by John Grisham
First published 2019
Woody Lambert is in trouble. He has been skipping assignments, falling in with the wrong crowd, and making choices that worry his friend Theo Boone. Then one day Woody gets arrested, pulled into an armed robbery he never planned and never wanted. Theo is certain Woody had no idea what he was walking into. But certainty does not get anyone out of jail. Theo is a thirteen-year-old kid who knows more about courtrooms and legal procedure than most adults. He has seen how the system works, and he has seen how it fails people who cannot fight back. Woody is sitting in a cell while the clock runs. Theo starts digging, pushing every contact he has, looking for the facts that could prove his friend did not belong there. At the center of the story is a question Theo cannot shake: does the law actually protect everyone equally, or does it depend on who you are and who is in your corner? Theo is determined to be in Woody's corner, no matter what it costs him.
Genres: drama, american-fiction, coming-of-age, mystery, young-adult, legal-thriller
Vibes: emotional, gripping, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: determined-protagonist, found-family, systemic-injustice
Period: contemporary
240 pages · Paperback · Puffin Books