Eat, Read, and Be Mommy

Seriously, folks.  Britt read All Rise for the Honorable Perry T. Cook years ago and more or less informed me I was borrowing it because she knew I would likely love it even more than she did.  It’s been sitting on my shelf ever since, awaiting its turn–and now that I’ve read it, I wish I’d given it that turn long ago.  I loved this like I loved Gary D. Schmidt’s Okay for Now, and I had some of the same sorts of feels at the end.  (I’m not giving any spoilers, so I’ll leave it at that.)  GO READ THIS BOOK NOW!

Of course, that doesn’t tell you much about it.  Perry and his mom live at Blue River Coed Correctional Facility in the tiny town of Surprise, Nebraska; his mom is up for parole shortly and a new life seems within their reach when the district attorney discovers the details of Perry’s existence.  The DA is immediately convinced that Perry must be removed from such an environment, and suddenly life as he knows it has turned completely upside down.  Perry longs for his mother–and the rest of his unconventional but very real “family”– from his new foster home.  How Perry, his mother, and the rest of Leslie Connor’s memorable cast of characters find their way forward is a difficult, beautiful, joyful, and amazing journey to experience.

This book ought to be read by the world.