Dazzled by Books

A List of Cages by Robin Roe is heartbreaking. This story is so incredibly good. Be prepared to go on an emotional roller coaster ride. Julian's parents died and a foster family takes him in. Julian gets used to this foster family and really begins to love him, but the he gets stripped away from them to live with his closest relative.

Now Julian is a high school freshman and life is completely awful for him. School is hard because Julian has several learning disabilities and the teachers aren't willing to help him. Julian ends up getting bullied a lot by the other students and his home life isn't any better.

When Julian runs into his old foster brother Adam, he is extremely surprised. He hasn't seen Adam in many years. Adam is a high school senior who has been assigned to Julian. Immediately  Adam tries to get Julian to be a part of his group of friends. Adam has missed his friendship with Julian since he left them.

This book is an emotional roller coaster. The author brings so many issues to the forefront of our minds. We see ADHD, foster care, trauma, growth struggle, and child abuse. As the reader we get to see how the characters cope and overcome these issues. The writing is beautiful. Roe did a wonderful job with both of the main characters. I felt like I really got to know both Adam and Julian.

I think A List of Cages is an eye opener. This story really shows the horrors a child could go through. My heart ached for Julian. My heart aches for every child being mistreated. This book is definitely a tear-jerker but I think everyone should read it.