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Leapholes |
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| Download Your Free Leapholes Study Guide! |
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Leapholes is the fascinating story of Ryan Coolidge, a boy who hates middle school and who is in the worst kind of trouble--trouble with the law. The one person who can help Ryan is a mysterious old, African-American 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.
Leapholes is time travel with a legal twist, where law books and important legal precedents come to life. Though a work of fiction, all of the cases woven into the Leapholes storyline are actual and important cases from American legal history. For example, the U.S. Supreme Court's decision that slaves are property, not people, appears at Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857).
Packed with the pacing and suspense of a legal thriller, Leapholes is so historically accurate and conveys such a keen understanding of basic legal concepts that it gained the enthusiastic backing of the American Bar Association.
Leapholes includes a very special Afterword in which two dozen top lawyers and lawyer/authors--from David Baldacci to Dick Thornburgh--tell children in their own words what inspired them to become a lawyer. Famous trial lawyer David Boies, for example, tells how he overcame dyslexia to become a skilled debater and renowned courtroom orator. The book also includes discussion questions for the classroom.
Young readers will find Leapholes to be just as much of a page-turner as Grippando's adult books. And the book is a fun way to literally get inside the law, and to learn that "[e]very single case reported in every last one of these books is a piece of someone's life."
Hardcover book with dust jacket
Download Your Free Study Guide Below!
This helpful study guide is filled with over one hundred study questions on material covered in the book, and six exciting project ideas. Stimulate and challenge your classroom, or young reader, with the thought-provoking material in this free guide. It's the easiest way to make sure important information isn't lost on young readers. Download your free PDF today!
 Listen to an interview with James Grippando discussing Leapholes. (8:00)
Listen to an interview with James Grippando discussing how the Dred Scott case was woven into his book, Leapholes. (6:35) Listen to other author interviews.
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"This is one of the most unique legal thrillers that I have read...In the hands of James Grippando, the subject and study of precedents becomes alive--research becomes something exciting--and the author literarily takes us through the old precedents that changed the course of history. This book will become a must read for the scholar of law and popular culture. The author has done a great, great job."
--Narayan Radhakrishnan, New Mystery Reader Magazine, November, 2006
"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
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