I've had lots of success booktalking this one at schools. The kids are super interested to find out why Perry lives in a prison, and even more why he LIKES it and is upset when he moves into a normal house.

My favorite part of this book was the description of the mindset one develops in prison. Big Ed's rules and tips for serving time are also applicable to life on the outside and I think a big part of what makes Perry such a good person.

Speaking of Perry being a good person, my big criticism of this book is that Perry and Jessica are a little too perfect to feel real. On top of that, the whole setup is idealized in a way that might make kids who have incarcerated loved ones in real life roll their eyes. The warden is a humanitarian with a heart of gold. There are no mean guards. There are some prisoners that Perry keeps his distance from, but there's no drama around that. A little too good to feel true. But this is a children's book and I certainly don't think the author meant to convey the experience of an average child with an incarcerated parent. I mean, come on. Perry lives in the prison until he's 12 and he's basically a perfect human child. This might as well be named Pollyanna Prison.

I think this is a Newbery contender because of the interesting plot, the exploration of themes around being incarcerated, and the depiction of the villain Mr. Thomas Van Leer. I'm always cheering authors who give us villains with real character besides being evil. Van Leer is a great example of someone who's a bad guy *because* he's well meaning and can't see past the end of his own nose. Very realistic. ( )

CW: Jessica is serving time in jail for manslaughter (car accident that killed her father), another inmate tried to scare a robber with a gun and the kid fled onto the street and got killed by a car

Well that was a thoroughly entertaining and heartwarming middle school novel!

The 'found family' storyline was so sincere and warm and I loved that part of the novel. I really valued Jessica's point of view as her love and hopes for their future pulled at my parent heart strings. Perry was such an open and gutsy kid and his determination to show that his upbringing in a prison was one filled with love and support drove the story forward brilliantly. A great middle school novel! ( )

children's middlegrade fiction (realistic; boy living with incarcerated mom at a low-level prison amongst mostly very nice non-violent criminals)

This cover/title doesn't make me want to read it (but the plot and the author changed my mind). Also, the title is only said once at the end in sort of a passing way and isn't really all that central to the plot--he's not a judge, he doesn't really get to act as a judge, and that's not his key phrase that he repeats every morning.

That said, I enjoyed the small community of prison residents created within the story (however far it might be from the overcrowded prisons we have in our corner of the US), which had as much charm as those small town community stories often have. ( )

This book was very out of the ordinary in terms of subject. Perry's raised in a co-ed correctional facility while his mother is serving time for manslaughter. Perry is a bright and well liked young boy who is friends with everyone. Although his childhood is not like most, his character is relatable and provides readers with the ability to learn about the power of honesty and speaking up for yourself to adults. ( )

This 2020 Nutmeg nominee was a refreshing read! Perry has lived all of his twelve years in prison—not as a prisoner, but as a prisoner's son. It's a minimum security prison that feels like family, he goes to school, and he has Zoey as his best friend. Life is fine until the DA discovers he's living there and not only pulls him out against his will, but puts his mother's parole hearing on hold.

What gets Perry through his days is following an inmate's advice. Big Ed has a motto: Win-Win. "The first 'win' means you count all small good things that happen to you every day . . . The second 'win' means you do things that bring victories to others." There are many positive messages and actions such as this throughout the book. I immediately started applying some of them to my own life and I can see them as useful coping strategies for student readers, too.

But it's not a sickly-sweet book. There is adversity to face and a determined Perry who investigates on his own to help his mother. The prison setting is Surprise, Nebraska, but the biggest surprise might be what Perry discovers about his mom. Add to this the personal interviews the inmates give Perry for a school project, the DA who causes so much trouble and is flawed but ultimately well-intentioned, and realizing that even the school bully might have some redeeming qualities.

There were a few things that were too coincidental and some typos (e.g., Bid Ed instead of Big Ed—where are the copywriters these days?), but the voice drew me in and made it a book hard to put down. ( )