I read this book a few weeks ago and until now I havent been able of write a review because I was unsure of my feelings towards it. And still are, but oh well...

I love it this book while I was reading it. It was engaging, it was sweet, it was funny, and it was sad. So sad that every time I pass a page I would pray: "please dont break my heart, please dont break my heart".

But then the book ended and my heart didn't broke and I was left thinking: this is all?
We are seriously just gonna get a silly-easy-happy ending? Because let's be real, I do wanted -and expected- to get my heart broken. I wanted something monumental, somenthing as unforgettable as the characters and the rest of the story. It wasn't fair (nor for the story and nor for the reader), it wasn't real, it wasn't enough.

"It’s not okay to hurt people. Even if you’re unhappy."

I like Adam's personality. He has bright and comforting personality. He's kind and lovable.

Russel is mean, cruel and full of hate. I'm angry how he treated Julian. Though I understand why he's like that.

Julian is too innocent and clueless at times. He was brainwash by Russel's lies. It tears my heart every time he was "punished" by Russel without doing anything "wrong".

I like this book because it showed the perspective of a child with ADHD and a child who has dyslexia and a victim of domestic abuse. The part I didn't like in this book is Julian's mother's list in spiral notebook. It was like a big deal but at the end it is nothing and turned out just a list and because of that Julian was hurt and disappointed. I like the end though, Julian is happy and loved.

4.5
Such a simple title but one that has so much meaning behind it. This story had me (metaphorically) covering my eyes at times. Even though this theme is nothing new, Julian’s innocence and helplessness were palpable.

Adam- he bounces off the pages, probably due to his ADHD, greets everyone with a smile and can make anyone feel good when he is around them. He’s big-hearted, never in a bad mood and his friends adore him.

Julian- orphaned years ago, scared, shy, and broken. He lives a lonely existence with his abusive uncle and clings to the memories he has of his parents to keep him sane. He is quiet and, at age fourteen, socially behind his peers.

Adam and Julian’s lives have crossed paths before- they were paired as buddies in elementary school when Julian needed help with reading. And then, a few years later, Adam’s mom was his social worker when his parents died, living with them for almost a year until his uncle came into the picture. They haven’t spoken in years, but when Adam sees Julian at school, he tries to say hello. Skittish after years of emotional and physical abuse, Julian eases into Adam’s friendship slowly and very unsure of himself. Adam is loud, where Julian is quiet. Adam thrives in crowds and needs to be busy. Julian loves the calm. Adam’s sincere, do-good nature wants Julian to hang around him and his friends, and Julian finds that he doesn’t mind. Most of the time. Adam is also supposed to be keeping any eye on Julian, as part of his elective hour with the school psychologist. They spend this time talking, but when Adam pieces together some of the strange things Julian has said about his uncle, he starts to wonder. When it becomes clear to him that Julian’s uncle is abusing him, he doesn’t know what to do. Tell or let it go, which is what Julian wants him to do. Guiltily, Adam acquiesces and doesn’t say anything. A decision he will soon regret.


Oh, this story! I felt like I was reading a horror story part of the time. I was scared, didn’t want to know what would happen next but still keep reading. The other times, I was so in awe of Adam and his happiness, I wanted to bottle it up and keep it for a day I might need it. Both characters are strong, flawed, and ultimately want the same thing. To be happy and loved. Fast, emotional, and one you won’t forget, I highly recommend A List of Cages.

A heart-breaking, yet uplifting, exploration of friendship and its redemptive properties.
Told from the views of Adam, a cheery student who seems to float through life, and Julian, the foster brother he hasn't seen for years who struggles to fit in. Sometimes you just know when things aren't right, but it angered me that things were so wrong for Julian and nobody seemed to notice. That aside, this was a powerful read. Not pleasant by any means, but well worth it.

This was the perfect book to get me over a hangover. It was an easy and yet incredibly emotional book packed with intense feelings and two amazing characters. On the very first pages I felt great amounts of empathy for Julian. I struggled with social anxiety growing up so I could relate to the situations he was forced to deal with at school. I also appreciated Adam though I couldn't relate to him quite as much. He is full of energy and is always seemingly upbeat. There were times that this character almost seemed a little one sided due to his constant positive attitude. I appreciated how we got to know his personality more as the story progressed, though.

