The Woods

One of my favorite ways to learn about books is by reading about the titles other bloggers read and recommend.  We don't always agree, but quite often they have read books I have never heard about.  I've also never met a list of books that I didn't immediately want to check titles off!!  So I was in seventh heaven when Janssen published her summer reading list "100 picture books to read this summer".   I "met" Janssen when we served on a Cybils panel a few years ago (Side note: I am so excited to be a judge for Round One of the Easy Readers/Early Chapter Books judging this year!!), and I know that she has amazing taste in books.  So I printed out her list of recommendations and got to work.  Because these weren't the only books we read this summer, it took us all summer to get through the list.  But we loved it - reading old favorites and new titles.  And one of the new-to-us books that I loved enough to write about was The Woods.

It begins with a little boy going through his bedtime routine.  He's in bed, under his covers, finished with his story, when he realizes his bunny rabbit is missing.  The boy knows there is only one place his stuffed rabbit could be.  He gathers some supplies, including a sword, and heads off into the woods.  He announces that he isn't afraid at all.  Until...he runs into a BIG, SCARY BROWN BEAR!  Luckily, the little boy is brave enough to determine that the bear is afraid of the dark.  And the little boy can also solve the bear's problem by providing a night-light.  Because he has been kind to the bear, the bear wants to join in and help the little boy find his rabbit.
 
So with the bear tagging along behind, the boy proceeds through the woods.  They continue their search through the murky, dark woods, finding two scary giants and a three-headed, fire-breathing dragon.  Each time the little boy confronts something new, he doesn't get scared, but makes the effort to find out what they need (that frightening dragon is actually bawling because he has a stomachache!).  When he helps them out, they all agree to help him to find his rabbit in return.  But when the group approaches a dark cave, it tests all of their combined bravery.  The solution is to hold hands and  work together as they venture in.

What is inside that dark, spooky cave?  Well, it's one last surprise to close out the little boy's adventure.  But suffice to say everything turns out okay in the end.  When that little boy finally climbs back into bed, he has a whole host of new friends to snuggle with.

There are several pieces of this title that I think work together to make this a successful picture book.  Some of these are textual, and some are contained within the illustrations.  It doesn't have complex text with lots of words on each page, but those words are full of imagination and adventure.  Readers are drawn into the story immediately through the little boy's bedtime routine.  I have yet to meet a child who doesn't sleep with at least one stuffed animal.  They can all relate to the process of getting into bed, tucked in and slightly sleepy, and missing that one special animal who has disappeared.  When the story changes from a bedtime story into an adventure, children are ready to commit to searching along with the little boy.  Part of this is due to the earnest first person tone in those introductory sentences.

And another textual success is the repetitive structure of the story.  The sentences are fairly short to keep the plot moving along.  And after each time the boy meets someone (or something) new, and the group sets off together, the text claims "And we weren't afraid at all.  Until..."  It's a great device for building momentum - readers can't wait to see what is around the corner.  They will listen intently for the next cue and be prepared when the page turns.  That piece of repetitive text also ties off the previous incident.

One of the things I love about this story is that it takes teamwork to accomplish the little boy's mission.  When they reach the cave, they aren't individuals - they are a team.  It takes all of their effort to face off against that last creature.  The little boy has been clever in solving every character's problems with compassion and generosity.  But even the bravest little boy might cower before that creature, and it is the support of his new-found friends that helps him get through the confrontation.

I thought the illustrations helped make the story so captivating.  They remind me of illustrations readers would experience in a graphic novel.  There is rich color, with an incredible range of browns in the woods and the little boy's bedroom.  And there are fun details in the pictures too - that scary brown bear who the boy meets first has a gold HONEY necklace.  It looks incredibly out of place on a bear in the woods, but makes that bear seem more hip than scary.  When the little boy gives him the night-light, he strings the lightbulb around his neck instead.  The looks on the faces of every character as they discover each other are priceless.  They are often reacting in shock and fear, but they also look hilarious.  These details add to the fun of reading this book aloud.

