Publishers Weekly
03/07/2016
The only home 11-year-old Perry has ever known is the Blue River Co-ed Correctional Facility in "teeny-tiny" Surprise, Neb., where his mother was incarcerated when he was born. Thanks to a compassionate warden, Perry has been able to stay close to his mother in a room near her cell for years. When the new district attorney—a stickler for rules—finds out about the arrangement, he takes guardianship of Perry, forcing him to come live with his family, much to Perry's dismay. Now Perry is determined to reunite with his mother and ensure that she makes parole, despite the attorney's objections. In a novel filled with endearing characters, sad goodbyes, and new beginnings, Connor (Crunch) expresses the depth of Perry's homesickness without romanticizing his life in a prison. Perry misses many of the inmates, yet he recognizes the seriousness of their crimes and the price they have to pay for their mistakes. The novel's pointed criticism of prisons' restrictions, especially regarding the separation of inmates from their families, could easily prompt discussions about reform and rehabilitation. Ages 8–12. Agent: Miriam Altshuler, Miriam Altshuler Literary Agency. (Mar.)
From the Publisher
★ “With complex, memorable characters, a situation that demands sympathy, and a story that’s shown, not just told, this is fresh and affecting. Well-crafted, warm, and wonderful.” — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
★ “Rich characterizations give the novel its big heart: Jessica, Big Ed, and the other Blue River inmates are nuanced, vivid characters whose stories of perseverance after tragedy embody the novel’s themes of redemption, hope, and community. This beautifully written work will send readers’ spirits soaring.” — School Library Journal (starred review)
“This book offers a different kind of diversity story that is important for kids to find on the shelf.” — Booklist
“Readers will long remember the folks of Blue River after its gates have closed.” — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
“In a novel filled with endearing characters, sad goodbyes, and new beginnings, Connor (Crunch) expresses the depth of Perry’s homesickness without romanticizing his life in a prison.” — Publishers Weekly
“Every so often, a novel comes along to remind us of that what we hope is true, is true: that understanding is stronger than what seems to be justice, that kindness is deeper and fuller than anger, and that goodness can heal brokenness. This is one of those novels.” — Newbery Honor-winning author Gary D. Schmidt
“Perry Cook is a character who steps off the page, wanders through your mind, and finds his way to your heart.” — Lynda Mullaly Hunt, New York Times bestselling author of Fish in a Tree
“All Rise for the Honorable Perry T. Cook is a book filled with tough truths, relentless optimism, fierce love and above all else gorgeous writing. I loved every heartbreaking, joyful page.” — Corey Ann Haydu, author of Rules for Stealing Stars
“A heartwarming story with an unstoppable hero, a mystery that keeps you guessing, and a unique setting. All Rise for the Honorable Perry T. Cook is a rich look at family and what it means to face adversity and fly—I loved it.” — Kimberly Newton Fusco, author of Beholding Bee
“Leslie Connor has given young readers a gentle introduction into the world of incarcerated parents in an engaging and ultimately wonderfully rewarding story.” — Nora Raleigh Baskin, author of Ruby on the Outside and Anything But Typical
“I don’t think there’s been a book so moving and heartwarming for this age range since WONDER.” — Shoshana, Reading Bug (San Carlos, CA)
Starred Reviews for Waiting for Normal: “A heroine with spunk and spirit offers an inspiring lesson in perseverance and hope. First-rate.” — Kirkus Reviews (starred review) on Waiting for Normal
“A story centered around loss, heartbreak, abandonment, and new beginnings.” — School Library Journal (starred review) on Waiting for Normal
“Characters as persuasively optimistic as Addie are rare, and readers will gravitate to her. Poignant.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review) on Waiting for Normal
Nora Raleigh Baskin
Leslie Connor has given young readers a gentle introduction into the world of incarcerated parents in an engaging and ultimately wonderfully rewarding story.
Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
Readers will long remember the folks of Blue River after its gates have closed.
Kimberly Newton Fusco
A heartwarming story with an unstoppable hero, a mystery that keeps you guessing, and a unique setting. All Rise for the Honorable Perry T. Cook is a rich look at family and what it means to face adversity and fly—I loved it.
Booklist
This book offers a different kind of diversity story that is important for kids to find on the shelf.
Lynda Mullaly Hunt
Perry Cook is a character who steps off the page, wanders through your mind, and finds his way to your heart.
