Evan and his little sister Jessie are both in the fourth grade, not because they're twins, but rather because Jessie skipped a grade. Jessie is particularly good at math, very focused, feels strongly that things should be fair, and believes that rules are meant to be followed.

When one of their classmates, Scott, announces that he now owns a fancy new Xbox 2020, Evan sees red. He knows exactly where Scott got the money for it - Scott stole that money, over two hundred dollars, from Evan's shorts when they were swimming at a friend's house. Evan doesn't have any proof that Scott did it, but it's the only explanation. Then Jessie comes up with a plan: she's going to bring the truth to light in a court of law created by her and her classmates.

I checked this out from my library's Overdrive without realizing that the library owned the first book in audio as well, or I'd have started with the first book instead. It looks like I'll be listening to this series out of order.

And I do plan on listening to the first book. I enjoyed this second book in the series more than I expected to, considering that Middle Grade fiction usually reads too young for me (yes, I know that's the point - I'm not the intended audience for these books and I realize that). Jessie and Evan were great characters, both flawed in their own ways but still good kids.

Jessie didn't quite feel like she fit in. I sympathized with her trouble figuring out where to hang out during recess (or was it lunch? I can't remember). The way she really got into her courtroom plan reminded me a bit of myself. I could imagine her tossing and turning in bed, unable to stop thinking about all the things she still needed to do before the trial. She'd taken on the responsibility of both setting up as realistic a trial as possible and acting as Evan's lawyer.

Evan was really into basketball and had a bit of a crush on one of his classmates, Megan, who was also his sister's friend. I hated the way Evan acted in one particular scene, but the good thing was that he hated how he'd acted too, once it was all over, and took the time to try to do something about it.

This ended in a way that was more peaceful and friendly than I expected, and I liked the layers it added to the characters.

One nice detail: each chapter began with a definition of a term or phrase relating to courtroom proceedings (for example, "perjury"). Usually it was something illustrated by a character's words or actions in that particular chapter.

(Original review posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.)

The Perfect Mother: A Novel - Nina Darnton 

The Perfect Mother by Nina Darnton is essentially a reworking of Defending Jacob with an Amanda Know twist. While Jennifer's daughter, Emma, is studying abroad in Spain, she is accused of a violent crime. As details of the crime emerge, Jennifer struggles with the realization that she may not know her daughter as well as she once thought.

It's a quick and enjoyable read, and would likely stimulate some interesting book club discussion, but overall I found the characters a bit shallow and felt the work as a whole was simply average. When it comes down to it, Defending Jacob did it first and did it better.

Disclaimer: This book has been provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Defending Jacob: A Novel - William Landay 

After our last book club pick, The Dinner by Herman Koch, turned out to be a complete dud, it was nice to read a book that everyone seemed to enjoy and that stimulated a good discussion.

Andy Barber is a district attorney in an upscale suburban area of New England.  When the town is rocked by a shocking crime, Andy becomes involved in an investigation that takes a turn he never expected...in the direction of his own teenaged son.  The twists and turns of the investigation and subsequent trial kept me hooked until the very end.  I'm a sucker for legal fiction a la John Grisham, and this is a great example of that.  I declare this a very satisfying read.

Midwives - Chris Bohjalian 

The blurb on the cover warned me that I would stay up late at night until the last page was turned and that was certainly true. The courtroom drama and powerful storytelling had me in its grasp until the very end. I loved it.