Fifteen-year-old Johnny Gibbs does, well in school, respects his teachers, and loves his family. Then suddenly, with a few short words, his idyllic life is shattered. He learns that the family he has loved all his life is not his own, but a foster family. And now he is being sent to live with someone else. Shocked by the news, Johnny does the only thing he can think of: he runs. Leaving his childhood behind forever, Johnny takes to the streets where he learns about living life—the hard way. Richard Wright, internationally acclaimed author of and gives us a coming-of-age story as compelling today as when it was first written, over fifty years ago. Notable 1995 Children's Trade Books in Social Studies (NCSS/CBC)