Speaking of reading aloud, this story is dramatic and a perfect addition to storytimes or just a family reading time.  It is especially perfect with the multiple surprises on almost every page.  And of course, the combination of bedtime and adventure will help keep it in regular rotation everywhere.  Thank you, Janssen, for the recommendation!

The Woods.  Paul Hoppe.  Chronicle Books, 2011.

borrowed through interlibrary loan.

The Misadventures of the Family Fletcher

I love a good family story.  And by good, I don't mean that everything has to be perfect, or end happily, although that's nice when it happens.  I mean the type of family story that feels real, honest and satisfying.  In the last few years, I've come to realize that although families may be shaped differently, there is a love there that should be celebrated.  Families are magic when they work, and I love watching those moments unfold, whether in real life or on paper.

When I checked out The Misadventures of the Family Fletcher, I was just expecting it to be a fun read.  But I ended up loving it so much that I've read it twice this spring, and have kept it out from the library way too long.  I am so happy to be able to share it with you!

There are four boys in the Fletcher family - Sam, the oldest, is starting sixth grade; Jax and Eli are both in fourth grade (but at different schools), and Frog (whose real name is Jeremiah) is just beginning Kindergarten.  When the book begins, it is the first day of school..  The first day of school is filled with Fletcher family traditions, including a picture on the front steps before school starts, and a celebratory dinner when they all get home.  I love celebrating the little moments, and this first day of school dinner (there is a last day of school dinner too) is a special ritual I'll be stealing.  Each child gets served all their favorite foods at the first/last day of school dinner.  Eli always chooses Chinese dumplings and spareribs.  Sam wants spaghetti and meatballs (with homemade sauce).  Frog asks for macaroni and cheese from "'the purple box, not the blue box...That blue box is disgusting!'" (p. 22).  The boys' dad is a teacher, so he gets to have a special meal too: rare grilled steak with mushrooms and peppers.  And finally, "Papa had a small portion of everyone's meal, making, he said, a most fascinating study in how something can be less than the sum of its parts." (p. 22).  Whew - that is a lot of cooking - and eating!

Yes, there is a Papa and a Dad in this story and the matter of fact way this is treated by Levy gives me hope for more books where the emphasis is on the family structure, not who is within it.  While the Fletchers are all used to their family and how it operates, though, that isn't true of all of their community.  In the novel, Eli starts at a new school (more on that later), and as they arrive at a open house, Eli realizes that his family is a little overwhelming.  "Eli had been so worried about what his family would think of his school that he hadn't really though about how the school would react to his family. But as they trooped in, Eli couldn't help seeing them through new eyes... 'These are my dads' - he gestured behind him - 'and my brothers.'  Hoping desperately that was enough of an introduction, Eli swooped into his seat." (p.30-31).  Of course, people have questions, but the Fletchers mostly seem to attract attention because they are loud, rowdy boys, not so much because they have two dads. All four boys are adopted and are a mix of races, which can lead to more enquiries.  Eli thinks "He wasn't embarrassed about his family - it wasn't that.  It was just...there were so many of them.  And so many boys.  He knew the questions were coming." (p. 32)  The boys answer questions from Eli's new classmates as a family, united and secure in their story, although slightly defensive when kids get a bit too nosy.

But this novel is about the family at this time, not really how they became a family.  Each boy has their own story during the book as they navigate the school year.  We'll start with the youngest, Frog.  Frog is just beginning Kindergarten, and at dinner on the first day of school, Frog announces that he's met a new friend.  Her name is Ladybug Li, and she has three sisters and two moms.  This is all too much of a coincidence for anyone to believe.  They are already primed to be suspicious of Frog's information.  "Frog had what his preschool teacher had called an engaging and encompassing imaginary world, which Sam figured pretty much meant he was nuts.  Papa and Dad, of course, thought an imaginary cheetah under the bed was perfectly normal. " (p. 23)  Frog continues to insist throughout the year that Ladybug Li is real, but no one believes him.  And she is never at the birthday parties Frog attends, and she isn't in the phone directory...you can understand why everyone questions Frog's integrity.

