Perry lives in a Nebraska prison. The Blue River Co-ed Correctional Facility in the town of Surprise. Perry did not commit a crime. He was born there. Warden Daughterty has allowed Perry to stay with his precious mum but things are about to change. This is the year Perry turns eleven and this is the year he moves over to the Middle School. He does have a very special friend named Zoey Samuels. The complication, which no one has anticipated, comes when Zoey's step father finds out that an eleven year old boy lives in a prison. Perhaps an ordinary citizen couldn't do anything about this but Thomas VanLeer is the Butler County District attorney and this gives him the power to move Perry out of the prision. To take Perry away from his mum and all of his friends.
Text quotes:
"Lights from somewhere outside cast weird shadows on the walls, and I have a strange sense of how far down the hall the bathroom is. I didn't think to ask if I could just go ahead and use it in the night. The shower in there is all messed up. The water comes out of the little spout at the bottom - like for filling up the tub - but nothing comes out of the showerhead at the top."
"We all talk at once. We laugh, we cry a little. Mom and I share a chair. She holds me around the shoulders, squeezes me like she is making sure I am made out of the same things I was when I left six days ago."
"I know my mom's story now. It's about a young driver, a hailstorm, an infamously dangerous intersection, and a big mistake. ... That's a list of true things."
Publisher blurb: When Perry moves to the “outside” world, he feels trapped. Desperate to be reunited with his mom, Perry goes on a quest for answers about her past crime. As he gets closer to the truth, he will discover that love makes people resilient no matter where they come from . . . but can he find a way to tell everyone what home truly means
Image Source: Primary Source Pairings.
Awards and Accolades
- The Kirkus Prize 2016 Nominee, Young Readers
- ALA Notable Books for Children Nominee–Summer 2016, Fiction
- New York Public Library 2016 Best Books for Kids, Fiction
- Goodreads Choice Awards 2016, Middle Grade & Children’s
- Shelf Awareness 2016 Best Books of the Year, Middle Grade
- E. B. White Read-Aloud Award 2017 Finalist, Middle Reader
- Brightly, 16 of the Most Exciting Middle Grade Books to Read in 2016
You might like to also check out my recent review of The Warden's daughter by Jerry Spinelli. These two books have so much in common and would make a good pair of companion reads.
Here are some other books I have enjoyed by Leslie Connor.
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