Leapholes - Hardcover

Grippando, James

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1590316665 ISBN 13: 9781590316665

Publisher: American Bar Association, 2006

Synopsis

Ryan Coolidge hates middle school and is in the worst kind of trouble-trouble with the law. The one person who can help Ryan is a mysterious old lawyer named Hezekiah. Hezekiah may have magical powers, or he may have the most elaborate computerized law library ever conceived. Either way, together, Ryan and Hezekiah do their legal research by zooming through leapholes, physically entering the law books, and coming face-to-face with actual people from some of our nation's most famous cases-like Rosa Parks and Dred Scott-who will help Ryan defend himself in court. It is time travel with a legal twist, where law books and important legal precedents come to life.

About this title

From the Publisher:

On April 19, 1841, the American ship William Brown hit an iceberg in the North Atlantic while en route from Liverpool to Philadelphia. It was loaded with Irish emigrants. Roughly half the passengers went down with the ship, and the rest piled into two lifeboats. The boat commanded by the first mate was so badly overloaded that it began to sink. In the face of crashing waves and a driving rainstorm, the first mate in utter desperation ordered his crew to lighten the load. Twelve men and two women were thrown overboard and drowned at sea. When the survivors finally reached land, one of the crewmen who had thrown passengers overboard faced criminal charges. It was undisputed that the lifeboat would have sunk and all would have perished if it had remained in its overloaded state. However, the American judge who decided the prisoner's fate wrote that the passengers should have cast lots to determine who should live and who should die. This opinion sparked sharp debate among jurists and legal scholars. Some believed that casting lots was fair, almost an appeal to God. Others believed that casting lots was effectively "playing God," a practice that dehumanized all of us. The case of The William Brown has fascinated me since law school. It presents the ultimate survival dilemma -- to save ourselves or to save others. That dilemma is a theme that runs throughout Leapholes. Eleven-year-old Ryan Coolidge is forced to confront that issue head on. But he does it in a way he had never imagined he would. Ryan encounters a magical lawyer who puts a new spin on time travel -- a lawyer with the power of legal "leapholes," the power to bring to life the people behind famous legal decisions like The William Brown. All of the cases woven into the Leapholes storyline are actual cases from American legal history. The case of The William Brown is reported at United States v. Holmes (1842). The Supreme Court's decision that slaves are property, not people, appears at Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857). The slave doctrine that "the brood follows the dam" was embraced by the U.S. Supreme Court in Prigg v. Pennsylvania (1842). I've tried to present these and other snippets of legal history in a way that makes for exciting reading. Hopefully, it will provoke thoughtful discussion, not only about the law, but also about the people whose lives were affected by the thousands of reported decisions in our law libraries. It's a fun way to discover that legal precedents are not just words on paper. They are about real people with real problems. And for many, the law was a matter of life and death.

From the Back Cover:

This book is a terrific way to introduce young readers to the legal concept of precedents and case law. The unique concept of "leapholes" will appeal to anyone, young or old, who may enjoy experiencing important legal decisions through the eyes, minds and souls of the people who lived those historic events. ForeWord Magazine

Grippando is able to sneak in such topics as precedent, evidence, and legal ethics in an entertaining story. The characters are engaging . . . the story moves . . . and the lessons are told in a very non-didactic manner. V.O.Y.A. (Voice of Youth Advocates)

What's not to like about a book that says, 'Nowhere is the imagination less constrained than in a library' and that incorporates lawyer jokes? School Library Journal

[A] fast-paced story that takes a non-traditional look at the law, and very importantly, the people behind those laws. Not just a story for future lawyers, many will enjoy reading an exciting journey that brings to life the sometimes confusing and seemingly remote world of law. Teenreads.com

With read-aloud potential, this book would be a great selection for social-studies or history units covering the civil war and slavery. . . Journeying with Ryan and his friends makes it easier to comprehend how laws actually shaped what happened historically. IRC Reviews

My 11 year old daughter read the book "Leapholes" and loved it. I read part of it with her, and thought it was fast paced, gripping, thought provoking and encouraged kids to transcend themselves and think about virtues and truth. Ruth Binger, Danna McKitrick P.C.

James Grippando is a very inventive and ingenious storyteller. Nelson DeMille

Grippando does his homework. The New York Times Book Review

Grippando makes his characters jump off the pages. Larry King

Grippando writes in nail-biting style. USA Today

Grippando could teach Hollywood a thing or two. . .exceptionally cool. The Miami Herald

Grippando has the imagination and research skills to plot up a storm. Publishers Weekly

Clearly a match for . . . Grisham or Margolin or Lescoart. Booklist

Powerful. Grippando wins you over. The Chicago Tribune

Former trial lawyer James Grippando's skills as a storyteller have ensured that he will never have to worry about billable hours again. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Grippando shows . . . storytelling brilliance. San Diego Union-Tribune

If you go with Grippando, you get a plot you won't soon forget. San Jose Mercury News

Grippando is a major talent. Steve Berry, New York Times bestselling author of The Templar Legacy

Grippando writes with the authenticity of an insider. John Douglas, New York Times bestselling author of Mind Hunter

Grippando obviously has a keen eye on what readers like in a bestselling mystery. Naples Daily News

About this edition

• Publisher: American Bar Association
• Publication date: 2006
• ISBN 10: 1590316665
• ISBN 13: 9781590316665
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 320