A review by retiredlibrarylady
Breakout by Kate Messner

5.0

Upstate New York small town; state prison a major employer. Middle school, winding down the school year. English teacher assigns 5 letters to future residents to be put in a community time capsule. Nora Tucker, the prison superintendent's daughter, and her best friend, Lizzie Bruno, are planning end-of-school and summer activities. Elidee Jones, whose brother is a new inmate in the prison, moves to town with her mom. Shortly before the end of school, two inmates break out of the prison. In subsequent days, outdoor activities (Field Day!) are canceled and people have to stay inside as dozens and then hundreds of police are searching the area. As the days pass, relationships in the town fray. Nora and Lizzie invite Elidee to join their relay team for Fourth of July celebrations and grow a sort of friendship. Nora becomes aware of racism in the town and even in her mother. Finally, the inmates are caught, in large part because of the girls' research. Elidee and her mom move back to the city.
This is the first book since Wonder that I think every middle school should consider not only in the library but as a classroom read. Unconscious racism understood, in a cool format.