ALL RISE FOR THE HONORABLE PERRY T. COOK, by Leslie Connor

The story: Perry has lived in the Blue River Correctional Facility his entire life, juggling his routines on the inside with his life at school, and always waiting for the day when his mother will be paroled. Enter DA Thomas VanLeer, who's completely sure that prison is no place for a kid--so sure that he pulls Perry out and into foster care at his own home. It doesn't matter that VanLeer is Perry's best friend Zoey's stepdad: his house isn't Perry's home, and Perry's determined to get back to his mom, no matter what it takes.

June Cleaver's ratings: Language PG; Violence G; Sexual content PG; Nudity G; Substance abuse PG; Magic & the occult G; GLBT content G; adult themes (criminal lives) PG; overall rating PG.

Liz's comments: Life in the Blue River facility is pretty much Prison Lite--almost like a retreat, only you don't get to leave on Sunday night--but you never doubt Perry and mom Jessica's love for each other, or the fact that a family is a family, even in jail. Secondary characters are engaging and even though Perry is naive (really bugging his mom for the details of her crime, and then taken aback when he gets them) he's a likable narrator, and his persistence helps him solve not only the mystery of his mom's crime, but the mystery of what's going to happen next. I really liked it.