No Way Out
Overview
No Way Out follows Harold Davis, a Bluford freshman who has appeared in The Bully and Someone to Love Me. In this tale, Harold 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?
More information
The Bluford Series is a Proven Gateway to Reading
Millions of teens have discovered or rediscovered the joy of reading with this collection of young adult novels set at Bluford High School. Here’s why:
- Engaging topics: Characters in the Bluford Series face situations that middle- and high-schoolers care about, making them want to read.
- Emotional depth: Bluford books tell gripping stories and carry an emotional punch. Each can be read alone but is also connected to events in other books. Readers join a complex world they want to explore.
- Uplifting stories: Each book celebrates teens who make positive choices, especially when such actions are difficult or unpopular.
- Accessible writing: This groundbreaking hi-lo series has content sophisticated enough for high-school students, while reading level is between 5th and 6th grade Lexile range: 570–760.
- Short length: Each novel in the Bluford Series contains fewer than 200 pages, motivating readers to finish their books—a pivotal step toward becoming regular readers!
- Broad appeal: Action, suspense, mystery, and romance fill the pages of the Bluford Series, offering something for all readers—boys and girls alike.
- Proven success: Students, teachers, parents, librarians, researchers, and policymakers agree: The Bluford Series can transform nonreaders into avid readers.
- Great Price: Priced at $4 individually or $3 when purchased as part of a set, Bluford novels offer an unbeatable value.
Peggy Kern
Peggy Kern was born and raised in Westbury, New York. There she attended the local public elementary and middle schools, where she was one of the few white students in a predominately black and Latino community. Peggy didn’t realize what a unique and valuable experience that was until she transferred to a private high school.
“I was miserable in high school,” she says. “I couldn’t understand why my classmates only hung out with people who looked just like they did. To me, that was a foreign concept.” Peggy worked a variety of jobs through her teenage years, including switchboard operator at a country club, cashier at a clothing store, and the night-shift in a bakery.
In 1992, Peggy enrolled at LaSalle University in Philadelphia, where she discovered her love of literature and writing. However, the financial stress of paying for college herself – coupled with the painful divorce of her parents – proved overwhelming. She moved back to New York and took a full-time job as a secretary. Determined to finish her degree, she began taking night classes at a local community college and eventually landed a partial scholarship at Long Island University. She continued working full-time and taking classes until she graduated in 1998 with a B.A. in English.
Though it took her almost seven years to obtain her college degree, Peggy says she would do it all again. “The adversity made me work even harder. I never forgot how lucky I was to have a chance at an education.”
In 2001, Peggy completed a Master’s degree in English and Writing at Southampton College. She also coordinated the Southampton Writers Conference, where she had the chance to meet some of her literary heroes and assist young students in pursing their dream of writing. While at Southampton, she taught English Composition, tutored undergraduate students and published several short stories.
Peggy is proud to join the Townsend Press team. Her first Bluford book, No Way Out, was published in 2008. You may contact Peggy by writing to her at:
Peggy Kern
Townsend Press
439 Kelley Drive
West Berlin, NJ 08091