All Rise for the Honorable Perry T. Cook

On the other end of the spectrum is a light and funny, extremely well-written, and poignant middle grade novel about a boy growing up with his mother inside prison walls. (Full disclosure, I cried at the end of the book.)

While it’s not realism, it brings attention to its readers, that the law is not perfect, and often the wrong people are in prison. The happy ending helps make this realization palpable for young readers, who nonetheless will get the message about criminal justice and being quick to judge. 

The main character, Perry, was born in a correctional facility and lives there with his mom—until a new district attorney decides Perry would be better off in a foster home.

When Perry moves away from the facility, he feels desperate to be reunited with his mom. His story brought to life the young people my husband and I learn of vicariously through inmates we teach in our parenting class at a local maximum-security jail.

Perry’s plight reminds me of how kids love their parents unconditionally and navigate hard territory when they can’t provide a stable existence.

I’ve read – and loved – many of Connor’s others books, but I hadn’t read this one until last year, when, after sharing the plot of Born Behind Bars with a librarian, she mentioned that it sounded a little like All Rise for the Honorable Perry T. Cook. At once, I looked it up – and when I read the synopsis, I was shocked. It seemed to begin almost exactly the way that my own novel began – with a boy whose mother is incarcerated, and who is suddenly told he’s too old to continue living with her. I… show more.