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