Guest Review by Jacks: Harry Sue -- Sue Stauffacher

Having survived the seven story fall after her father tossed her out the window, things only seem to go downhill for Harry Sue Clotkin. It's a good thing for her she knows who her road dogs are. With her mom in jail and her best friend, Homer Price, lying paralyzed in his custom built tree house, Harry Sue is having a hard time defending the crumbsnatchers at the day care from her rapacious, iron pumping Grandma. 

Harry Sue keeps making resolutions to start her journey down the Yellow Brick Road of delinquency so she can find her mom. But with the help of Homer Prices' J-Cat (that's J-Catagory--or crazy to you fish) physical therapist and her African art teacher, Harry Sue is going to keep it together.

I loved this book.  It's a tremendously compassionate, and utterly unsentimental look at the families of convicts. Harry Sue herself, though she is only doing time in middle school (and her wretched, wretched home) reminded me a lot of the prisoners I used to teach.

Plus, there's a ton of up-to-date, keep it real prison slang.

Comments

[C.C.]

I meant to add: this is one of those books where for about 70 pages the reader has NO IDEA what the heck is going on--but it doesn't matter because it's all so fascinating and then amazingly, miraculously everything slots into place. Actually, it just keeps getting better and better the more I think about. Some dirty rat bought our last copy; once it comes in again I'm totally buying copies for me, my mom and my sisters.

[jess]

Hooray for Harry Sue! Great if you like books that are jam-packed with characters and references and happenings.