Review Detail

Paul Wagner is one of the great unknowns. It's not that no one has heard of him, it's just that not enough people have. He has published short stories in both magazines and on the Web and edits the teen Internet magazine About Teens. Besides All Rise, he has published two other novels (The A-Club Mystery and Jock Jokes and Other Stories) but very few people have heard of him. I'm hoping I can rectify some of that.

All Rise is a very compelling novel about a teen standing trial for a crime he did not commit. Unlike Walter Dean Myer's Monster, the reader knows from the start that Francis Kelly did not commit the heinous crime he was accused of.

Kelly's a good kid and has never been in serious trouble. He's a bit of a loner (he lives alone with one of his father's employees) and likes to stay out of other people's business. It isn't until the end of the book that he figures out why minding his own business isn't always the best route to take. As his lawyer tells him, the trite old adage "if you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem" has a great deal of truth in it.

The end of the novel has a nice twist to it that will surprise you and the lessons Kelly learns will enrich you. Mr. Wagner has an easygoing style that will keep you reading to the end. I, for one, read this book in a single sitting.

The spectacle of the courtroom drama will also hold your attention. Mr. Wagner's research with the Sacramento District Attorney's office is obvious in his handling of the courtroom scenes.