Corey Ann Haydu
All Rise for the Honorable Perry T. Cook is a book filled with tough truths, relentless optimism, fierce love and above all else gorgeous writing. I loved every heartbreaking, joyful page.
Newbery Honor-winning author Gary D. Schmidt
Every so often, a novel comes along to remind us of that what we hope is true, is true: that understanding is stronger than what seems to be justice, that kindness is deeper and fuller than anger, and that goodness can heal brokenness. This is one of those novels.
Reading Bug (San Carlos Shoshana
I don’t think there’s been a book so moving and heartwarming for this age range since WONDER.
Booklist
This book offers a different kind of diversity story that is important for kids to find on the shelf.
Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
Readers will long remember the folks of Blue River after its gates have closed.
School Library Journal
★ 12/01/2015
Gr 5–7—Eleven-year-old Perry's home life is like that of most kids his age: morning ritual, school, dinner with his mom, and games with his extended family. Unlike other kids, however, Perry lives at the Blue River Co-Ed Correctional Facility, where he's stayed since birth with his mother, Jessica. Nearing the end of her sentence, Jessica is up for parole, and she and Perry are eager to start a new life on the outside. Opposing Jessica's parole is the county's ambitious district attorney, Tom VanLeer, stepfather of Perry's best friend. VanLeer is outraged that a child was raised in a prison and demands that Perry live with the VanLeers while the case is sorted out. Perry knows he has traded a prison that feels like home for a home that feels like a prison. He resolves to reunite with his mother and have her appeal granted. Connor subtly conveys Perry's restrained anger over being torn from his Blue River family (for instance, the boy refers to objects in his foster home as "the VanLeer closet" or "a VanLeer towel"). Perry is a memorable protagonist whose unusual upbringing gives him an understanding of and faith in human nature that brings out the best in everyone around him. He's a perfect foil for the superficial morality of VanLeer, who is no match for Perry's integrity when the boy confronts the adult on his duplicity, declaring, "Your word is no good." Rich characterizations give the novel its big heart: Jessica, Big Ed, and the other Blue River inmates are nuanced, vivid characters whose stories of perseverance after tragedy embody the novel's themes of redemption, hope, and community. VERDICT This beautifully written work will send readers' spirits soaring.—Marybeth Kozikowski, Sachem Public Library, Holbrook, NY
MARCH 2016 - AudioFile
Michael Crouch’s voice suggests the unspoiled innocence of 11-year-old Perry, who has been raised in a coed correctional facility where his mother is incarcerated. Perry’s enthusiasm for small pleasures expresses an appreciation born of his sheltered background. Crouch voices Perry’s simple thoughts and comments, which reveal the rich perspective and wisdom he has derived from his nurturing mother and the male inmates who have raised him. The irony is painful when a district attorney decides to rescue Perry from his prison home. Crouch clearly conveys the D.A.’s ruthlessness. Kathleen McInerney, Perry’s loving mother, burns with fury for the man and the legalities that separate her from her son. She fiercely hides the past as Perry determines to discover the truth. This poignant story inspires questions about truth, justice, family, and home. S.W. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2016, Portland, Maine
Kirkus Reviews
★ 2015-12-08
Positive thinking proves powerful for Perry Cook and his incarcerated mother. The Blue River Co-ed Correctional Facility in Surprise, Nebraska, is the only home the sixth-grader has ever known. His official foster parent, the warden of the minimum security facility, has let him stay with his birth mother there for nearly 12 years. When an ambitious district attorney yanks him out and delays Jessica Cook's parole application, Perry has to use his jail-honed skill of focusing on the positive to cope with his new foster placement with the DA's family and to get his mother released. This portrayal of prison life from the inside and from a child's point of view doesn't ignore unhappy realities, but it highlights the good: Jessica's social work, the support of their prison "family," and the love the prisoners have for their "mouse in the house." Similarly, while some have his back at school, including his best friend, Zoey—who's also the DA's stepdaughter—bullies are there, too. Related in short, episodic chapters, the narrative spans the eight weeks Perry spends at the DA's, concentrating in the first person on his experience but occasionally interrupting to look in on Jessica in the third person. Readers even learn some other prisoners' stories. With complex, memorable characters, a situation that demands sympathy, and a story that's shown, not just told, this is fresh and affecting. Well-crafted, warm, and wonderful. (Fiction. 9-13)