Sam, who is entering sixth grade, has a great group of friends and plays soccer competitively.  Jax describes his brother this way: "Sam was royalty, kind of like a carnivore with a bunch of gazelles and zebras and wildebeests around him." (p. 7)  Sam's plan for the year involves preparing for the Elite team tryouts in the spring.  Getting on that team really requires plenty of practices, workouts, and an incredible amount of focus and determination.  But then Sam tells stories at the Fletcher Halloween party, and then kids ask him to tell stories during lunch period.  This leads to the director of the school play asking Sam to audition.  "She must have been joking - he'd never acted in his life.  Not that there was anything wrong with it, but he wasn't the type of kid.  He was the play-sports-every-recess type, the make-the-A-team-in-soccer type, the can't-wait-for-the-high-school-ski-team type.  Not the sing-and-dance-onstage type.  Obviously." (p. 93)  And suddenly Sam finds himself taking a risk, trying something unexpected, and possibly putting his soccer dreams on hold.

Then there is Eli.  At the start of the year, Eli is thrilled to be starting at a different school than his brothers.  He's been accepted at the Pinnacle School.  "A school where everyone was the smart kid sounded awesome.  A school where he didn't get 'rewarded' for already knowing the work by being allowed to sit and read quietly in the corner." (p. 15)  The school is expensive, and a huge shift for Eli.  "His parents hadn't been sure it was the right choice, but he knew it was." (p. 16)  This school has a lot of rigor, and doesn't believe in distractions like recess.  As the year continues on, Eli wonders if this is really the place for him.  This is the first big decision he's made for himself.  What if this was the wrong choice? 

Finally, Jax's story involves the whole family.  On the very first day of school, his fourth grade teacher announces a year-long Veteran's Project.  The students find a veteran and interview them about their experiences.  They will also research the war that veteran fought in.  The family realizes that their new next door neighbor, Mr. Nelson, is a Vietnam veteran.  The problem is that Mr. Nelson doesn't seem to like the Fletchers very much.  The boys always seem to be doing something wrong in Mr. Nelson's eyes.  After a contest to see who can hit the car horn harder gets the horn stuck, "Mr. Nelson had roared, threatening to call the police.  Eli had thought it was ridiculous.  It wasn't like they'd enjoyed the forty-five minutes it had taken to find the right fuse to turn the thing off any more than he had." (p. 14)  Diplomacy with Mr. Nelson will require effort from each of the Fletchers in order to get Jax's project completed.

There is so much life going on in this book.  Like any family, they have their ups and downs, but they work through things together.  The characters are dynamic and human.  Papa's sister, Lucy, lives in New York City and is a famous baker.  Frog loves to visit her because "best of all, when they were with her, she told them that, unless it endangered their health or well-being, the answer to any question would be yes." (p. 97)  Best aunt ever!  Every person in the book is full of personality and humor, even the cranky Mr. Nelson.  It keeps the book lively and chaotic, just like family life.

And that is what I love most about The Misadventures of the Family Fletcher.  It is full of family life.  Levy includes the snapshots of everyday rituals as well as the traditions that matter to this family.  In the nine months that elapse during this novel, there are bound to be some of both.  But there is also the family magic - the support, love, listening and guidance that make a family work successfully.  At the beginning of the book, Papa says that the meal he ate is less than the sum of its parts.  Once you've met the family Fletcher, you realize that their strength is the sum of all of them.  I'd like to read another book about the Fletcher family - they've won my heart.

