Incarcerated Parents

Episode 4 - Incarcerated Family Members

 (click on title to listen to podcast)

One Friday night in high school I was on my way out the door to a football game when my mom got a phone call that stopped me in my tracks. A family member had been arrested and was sitting in a jail cell. My mom insisted I go to the game, but I couldn’t enjoy myself because all I could think about was how a person I loved had committed a crime and I had no idea what would happen to them. Luckily for me and my family, my relative was released after a day and somehow life returned to normal. Sadly, for over two million kids in this country, that isn’t the case. Approximately 1-in-28 children have an incarcerated parent. I can’t even begin to imagine how growing up with a mother or father in jail would affect me.

Welcome to episode four of Happy Reading, a podcast that spotlights and celebrates amazing middle grade fiction that centers around a specific theme. All of the books on this episode explore the different ways young people deal with having an incarcerated parent. With so many families dealing with the realities of this situation, it is imperative that educators read these books. Perhaps even more importantly, these children need to know they aren’t alone in their experience. I hope you seek out these books and get them into the hands of young people you work with.

Mountain Dog by Margarita Engle

For years the only experiences Tony has around dogs is watching his mother raise Pit Bulls to become fighting machines against other canines. His mom is eventually arrested and, rather than get swallowed up by the foster care system, Tony is taken in by his great-uncle, whom he has never met. Tio lives in a cabin in the Sierra Nevada mountains, an environment that is completely alien to Tony who grew up in Los Angeles. His uncle also has a dog named Gabe who is nothing like the Pit Bulls Tony’s mother raised. At first Tony is closed off, angry, sad - everything you’d expect from a kid whose only parent is in jail. But over time he starts to let down his guard and when there’s an emergency on the mountain he demonstrates just how far he has come. Written in verse from both Tony’s and Gabe’s perspective, Mountain Dog by Young People’s Poet Laureate Margarita Engle, is a beautiful story about hope, family, forgiveness, the power of nature, and the special bond between humans and animals. Here is chapter one, which is written from Tony’s point of view, and chapter two which is written from Gabe’s point of view.

Excerpt - pages 1-8

Ruby on the Outside by Nora Raleigh Baskin

My parents separated when I was ten, leaving my brother and me to live with my mom and only spend one weekend a month with my dad. As much as I loved my father, sometimes I wanted to stay home and hang out with my neighborhood friends instead of with him, so I totally empathize with Ruby, the protagonist of Ruby on the Outside by Nora Raleigh Baskin. There are days when she would much rather read by the pool of her apartment complex than have awkward conversations with her mom; the difference is, Ruby’s mother is in jail and they can only spend time together on official visiting days. None of her friends know about her family situation and she plans on keeping it that way, until she makes a new friend and realizes that being honest about her life might be the only way to fully live it. Here’s an excerpt from Ruby on the Outside.

Excerpt - pages 14-18

All Rise for the Honorable Perry T. Cook by Leslie Connor

Perry Cook is a typical eleven-year old: he loves to snap photos of everyday life, he enjoys school, he loves to run, he has lots of friends. Well, those friends aren’t actually typical because they are residents at the Blue River Co-Ed Correctional Facility where Perry lives with his mom, Jessica. Thanks to a compassionate warden who ignores state regulations, Perry has been allowed to stay with his mother since he was born. Unfortunately, a new district attorney gets wind of Perry’s unique situation and decides he will be much better off if he is raised in a regular home away from everything and everyone he loves. What could go wrong, right? All Rise for the Honorable Perry T. Cook by Leslie Connor is a beautifully written story about unbreakable family bonds, true friendship and the goodness that is inside everyone if you dig deep enough. The characters are funny and endearing, and readers will enjoy solving the mystery of how Perry’s mother ended up at Blue River. Here is chapter three, which is written from Jessica’s point of view. Most of the book is narrated by Perry, but I decided to share this chapter because it illustrates how his mom feels about being an incarcerated parent.

Excerpt - pages 8-12

One for the Murphys by Lynda Mullaly Hunt

A few years ago my husband and I became licensed foster care providers. The process was pretty intense and waiting to hear from our agency about possible placements was nerve-racking. If becoming foster parents was that challenging, I can barely comprehend what it’s like for children in the system. Lynda Mullaly Hunt brilliantly depicts one girl’s experience with a foster family in One for the Murphys. This is one of those books that will give you all the feels. Twelve-year old Carley lives with her mom and stepdad until the night he is put in jail for physically abusing Carley’s mother, who ends up in the hospital. Because Carley has repeatedly been exposed to violence, DSHS determines her mother cannot properly care for a child and provide her with a safe and secure environment. Enter the Murphy family. Julie and her husband, a firefighter, are raising three boys and not all of them are thrilled by Carley’s arrival. Will Carley let down her walls and give the Murphys a chance? Or will they give up on her? Here’s chapter two of One for the Murphys.

Excerpt - pages 5-9

Thank you so much for listening to this episode of Happy Reading! If you haven’t already read them, I hope you seek out these four incredible, heart-wrenching and thought-provoking middle grade novels about the impact the criminal justice system has on families, especially children. If you are looking for a book that will appeal to younger readers, Visiting Day by Jacqueline Woodson is an excellent choice. If you have other recommendations that fit this episode’s theme, you can find me on Twitter as WordNerd153 and you can email me through my blog at happyrdng.blogspot.com. You can also find a complete transcript of every episode on my website. Thanks again for spending some time listening to me gush about middle grade books I love. Until next time, happy reading!