All Rise for the Honorable Perry T. Cook by Leslie Connor (realistic fiction, grades 5-8)
What would it be like to grow up living in a prison? Would it be dreary? Lonely? Depressing? Since he was a baby, Perry has always lived in Blue Ribbon Correctional Facility and it is definitely not dreary, lonely, or depressing. The prison that he and his mom live in is a minimum security prison for people who committed nonviolent crimes. For Perry, Blue Ribbon is his home and the residents that live there are his family. Aside from going to school, Perry spends his days helping around Blue Ribbon, cheering up the residents, playing games, and having fun. When word gets out that a child is actually living in the facility, Perry is taken away from Blue Ribbon, and from his mom, and placed into foster care. Now, Perry longs for the visiting days when he can spend time with his mom and his family. For a class project, Perry decides to interview the residents at Blue Ribbon to find out more about their stories and he uncovers a secret about his mom’s story that changes everything and eventually brings them closer together. Can he use this secret to help his mother get out of prison sooner? Or will Tom VanLeer (the district attorney and Perry’s foster father) fight to keep his mom in prison longer for breaking the rules and having Perry live with her? This unusual story is very well written. The author does an excellent job of bringing Perry to "life" and I felt myself rooting for him throughout the book. Life in the prison is not portrayed as being perfect in the book (some residents do have some set-backs), but there is an overall feeling of supporting one another and hope. Other messages in the book include overcoming challenges and the power of friendship. All Rise for the Honorable Perry T. Cook is on the 2018 Rebecca Caudill Award list.
I will be taking a week off from the Book-A-Day challenge to spend the 4th of July holiday week with family and friends. Happy 4th!!
