This was one of those books where the cover really doesn't give you a clue. The smiling cartoon kid is looking up through a window. Yes, there is something slightly menacing about the angle, the size of the child and the darkness around the window's light, but I pretty much guessed this was about a kid who wanted to grow up to be a judge or something. Not even close. This book is about Perry T. Cook, a child of an inmate at a fictional prison, who is allowed to live "inside" until his situation is discovered. The book isn't dark, but it isn't exactly the light-hearted humor novel I was expecting. Very readable and with strong characterizations, most of the story is told by Perry, in a first person narrative. His mother fills in some of the blanks in alternating chapters, but hers are written in third person narrative, which was ... odd? In any case, huge kudos to Leslie Connor, who doesn't preach and allows the tale to speak for itself. She has a point to make, about prisons and families, but she isn't heavy handed, and provides viewpoints on all sides, making the questions and answers more grey than black and white. The big bad guy isn't totally a bad guy, and even Perry's situation is fluid -- one could argue the merits of his staying close to mom, but also note what he misses out on as a result of that. It is a novel which is both simple and complex in this way, and should have broad appeal, as, in the end, it reads "human." Good work, thoughtful premise (but get a new cover).
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