All Rise for the Honorable Perry T. Cook in Mock Newbery 2026

Jun 15, 2016 Kim rated it liked it

Shelves: chapter, prison

Perry is 12 years old and he has grown up in a minimum security prison with his mother. He has his own room and the "residents" are his extended family. A district attorney discovers this unusual arrangement and pulls Perry out. Which is better, a child raised with his mother in prison or a child separated from her? Great way to begin discussion re: incarcerated parents. Does gloss over realities though. ...more

2 likes · Like · see review

Jul 09, 2016 The Reading Countess rated it it was amazing

Shelves: realistic-fiction, middle-grade, book-club

What is family? Leslie Connor adroitly steers her readers into seeing that family can be blood relatives, but that all too often, family members are chosen members of your inner circle. Perry and his mom know this to their core. His best friend Zoey and her mom understand it, too. Unfortunately for them, though, Zoey's stepfather/district attorney does not-and herein lies the rub. There is a lot of meat in this story for young readers to feed on, and I can't wait to discuss it with my lunch book ...more

Like · see review

Nov 27, 2016 Teresa Garrett rated it really liked it

Shelves: realistic-fiction, middle-grade, mystery, legal-thriller, family-drama, contemporary, fiction

Perry has spent his entire life behind bars but not because of anything he did - he was born to a very young inmate in a minimum security prison. The warden felt so strongly that he should remain close to his mother that she built him his own room and bent the rules to keep him with his mom. Unfortunately the new and upcoming DA wants to remove him from the only life he has ever known and punish everyone who helped him stay with his mom. It is up to Perry to find the truth and help his mother at ...more

Like · see review

Jun 06, 2018 Lynn L rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: audio-book, middle-school

Redemptive. Characters were interesting.

1 like · Like · see review

Jun 22, 2017 Christina rated it liked it

Shelves: middle-school, 2018-caudills, 2016-kids-ya

If not scared off by the book's 378-page length, middle-school students will enjoy this peek inside a minimum security prison through the eyes of narrator Perry, who was born to prison "rez" Jessica and allowed to live in the prison by the kind-hearted warden. Perry's world falls apart when new DA Tom, the stepfather of Perry's only friend Zoey, gets the warden suspended and moves Perry from the prison. I wish I could rate this book higher, but the secret Perry's mom keeps from him did not seem ...more

Like · see review

Jul 05, 2016 Becky rated it really liked it

I loved Waiting for Normal by this author, so I was excited to read this one. It did not disappoint! The characters are just so likable, especially Perry, who is such a beautiful old soul. I definitely got emotionally involved with this one, and was teary for most of the end of the story. Really 4.5 stars for this one!

Like · see review