This book is up for California Young Readers Medal 2016 2017 year. It's a real book written by Shawn Goodman who works with real teens that are in troubled situations. Harsh scary real life challenges color this book as we meet James who gets caught dealing drugs for his big brother. His family life is non-existent. You get to meet his fellow inmates, the guards, and counselors who work with the kids. This book keeps it real. Also the language in this book is real and the conversations are also real. Which means you will read some mean words. This is authentic language that reflects the characters setting and is used appropriately to the character. Bottom line, the book is good. It's harsh and sad but good. I would say read this book before you put it in the library so you know what to expect. It should be in the library, it's authentic. Read a gritty book, this is it.
