The Juvie Three

Gordon Korman is an award-winning young adult author with over 50 titles to his credit. Told in an electrifying, hard-edged style, The Juvie Three follows a trio of young delinquents who are granted a very special opportunity in New York City. Accessory to robbery , grand theft auto, driving without a license—these boys did it all, and now they're doing hard time in various juvenile detention centers. Then, however, a mysterious stranger visits each of them, offering to pull them out of "jail" immediately. But isn't there always a catch?

KLIATT

Gecko drove, and crashed, a getaway car for his thieving brother; Terence picked up his B & E skills running with a gang in Chicago; hulking Arjay killed a man with a single punch. All three teenagers are serving time in juvenile detention until they're selected by a man named Douglas Healy, a former juvie himself, to take part in an experimental halfway house in New York City. Terence chafes at the many rules and tries to sneak out one night, though the other boys try to stop him. When Healy comes out to the balcony to intervene, he falls to the pavement and wakes up in the hospital with amnesia. Desperate not to return to juvie, the boys conspire to pretend Healy is still overseeing them and strive mightily to follow all the rules, despite complications like Arjay's blossoming rock guitarist career and Terence's tendency to return to his criminal ways. Meanwhile, Gecko checks up on Healy in the hospital, posing as a volunteer, and falls hard for lovely Roxanne, a real hospital volunteer. When Healy's memory fails to return and he's transferred to Bronx County Psychiatric Hospital, the boys realize the jig is up, and they set out to break Healy out, with the help of Roxanne. It would make a good sitcom, wouldn't it? Korman, author of Born to Rock, Son of the Mob and other YA novels, has a sure hand with comedy, and he makes the most of his appealing if flawed characters and great setup. The danger of discovery, the tough-talking delinquents who aren't quite as hard as they first appear, the hateful authority figures who nevertheless come to their aid—there's lots to relish here. Reviewer: Paula Rohrlick

Gordon Korman is one of the most beloved contemporary authors of today with more than 40 middle-grade novels to his credit. He published his first book at the wee age of fourteen, which turned into the Bruno and Boots series- still in print! Also a tireless self-promoter, Gordon travels across the country and even travels abroad to promote his books. Originally from Toronto, Gordon and his wife, a teacher, now live on Long Island with their little boy.