House Arrest by K.A. Holt

House Arrest is about a twelve-year-old boy named Timothy who is spending a year under house arrest for theft. Part of his sentence is to maintain a journal about his feelings, and the story is told through his free verse journal entries. Through Tim's journal, we learn that underneath his gruff exterior beats the heart of a good, caring, loyal kid. He stole someone's wallet only to pay for medicine that his infant brother, Levi, desperately needed. He was trying to take some of the overwhelming financial stress off of his mother, who is the sole provider for the family after his father up and abandoned them shortly after his brother was born.

Levi was born with a malformed trachea, meaning that he cannot breathe on his own. He uses a trach to stay alive, and this breathing apparatus must be meticulously maintained by Tim, his mother, and, when one can be provided, a home nurse. Tim's journal entries highlight the frustration and fear that surround caring for a very sick family member. Levi chokes, vomits, and struggles to breathe on a regular basis, and must be monitored by someone at all times. Providing what he needs to survive is nearly breaking the family, financially and emotionally. Mixed in with the difficulty, however, is the deep love Tim and his mother have for Levi. They stick it out and take excellent care of him, despite the many hardships they encounter along the way.

As Tim's journal entries move through his year of house arrest, his writing becomes more emotional and descriptive. As he changes and learns from his mistakes, the reader comes to empathize with his situation, and root for him to succeed. Tim begins searching out better (i.e. legal) ways to help his family, and comes to learn that asking for help can take more courage that trying to solve things alone.

I enjoyed this novel, and it was a pretty quick read due to the free verse structure. Tim is a likable and well-developed character. I found his portrayal to be pretty realistic for a middle school boy, although perhaps he's a little too mature at times. The descriptions of Levi and the requirements for his care are unflinching, and definitely made me think about difficult it would be to have to take on that role of caregiver for a family member.

The ending felt a little bit unsatisfying to me. Without spoiling anything specific, it leaves Levi in much the same situation as he started in. As a character, he experienced a lot of growth throughout the year the novel takes place in, and to see him fall into similar circumstances at the end seemed wrong. It was an odd choice for me, and left me feeling a little unsettled during the closing journal entries.

Overall, this was an entertaining read. The ending was a bit of a disappointment, but I think middle grades readers would really like this one. House Arrest doesn't have the crossover appeal to adult audiences that other young adult novels have, but the audience that it is written for will enjoy it.