I'm honestly not sure what kept me glued to this book, reading until 5 am. The beginning is fairly slow but it picks up toward the middle and just continues to build steam until the end. This is obviously a standalone book but there were quite a few things I wish had gotten more backstory or closure. I wanted to know more about Russell oddly, I found him strange and somewhat mysterious. I'd have appreciated both a backstory about him as well as more about the final events in the book and how they were handled.

Overall, I really liked this book but the gaps in the story kept me from loving it. I recommend this book to those who appreciate contemporary young adult fiction. Book groups would also get a lot out of this with plenty fo discussion material. For those that are sensitive to topics like child abuse, this might not be a great choice however as there are some disturbing scenes in the story that could be triggering.

It has been a long while since I've read a book as wonderful and heart wrenching as A List of Cages.

Let me be upfront and say that this is not an easy book to devour as it features characters dealing with an extreme amount of abuse and the aftermath of living in a volatile environment. Don't let that put you off though, because light does shine through the darker moments.

This book isn't without its flaws and I can certainly see while it wouldn't be everyone's cup of tea, but the stunning writing and poetic relationship between these two boys is what makes this book worth holding on to

Angie: Whoo. What a read. A List of Cages nearly did me in. If I had read it further out from when we chose to review it, I would have paced myself with this book. I had to gear myself up to reading. I don’t think this is a book that everyone is going to be able to swallow.

Birdie: I think most people would say it was well written, but yeah I think the subject matter is going to be tough for people to read. I mean, I read a lot of YA books about some pretty intense situations, and A List of Cages was still hard to read.

Angie: Let’s talk about Adam. What a good young man he was. This is the kind of child you hope to have. He was kind and caring, and I love that throughout the book, you got to see that part of him start to influence his friends.

Birdie: I thought it was pretty powerful, the idea that you can help people in different ways. I loved the idea that people needed Adam because of the light that he brought into their lives. It was a really wonderful way to describe him. It’s no wonder that Julian clung to him so deeply, even just in his memories.

Angie: Julian – this kid broke my heart. That he went from a home where he was so obviously and unabashedly loved to where his was killed me. And there was one scene where he extended kindness where it was so unexpected, it brought me tears. I was sobbing by the end of the scene. That someone could be so mistreated but still full of such compassion and willingness to care for others is so amazing.

Birdie: It was so awful. I think it was layered too, because even if his uncle had just been cold or mean, that would have been horrible enough (after losing his loving parents). Then, add to it just how horrific his uncle was. Even if he’d never had great parents, I think I still would have struggled reading this. The fact that it was BOTH, yeah I there were times I had to make myself keep reading.

I have to add, in addition to Adam and Julian, I actually really liked Charlie’s character. I loved that he was a bit of a dick, but that as the story progressed you watched him melt. Of all Adam’s friends, Charlie was my favorite.

Angie: I agree. I really liked Charlie’s character, too, and I like that he was able to eventually pinpoint what he was feeling. And that he took it a step further and shared it. I also loved how, even though his family wasn’t a huge presence in the book, they felt fairly fleshed out to me.

I did have two issues with this book – first Adam’s romance. I don’t really feel like the book was better for this. I don’t feel like it really added much to the story. And second, I thought the end was a bit drawn out. I think things could have been wrapped in more efficiently and kept a better pace.

Birdie: I didn’t mind the romance, in the sense that an 18 year old boy would have a crush on a girl and he was so dynamic it was hard to believe that she wouldn’t like him back. I also appreciated how Emerald influenced the story and the decisions that were made, and how that made Adam feel in the end. I also liked that Adam’s friends (including Emerald) adopted Julian. I’m not sure the story was made better for the romance. It could have been left out, and she could have been just a friend, and I would have liked the story just as much. It just didn’t detract from the book, for me.

Angie: I agree the crush was realistic. I just didn’t feel it was pertinent to the story, and I think that time could have been spent on something else, or left out altogether, and that may have helped the pacing for me.

