Didn't realize when I took it out that it was for young readers. I read it none the less and I enjoyed it. ( )

"The Accomplice" is the 7th book in John Grisham's "Theodore Boone" series, one written for adolescent readers. It upholds the interesting story line and realism of its predecessors. Theo Boone is a 13 year old son of two practicing attorneys, and he aspires to being a lawyer himself someday. He periodically appears in the local "Animal Court" on behalf of friends whose pets have caused or gotten into trouble, but also gets involved as an amateur investigator on cases of a much more serious nature. In this book, his friend Woody and Woody's older brother Tony are being charged with armed robbery, a charge of which they are entirely innocent, despite the evidence against them. They were riding in a car with an older friend (Garth) who stopped at convenience store and, without their awareness, robbed the store clerk of beer and money, using a realistic looking squirt gun. Woody and Tony are put into juvenile detention, where they are likely to stay because they have no money for bail. Meanwhile Garth, being from a wealthy family, is released from prison on bail, and publicly blames Woody and Tony for being collaborators in his crimes. Theo manages to raise the money for the bail bond for his friends, and once they are released, works to keep Woody on track in school until the trial -- the latter of which represents the climax of the tale. Unlike some earlier books in the series (with cliff-hanger endings that have annoyed some readers), this one reaches a satisfactory result.

Young readers will learn of several problematic features of the judicial system through this book. Among them are the way that bail requirements disadvantage poor defendants; physical dangers of incarceration (from prisoners being housed together with violent felons); the problem with having judges that run for election; and the use of overworked (and in this case, corrupt) court- appointed attorneys, who can have a vested interest in having a defendant plead guilty in order to avoid a trial.

While directed towards adolescents, adults may enjoy this book as well. ( )