Prisoner 88 by Leah Pileggi (review)

Ten-year-old Jake Evans has just received a five-year sentence for manslaughter; according to the justice system in the 1885 Idaho Territory, he's old enough to know right from wrong, and killing a man, even in defense of his father, is certainly the latter. Jake's first train and stagecoach rides en route to the penitentiary open his eyes to the world outside of his experience with a neglectful and indifferent father, and the full plates of food slipped under the woven metal bands of his door are more delicious and nourishing than anything he's ever encountered. The warden and guards are at a bit of a loss on how to treat so young a convict, and as they bend rules and make up protocols to serve his unique circumstances, Jake's life improves considerably in the aftermath of his conviction. Idaho Territorial Penitentiary is no bed of roses, though: there are hardened criminals who would like to take Jake down just for the grim pleasure of it, and Jake is drawn into the turmoil of an jailbreak attempt, in which one of his advocates is killed. Pileggi closes with a note on ten-year-old James Oscar Baker, whose trial and incarceration inspired her to create a fictional backstory for the true episode. Recommend this high interest quick pick to fans of Western fiction, and especially to students who sullenly foot-drag their way through historical fiction assignments.