Birdie: I did have a hard time at the end. I guessed how it would end, just because it had a predictable ‘bad guy’ ending. I hoped it wouldn’t go there, and that the Uncle’s story would end more realistically. BUT, this was countered by how well I think the author wrote the emotional scars left on everyone.

Angie: I guess that’s another issue I had. After the big event at the end (that I thought took too long to get to,) there wasn’t enough exploring of those feelings for me. But I do like how this book shows what a domino effect feelings are – the things you do don’t just impact one person. They have the ability to impact a bunch of people, for better or for worse, and in this case, we saw both.

Overall, though, even with the problems I had with this book, I think it was a wonderful read. And I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it.

Birdie: Absolutely. My complaints were minor, because overall the story really got to me. Great pick for our first BaBAMB buddy read. 🙂

Angie: It was a great read! Thanks so much for visiting Ba_BAMB!

A List of Cages belongs on so many YA bookshelves everywhere. It’s beautiful inside and out (I mean, look at that cover), and it deals with a terrible subject matter in a way that’s beautiful, intricate, and–at the same time–soul crushing. However, my shelf isn’t one of the places it belongs. I hope that one day, I can reread this one and have it mean more to me, but the writing throughout was just so stale. I understood where the author was coming from. I understood the message she was trying to get across, but I appreciated the story more than I truly loved it.

Strictly speaking, there’s nothing wrong with the book. The entire thing is a little bit dry, but that’s, more or less, the nature of the story. It takes a while to develop everything put together in the story, and it was worth the wait. All in all, I’d recommend it, but it wasn’t one that I loved personally.

A List of Cages is a touching story of Julian, a freshman, who avoids people, eats lunch hidden in the rafters of the school auditorium, skips classes and misses scheduled appointments with the school psychologist. Adam is a Senior and is assigned to round up the missing underclassman and bring him to the psychologist’s room. Soon it’s apparent that the two boys have a history and Adam is asked to take the younger boy under his wing and try to find out what’s going on. Julian has secrets and a life of mystery, living with an uncle, ever since his parents died. He had the ideal childhood until a tragic accident left him an orphan. For a brief time, he was fostered by Adam’s mother and lived with her and Adam. Once his uncle stepped forward to take on the responsibility of Julian, the two boys never connected again. Not until high school, when Adam is assigned as his guide. But Adam takes his job very seriously and includes Julian in his social circle, inviting the boy to eat with them and even meet outside school. Adam has ADHD and his unfailing pleasantness is infectious. He is well-liked and seems to bring out the best in others. But Julian’s life is a minefield and he is barely hanging on.

The friendship between the two boys is powerful and moving. These characters are finely drawn and will leave an indelible mark on readers. Roe moves the tension along and the fear for Julian is palpable. It should appeal to readers who loved Orbiting Jupiter by Gary D. Schmidt.

An amazing book that showcases the importance of friendship, of warmth and human kindness. It is a testament to resilience and goodness. This promises to be one of the best books of 2017. It will grab readers and run them through an emotional rollercoaster.

Julian’s life is a tightrope walk. At school, he hides from belligerent teachers and from his trouble reading. At home, he tiptoes around the house where he’s not allowed to touch anything, where the only things that belong to him are the possessions in the trunk his parents gave him.

When the school counselor gets tired of Julian dodging his appointments with her, she sends her aide, a senior named Adam to find Julian. Adam quickly recognizes Julian as the foster brother who lived with him and his mom five years ago. Now, though, Julian isn’t the chatty kid he once was, and Adam has to figure out why. As he begins to uncover Julian’s secrets, he realizes Julian could be in terrible danger, but trying to rescue him could cost both boys their lives.

This isn’t the book I expected it to be. The story opens with Julian’s point-of-view, and right away, I was pretty hooked. He’s quiet—the kind of kid that struggles to come up with quick responses in conversation. The kind of kid that makes for an easy target to get picked on. But he’s kind and artistic, and I couldn’t help wanting him to find a way through his troubles.

Then I met Adam. Adam is likeable for a whole other host of reasons. He’s bouncy and fun and always upbeat. I loved that about him, and I loved his relationship with his grouchy-but-goodhearted best friend Charlie. I liked that Adam’s ADHD wasn’t the story. You kind of got the picture of how his mind worked and what life was like for him without it being center-stage.

