Freedom Trials

Gr 8 Up—Evelyn Summers is a prisoner in a maximum security prison for a crime she doesn't remember committing. When prisoners are brought to the center, all memories of their crimes are wiped. It is supposed to help them as they move forward to becoming productive citizens. After two years in the center, Evelyn is recommended for the Freedom Trials. The Freedom Trials, based on the center's principles for rehabilitation, are seven trials that must be passed before a prisoner can reenter society. Fail the trials, and you are deemed unsavable and are immediately executed. As Evelyn prepares for the trials, she meets a person from her past who makes her question the reason why she is in prison. The narrative is told in alternating time lines—current events and flashbacks from Evelyn's prison journal entries. Readers are able to learn about Evelyn's character, motivation, and the family and friends that impact her life. Quick action and plot twists will keep teens engaged and anxiously turning pages. The second half of the work completely upturns the first half.