All Rise for the Honorable Perry T. Cook

Gr 5-7--Eleven-year-old Perry's home life is like that of most kids his age: morning ritual, school, dinner with his mom, and games with his extended family. Unlike other kids, however, Perry lives at the Blue River Co-Ed Correctional Facility, where he's stayed since birth with his mother, Jessica. Nearing the end of her sentence, Jessica is up for parole, and she and Perry are eager to start a new life on the outside. Opposing Jessica's parole is the county's ambitious district attorney, Tom VanLeer, stepfather of Perry's best friend. VanLeer is outraged that a child was raised in a prison and demands that Perry live with the VanLeers while the case is sorted out. Perry knows he has traded a prison that feels like home for a home that feels like a prison. He resolves to reunite with his mother and have her appeal granted. Connor subtly conveys Perry's restrained anger over being torn from his Blue River family (for instance, the boy refers to objects in his foster home as "the VanLeer closet" or "a VanLeer towel"). Perry is a memorable protagonist whose unusual upbringing gives him an understanding of and faith in human nature that brings out the best in everyone around him. He's a perfect foil for the superficial morality of VanLeer, who is no match for Perry's integrity when the boy confronts the adult on his duplicity, declaring, "Your word is no good." Rich characterizations give the novel its big heart: Jessica, Big Ed, and the other Blue River inmates are nuanced, vivid characters whose stories of perseverance after tragedy embody the novel's themes of redemption, hope, and community. VERDICT This beautifully written work will send readers' spirits soaring.--Marybeth Kozikowski, Sachem Public Library, Holbrook, NY

The only home 11-year-old Perry has ever known is the Blue River Co-ed Correctional Facility in "teeny-tiny" Surprise, Neb., where his mother was incarcerated when he was born. Thanks to a compassionate warden, Perry has been able to stay close to his mother in a room near her cell for years. When the new district attorney--a stickler for rules--finds out about the arrangement, he takes guardianship of Perry, forcing him to come live with his family, much to Perry's dismay. Now Perry is determined to reunite with his mother and ensure that she makes parole, despite the attorney's objections. In a novel filled with endearing characters, sad goodbyes, and new beginnings, Connor (Crunch) expresses the depth of Perry's homesickness without romanticizing his life in a prison. Perry misses many of the inmates, yet he recognizes the seriousness of their crimes and the price they have to pay for their mistakes. The novel's pointed criticism of prisons' restrictions, especially regarding the separation of inmates from their families, could easily prompt discussions about reform and rehabilitation. Ages 8-12. Agent: Miriam Altshuler, Miriam Altshuler Literary Agency. (Mar.)