Product Description

Gettingcaught changed Sura's life.

He's been shipped off to Hamstock, a juvenile detention center that's worse than most. At the Stock they don't try to keep juvies till they reform. They just keep guys till they feel like letting them go.

Sura and his patchmate, a kid named Coly Jo, look out for each other and try to evade the Stock's sadistic games. But things turn bad last for Coly Jo, and Sura helplessly watches his friend's descent into hell, determined to escape with his own body and spirit intact -- if he can.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1963992 in Books
• Published on: 2002-04-29
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 192 pages

From Publishers Weekly
A 12-year-old boy recounts his day-to-day battles in a juvenile detention center. "Graphic images and a narrative heavily seasoned with slang and expletives make Sura's hellish story all the more real and immediate," said PW. Ages 12-up. (May)
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
Grade 7 Up. The brutal world of a juvenile detention center is the setting for this compelling story of survival and redemption, re-created through a 13 year old's inventive use of language.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews
In a distinctive, compelling narrative, Sura, 12, chronicles life at a juvenile detention home, where he has been sent for stealing hood ornaments. Although the novel is written largely in street slang, Sura's voice is sympathetic and sensitive, making vivid the sometimes horrid, sometimes touching details of life in the home. Most absorbing are the characters, from the sad (roommate Coly Jo, busted for breaking into people's homes and watching them sleep) to the cold (the abusive administrator, Dean Petty) to the ridiculous (the well-meaning but clueless counselor, Deacon Bob Fly) and the frightening (bullies Boo and Hodge). Simple observations heighten the heartbreaking humiliation of Sura's roommate; while Coly Joe is tragically beaten down, physically and emotionally, Sura learns to stand up for himself and value life on the outside, home with his mother. The affecting glimpses into the lives of some of the offenders are authentic offerings of understanding, utterly free of preaching. Rapp (Missing the Piano, 1994) writes in earthy but adept language in this dark and stirring novel. (Fiction. 12+) -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.