What I didn’t like was the way Adam seemed so protective of Julian in some ways and sort of oblivious in other ways—like bringing him alcohol at a party and expecting his friends not to get Julian too drunk. That didn’t play for me, and I really had a hard time with how casual the attitude about alcohol was, especially when Adam and his mom were so careful about so many other things, like choosing homeopathic remedies over prescription drugs because of adverse side effects. Alcohol doesn’t have adverse side effects? This isn’t a concern?

Anyway. Sorry. Soapbox. Moving on.

The story had so many positive elements in it—messages about the healing power of love in friendships and family, the value of having the support of a community of people through a hard time. I think I would have enjoyed the story more if it lacked some of the casual attitude toward drinking and sex.

Where do I start with this one? A startlingly brilliant story of friendship and about being different that will have you experiencing every emotion under the sun. A List of Cages isn’t always an easy read with some really very harrowing scenes especially in Part Two of the book. Billed as a Young Adult book I’d say that this really isn’t suitable for younger more impressionable teens.
Adam Blake is in his Senior Year at High School and for his elective he is assisting the school psychologist. As someone who suffers from ADHD himself he knows what it is like to suffer at school. When a young freshman has been dodging sessions with the doctor he is sent to escort them to the sessions. He is shocked to discover that it is Julian, an orphan that his mother had fostered but hadn’t seen for five years since an uncle turned up and claimed him.
At first appearances it looks like Julian hasn’t changed too much. He is still a quirky lad with a love of storybooks aimed at much younger children. As Adam starts to get to know him again and befriends Julian it becomes clear that something odd is going on in his home life. Julian is sick a lot and has a lot of days off school with flu. Uncle Russell has strict rules and when Adam starts trying to push back and find out what is going on it only leads to more issues for poor Julian. A truly heart-breaking story with some exceptionally dark scenes that is balanced out by the heart and goodness of Adam. I love the idea of his kindness and humanity ricocheting around the school:
“When he starts walking, I fall into step beside him, and it’s like trying to keep up with something that has too much energy for its container. It fills the hall and ricochets against everyone we pass. A teacher can be approaching, face stressed or sad, and body bent as if they’re carrying something too heavy.
Then they see Adam.
They blink as if blinded, and their mouth spreads into a Christmasmorning smile.”
There have been so many wonderful debut books this year already and this one by Robin Roe looks to be on all the Must Read lists that matter. Her experience as a high school special education teacher has given her a unique insight into the issues discussed in the book.
Supplied by Net Galley and Disney-Hyperion in exchange for an honest review.
UK Publication Date: Jan 10 2017. 310 pages.
#KindnessRicochets
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A List of Cages by Robin Roe is heartbreaking. This story is so incredibly good. Be prepared to go on an emotional roller coaster ride. Julian’s parents died and a foster family takes him in. Julian gets used to this foster family and really begins to love him, but the he gets stripped away from them to live with his closest relative.

Now Julian is a high school freshman and life is completely awful for him. School is hard because Julian has several learning disabilities and the teachers aren’t willing to help him. Julian ends up getting bullied a lot by the other students and his home life isn’t any better.

When Julian runs into his old foster brother Adam, he is extremely surprised. He hasn’t seen Adam in many years. Adam is a high school senior who has been assigned to Julian. Immediately Adam tries to get Julian to be a part of his group of friends. Adam has missed his friendship with Julian since he left them.

This book is an emotional roller coaster. The author brings so many issues to the forefront of our minds. We see ADHD, foster care, trauma, growth struggle, and child abuse. As the reader we get to see how the characters cope and overcome these issues. The writing is beautiful. Roe did a wonderful job with both of the main characters. I felt like I really got to know both Adam and Julian.

I think A List of Cages is an eye opener. This story really shows the horrors a child could go through. My heart ached for Julian. My heart aches for every child being mistreated. This book is definitely a tear-jerker but I think everyone should read it.

Disney Hyperion and NetGalley provided me with an electronic copy of A List of Cages. This is my honest opinion of the book.