The Misadventures of the Family Fletcher.  Dana Alison Levy.  Delacorte Press, 2014.

borrowed from the Lewis & Clark Library

The Misadventures of the Family Fletcher - 48 Hour Book Challenge

I just finished another book - yay!  I'm feeling pretty accomplished today.  I just finished The Misadventures of the Family Fletcher, and I am actually not going to say too much about it, because this was a re-read before writing a blog post.  I have two books that I'd like to post about in the next few days around Father's Day, and this is one of them.  So I'll keep my thoughts to myself for now. 

With chapter books, I tend to read them twice, at least, before I blog about them - the first time I might just be identifying that this a book I'd like to write about, so the second time I re-read looking for themes or quotes I'd like to write about.  Sometimes this second read takes longer, because I am making connections.  Sometimes it takes longer because while I have a feeling about the book, I can't exactly figure out what I'd like to say.  Sometimes it takes longer because I just don't have the time to sit down and work it all out.  I'm happy that I had had some time to think about the themes I wanted to use already, and that I had the time to re-read all at once.  Now on to writing about it...actually, I think I'll keep reading first!

Current Reading Time: 6 hours reading + 1 hour blogging = 7 hours total so far
Books Finished: 3


The Misadventures of the Family Fletcher.  Dana Allison Levy.  Delacorte, 2014.

borrowed from the Lewis & Clark Library

Okay for Now

When I began hearing Gary D. Schmidt’s Okay for Now mentioned over and over as a potential Newbery winner this early in the year, I can’t say I was very surprised.  After all, he’s won the Newbery Honor Award twice (as well as a Printz Honor and other awards).  I think you would be foolish to count him out.  But I am going on record as saying if this book doesn’t win the Newbery (and possibly a Printz Award too), I’d be very surprised.  It is a multi-layered  narrative, combining history, family, coming-of-age and a little bit of romance and mystery.  It also bridges the divide between Newbery and Printz age groups gracefully.

Schmidt takes a character from The Wednesday Wars (Doug Swieteck) and moves him from Long Island to Marysville, New York.  Doug, who is going to start eighth grade, comes home one day to find out that his father has been fired after a fight with the owner of the lumber business where he works.  In Marysville, Doug’s father has a friend who can get him work at the paper mill, so off they move.  Doug’s father is a tough man, the kind who blusters, thinks he knows better than anyone else and isn’t afraid to let you know it.  He is a drinker and there is abuse in Doug’s household.  He is capable of amazing cruelty to his family, which the Swieteck boys see every day.  Each of them deal with this differently, and Doug mostly handles it by keeping his head down or disappearing when it’s a “wrong day”.

When they get to Marysville, Doug happens across the Marysville Free Public Library on a Saturday, the only day it’s open each week.  And it’s there that he sees the most amazing picture of a bird he has ever seen.  A librarian, Mr. Powell, tells Doug the book is Audubon’s Birds of America and Doug is mesmerized.  His regular visits to the bird portraits in a glass case lead to Mr. Powell teaching Doug how to draw.  He practices his skills using the portraits of the birds.  As Doug learns the techniques Audubon used to create the birds, he also learns to observe closely and to analyze exactly what makes the drawings so compelling.  The chapters are all named after birds Doug sees and draws, and I found it very helpful that reproductions of the plates are included in Schmidt’s book.  Many of the birds were not familiar to me, and as Doug describes their magnificence, readers can go back and see what he is describing for themselves.

There are so many tightly-woven details that make up Doug’s story, and I don’t want to ruin the experience for you.  Suffice to say that every story Doug retells and every detail included in this narrative counts.  Doug’s oldest brother, Lucas, is serving in the Vietnam War when the novel begins, helping to set the historical period.  But what I believe is one of Schmidt’s greatest skills is his ability to totally craft a historical era, along with period details, but allow the narrative’s themes to be very contemporary in feel and tone.  Doug is also telling the story to the reader, which feels more contemporary to me.  His tough-guy demeanor (learned at home) gradually gives way to a different way of talking to the reader as the novel moves on, and it is a good indicator of the changes in Doug.

