{"id":31172,"date":"2017-08-16T22:34:33","date_gmt":"2017-08-17T02:34:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/blog\/?p=31172"},"modified":"2017-08-16T22:34:33","modified_gmt":"2017-08-17T02:34:33","slug":"review-of-all-rise-for-the-honorable-perry-t-cook-by-leslie-connor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/blog\/?p=31172","title":{"rendered":"Review of All Rise for the Honorable Perry T. Cook, by Leslie Connor"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>All Rise for the Honorable Perry T. Cook<\/em><\/p>\n

by Leslie Connor<\/p>\n

Katherine Tegen Books, 2016. 382 pages.
\nStarred Review<\/p>\n

Perry Cook has grown up in prison at Blue River Co-ed Correctional Facility in Surprise, Nebraska. His mother is a resident, and Perry was born shortly after she came to the minimum security prison twelve years ago. Warden Daugherty is officially Perry\u2019s foster parent, and Perry has his own room next to the warden\u2019s office.<\/p>\n

Perry goes to school in Butler County, and as the book starts, he\u2019s getting ready to start middle school. He met his best friend, Zoey Samuels, when she moved there in the middle of fourth grade. Zoey moved to the area because of her stepdad\u2019s job. The description of the stepdad rang true \u2013 always trying too hard with her and coming across like a big fake.<\/p>\n

But then Zoey\u2019s stepdad Tom VanLeer finds out about Perry. And Tom is the new district attorney. A boy living at a prison? He\u2019s outraged. Without telling Zoey, he decides to Do the Right Thing and take Perry into his own home. What\u2019s more, Warden Daugherty gets suspended, and Perry\u2019s mother\u2019s parole hearing gets postponed.<\/p>\n

Tom also tries too hard with Perry. Tom thinks he\u2019s saving him from a horrible life growing up in prison. Perry only knows that he\u2019s been forced to leave his mom and his home.<\/p>\n

Then their English teacher assigns the students a project to find out why their family came to Butler County. Perry decides to learn the stories of his Blue River family, including his mother\u2019s full story.<\/p>\n

I didn\u2019t expect to even like this book much, but I loved it. Maybe it stretches plausibility just a tad, and things do tie up pretty neatly in the end \u2013 but the characters are so well-drawn, they\u2019re a delight to spend time with, especially including Perry\u2019s family at Blue River.<\/p>\n

And while the overall situation of a boy growing up in prison may be a little hard to believe \u2013 if you accept the premise, it\u2019s easy to believe this is how things would work out, including the residents and their quirky personalities, the comments Perry gets from kids at school, and the reaction of the self-righteous district attorney.<\/p>\n

Most of the book is told from Perry\u2019s perspective, with chapters here and there from his mother\u2019s perspective. Personally, I think the book could do without his mother\u2019s chapters \u2013 but they don\u2019t harm the book. I just don\u2019t think they\u2019re necessarily needed. You can figure out how she feels about all of this.<\/p>\n

Perry\u2019s a great person to spend time with. As he learns the stories of the residents, the reader gets a chance to feel some empathy as well and see how easily lives can go off-course. But the big question: Can Perry do anything to help his mother get parole?<\/p>\n

This story is filled with hope, compassion, love, and understanding. We see Perry get understandably angry with district attorney VanLeer \u2013 and figure out a way to rise above his anger. We see the power of learning people\u2019s stories, even someone like VanLeer.<\/p>\n

leslieconnor.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Buy from Amazon.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Find this review on Sonderbooks<\/a> at: www.sonderbooks.com\/Childrens_Fiction\/perry_t_cook.html<\/a><\/p>\n

Disclosure: I am an Amazon Affiliate, and will earn a small percentage if you order a book on Amazon after clicking through from my site.<\/p>\n

Source: This review is based on a library book from Fairfax County Public Library.<\/p>\n

Disclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but I maintain my website and blogs on my own time. The views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.<\/p>\n

Tweet<\/a>