One of the themes in this coming-of-age novel is judgment and how that can be accurate or inaccurate.  The Swieteck boys are perceived as no-good troublemakers when they arrive.  Or at least, the middle brother, Christopher, is.  He is repeatedly questioned by the police about a series of burglaries.  It does seem as if there is some evidence pointing to his involvement, but Christopher always insists he is innocent.  In the meantime, Doug is judged by his teachers, the principal and other townspeople just because he is the brother of a troublemaker.

Another theme in this book is faith – not the religion type of faith, but faith in Doug.  Because as the year goes on, more and more townspeople begin to show faith in Doug.  It begins with Mr. Powell , who sees something in Doug’s careful viewing of Birds in America that makes him take Doug under his wing, so to speak.  There is Doug’s science teacher, who tells Doug directly that it doesn’t matter what his brother does, it matters what Doug does.  There is the police officer’s family on his grocery delivery route who asks Doug to babysit their children.  This is a town full of people who get to know Doug and see his potential.  And as he is recognized for his good qualities, you begin to see a change in Doug.  He begins to break out of the mold he seems destined for at the beginning of the novel.

This book is breathtaking, both in its cruelty and its hope.  You root for Doug from the beginning, but as you get to know his family and the town of Marysville, you want them all to succeed.  I strongly believe this should be on every Mock Newbery and Printz list (Glendale Public Library, I’m talking to you!) this year.  Its combination of historical fiction, coming-of-age story and layered family narrative are compelling and exquisite.  Read it now – don’t wait until it wins a medal.

Okay for Now.  Gary D. Schmidt.  Clarion Books, 2011.

Borrowed from Lewis & Clark Library

Jeremy Bender vs. the Cupcake Cadets

I think it’s natural that when I read middle-grade and teen fiction, I prefer to read books with girl main characters.  After all, as librarians know very well, we tend to be drawn to books that look as if the main character is their particular gender.  Boys will choose books with boys on the cover, and girls are attracted to prominently featured girls.  This is why I think even the title Jeremy Bender vs. the Cupcake Cadets is so genius.  Just with six words, Eric Luper has indicated that this book will satisfy both boys and girls.  And when readers look at the cover, they see both Jeremy and the Cupcake Cadets prominently featured, along with a neutral blue background.  Everyone on the cover has their arms crossed, showing their readiness to fight.

First – Jeremy Bender.  He’s an average 6^th grader with a couple of big problems.  First, there’s his problem at school.  The problem’s name is Paul Vogler, and he is a bully who picks on Jeremy and his best friend, a skateboarder named Slater.  His second problem is much larger.  Jeremy believes that he can show his father how responsible he is by meticulously caring for his father’s prized Chris-Craft boat.  But when he and Slater bring sodas on board the boat…let’s just say there is one very sticky mess.  He needs $450 to fix the engine before his dad tries to take the boat out next summer.  But Jeremy doesn’t even have 450 pennies to his name.

This is where the Cupcake Cadets come in.  The Cupcake Cadets sponsor a model sailboat contest with a $500 prize.  The only catch?  You must be a Cupcake Cadet – and a girl – to enter and win.  Jeremy and Slater plunge right in, dressing as girls to infiltrate the Cupcake Cadet troop.  While the Cupcake Cadets seem sweet and innocent, they are not always that naïve.  The Cupcake Cadets’ song says it all “I’ll use teamwork and cooperation, and innovative thinking.  I’ll use caring and sharing, and a bit of vanilla frosting.”  While the Cupcake Cadet troop fosters all of those traditional girl qualities – caring, sharing, cooperation- it also looks for innovation.  The troop rewards creativity and intelligence.  While they may not recognize Jeremy and Slater for the boys they really are (and many of the girls either go to school with them or have met them before), they reward the boys for working hard and teamwork.

And while Jeremy and Slater aren’t technically allowed to be Cupcake Cadets, they actually fulfill the tenets of the troop.  One of the biggest examples of this is a car wash the boys hold to sell their cupcakes.  The cupcakes are the Cadet equivalent of Girl Scout cookies, only much less tasty.  The boys have a lot to sell, having been manipulated into taking another Cadet’s portion along with theirs.  The boys are having a terrible time getting rid of them, until they hold a car wash, “giving” the customer a free cupcake with each wash.  They eventually get their whole troop involved in the car wash.  Slater is a good example of cooperation, caring and sharing.  After all, while he helped make the mess that landed them in the Cupcake Cadets, dressing as and impersonating a girl goes above and beyond the call of friendship.  By the time the sailboat competition comes around, the boys are far more invested in the troop than they expected.

What I love about the girls in the Cupcake Cadets is that they are smart, competitive and tough.  The Cadet who Jeremy and Slater spend the most time with is Margaret.  Margaret has won the sailboat competition for years running, and has taken an aerodynamics class this year in order to create the best sailboat.  Not only is she competitive and smart, she is ambitious as well.  Margaret is the Cadet who gets Jeremy and Slater (they are known as Jenna and Samantha within the troop) to sell all of her cupcakes along with their own.  There is a rival Cupcake Cadet troop, whose leader is out to get their troop’s leader, Mrs. Rendell.  And Jeremy’s older sister, Ruthie, an ex-Cupcake Cadet (where else would the boys get the uniforms and wigs?) is savvy and sharp.  She spends most of the novel on the phone, dispensing advice to Jeremy while cultivating gossip from everyone in her class.  Trust me, these girls are more spice than sugar, just the way we like our main characters.

Jeremy  and Slater’s predicament is laugh-out-loud funny.  It is also suspenseful.  We keep reading to find out when someone is actually going to look past their uniforms and wigs to see them for what they really are.  Among the other memorable characters is a very cool children’s librarian who is always complaining about the other librarians who don’t like children.  Librarians always appreciate seeing a great librarian character in the novel they are reading!

By the end of the book, there are resolutions to both of Jeremy’s problems, but they may not be the solutions you expect.  While the bullying issue is handled with a light hand, the boys are genuinely leery of Paul, and I believe readers will be able to empathize with their problem.  I appreciate that the solution to the bullying doesn’t include bribery, hiding out or adult involvement.  Luper gives readers another solution to dealing with bullies, and this one will resonate with kids.  All in all, this is a satisfying read for both boys and girls.  It has something to appeal to everyone!

Jeremy Bender vs. the Cupcake Cadets.  Eric Luper.  Balzer & Bray: HarperCollins, 2011.

FTC Full Disclosure: I was given this book by the publisher, hoping I would review it.

Trash

One of the things that I love about School Library Journal's Battle of the Books is that I've read things that I would not have read otherwise.  When I heard about Trash, it did not seem like my kind of book - I am not always an enthusiastic reader of books with teenage boy protagonists.  I rarely connect with teenage boy characters, so it has to take some special characters for me to get past that.  But this book was different from the first page.

Raphael and Gardo are sorting trash, on the top of a large mountain of refuse in a landfill.  Suddenly something slips out of a bag - a wallet with ID, a key and a substantial amount of cash.  To Raphael and Gardo, who live in the landfill in a sort of scrabbling, hand-to-mouth existence, the cash is most important.  But when the police come looking for that same wallet, Raphael and Gardo know they have unearthed something much more valuable than they first thought.
They enlist one other boy, a loner known as Rat, to keep their secret.  These boys have already kept the wallet a secret from their neighbors because of the amount of cash.  Raphael and Gardo know that cash makes them vulnerable in their dumpster society.  They could be robbed or killed over it.  In their neighborhood (called Behala), people never have any money at all - they mostly use recyclables or found trash to barter for food and supplies.  This is a bleak, hopeless society.  The adults in Behala are just barely surviving.  Raphael, Gardo and Rat, however, are still young enough to have a slim glimmer of hope.  And that is enough to allow them to set off on a quest to solve the mystery behind the wallet. 

Mulligan has created an incredible story.  These boys have nothing - no money, little family, even less education.  And yet they are resilient, clever, street-smart.  The three are able to get information because they have always lived by their wits, so they are observant and have perfected being invisible to the adults around them.  Perhaps only this particular group of boys would have this combination of daring and smarts that allows them to solve this mystery.  Most teen boys wouldn't be curious about the rest of the contents of the wallet, probably discarding them while keeping the cash.  Or they might have bowed to authority and handed over the wallet to the police when they came looking for it. 

This is an adventure story at heart, but it is combined with the mystery that unfolds in front of the boys.  At times, the action is heart-stopping - will the boys be caught by the police before they uncover a mystery that hints at political corruption?  Mulligan keeps the tension ratcheted  up at an unendurable level, and you wonder how these poor, uneducated boys can possibly survive.

One other unique thing about Mulligan's novel is the voices - each of the boys have chapters told through their eyes, and they all have very different ways of looking at this situation.  They all see each other's strengths and weaknesses, and work together as a seamless partnership.  It is truly miraculous that these boys have the wherewithal to not only survive their bleak upbringings but to hold out hope for a better life.

Trash.  Andy Mulligan.  David Fickling Books: Random House, 2010.

personal copy

Lockdown

I am appreciating the National Book Award finalists this year because in reading them, I am breaking out of my comfort zone, just a little.  In my previous life as a teen librarian, Lockdown was the kind of book that I would have recommended to teens, especially boys.  I would have a general idea of what it was about ("Reese is a teen in juvenile detention, trying to survive until his release date."), but I would have missed out on an extremely thought-provoking novel.

Reese committed a burglary two years ago, stealing prescription pads from a doctor's office.  At the beginning of the novel, Reese has just basically been surviving in juvenile detention.  There isn't a lot of evidence that he has changed through this experience so far, but he hasn't gotten any worse, either.  His family, on the other hand, is not doing so well.   Reese was living with his mother, who is addicted to drugs.  His older brother is a drug dealer and has also already been in juvenile detention.  Reese's young sister has miraculously escaped all the trouble for now, and is holding out the only hope Reese can see.
While Reese's life on the outside is full of despair, his life on the inside is no better.  There are frequent lockdowns on his unit, and the staff is cruel to the inmates.  Reese's harsh reality is evident from the very beginning of the book.  There are the title lockdowns - every inmate in their own cells, solitary detention, physical checks whenever an inmate has visitors or leaves the building, gangs... Myers does not shy away from the grittiness of juvenile detention, almost as a warning that there is nothing cool about prison.  There is no humanity, except for the social worker on the unit who gets Reese a job working in a nursing home to help rehabilitate him.
One of the most striking things about Reese is the dilemma that he finds himself in.  The drug dealer that he sold the prescription pads to blames Reese for someone's drug overdose.  The police confront him in detention and tell him that he has three days to decide whether he will plead guilty or stand trial for a crime he didn't commit.  Reese believes that if he has to stand trial, the jurors will never believe that he is innocent, so he feels that he must plead guilty.  This is the source of much of the novel's tension - that Reese has no option because he has already been found guilty of a crime.  You can feel his panic and worry for him as he contemplates his adult life spent in prison.

This is what Myers is best at - communicating the utter lack of possibility in the life of these prison inmates.  The social worker continually reminds Reese that most of the young adults in juvenile detention will become adult prisoners.  There is very little possibility for them in the real world, and as Reese realizes, they will often be blamed for additional crimes whether they were involved or not.  It takes a strong person to rise above the reality.  Is Reese that man?

This is a strong book by Myers.  Since the National Book Award ceremony has already taken place, I know it didn't win.  But Reese is a character full of the dichotomy of dreams and reality - one who doesn't have a lot of hope and yet chips out a small piece of hope for himself.  Ultimately he fins a small measure of redemption.

Lockdown.  Walter Dean Myers.  Amistad: HarperCollins, 2010.  Borrowed from Lewis & Clark Library