Adam Blake scores one of the coveted aide positions as a high school senior. While helping the school psychologist, Adam sees his former foster brother whom he has not seen for five years. Julian, now a freshman at Adam's high school, has been living with his Uncle Russell and has been harboring a terrible secret. As Adam and Julian become closer, will their friendship threaten the boys' very existence?

Powerful and quite moving, A List of Cages follows two teenagers with good hearts, faced with impossible circumstances. Adam's zeal to help the boy he never forgot is heartfelt and quite believable. Julian's pain is so real that, in reading about his struggles, I actually winced. The story was very realistic and touched upon a social issue that is often overlooked or ignored. Well written and captivating, A List of Cages is a must read for those who like YA realistic fiction.

Opening line:

"There is a room in this school that no one knows about but me."

So starts A List of Cages and it's heartrending story.

I couldn't decide how many stars to give it or if I could recommend this book to anyone. It hurts. There are some hopeful and good parts but for me the darkness was overwhelming. So I guess that is a huge compliment to the author.

The book alternates between Julian and Adam. Julian's parents were killed in a car accident and he was placed in Adam's home as a foster child. They both have good memories of their childhood together. Julian's uncle steps in and claims he wants to raise Julian.
The next time Adam sees Julian is in high school and his heart aches for his foster brother. Julian is too skinny and wears dirty, torn and too small clothing. He starts reaching out to Julian and slowly a relationship develops but it's tortuously slow and awkward. But to Adam's credit, he doesn't give up.
As the story moves on we find out more and more about Julian's uncle and the abuse he heaps on Julian. He whips Julian for the merest infractions. The abuse escalates until I wondered if Julian would be alive by the end of the book.
Adam's care and friendship of Julian is sweet. I would love to see all of us take time to care for another the way Adam did for Julian.
After writing this review I'm still not sure I would tell my friends to read it. There is swearing and crude language and humor, teen sex (not written but you know), and abuse. It was hard to read and hard to stop reading. I personally wouldn't read it again.

Thanks to netgalley for the early read!

A List of Cages is beautifully written. It draws you along the story trail.

Adam is absolutely delightful! Fun, laid back, mischievous and always moving. His ADHD means he never settles down but his friends don’t mind. In one scene, they go to an outdoor concert and someone asks where Adam has gone. Of course, he’s running up and down the field talking to people.

Julien is sweet and strangely naïve. He must have been relatively naïve to begin with because the stuff his uncle puts him through would age anyone else. Instead he thinks he owes his uncle for taking him in, that it’s normal to shave his legs, that putting posters in his bedroom caused his last foster family to reject him (instead of telling him to maybe not put posters up?).

I do question the extremes of the book. How likely is it that nobody noticed the abuse before it escalated so badly. Wouldn’t Julien realize that anything was better than what he was accepting by the end? Because he did accept his uncle’s treatment even through brutal abuse.

This book should already be in 2017's best novels. It made me cry loads and felt emotions I thought was numbed out of my system. It's a beautiful story that everyone should read.

Full Review on my blog: https://awkwardfanaa.wordpress.com
Review posted: Jan 17, 2017

Sorry. I can't keep reading: the abuse is too much and too graphic. Although it's hinted in the summary, I didn't think it was going to be this bad. I know this is a book that will appeal to many readers, especially those with a stronger stomach than mine.

Heart-breaking and sob-inducing. Julian's plight was so very realistic and I felt deeply for him. However, I cannot recommend it because it is wildly inaccurate when it comes to how the school would have handled Julian's situation. There is absolutely no way a social worker would not have been involved with a child who has consistent absences, consistent low achievement, lack of participation, clothes that don't fit, regular trips to the psychologist, and a guardian who doesn't answer the phone. That would be illegal. And I fear kids who read this book may leave with the message that adults won't notice me.

Julian was always being ridiculed because of his learning condition - a disability no one knew of and no one even cared about. Being a dyslexic, he really had a hard time with his studies and often found himself sitting alone in his secret place. When his parents died, he was taken by a foster family but soon he was taken by his evil uncle Russell, who abused and tortured him with a switch and put him in a trunk. Julian's life was hell.

Adam, who was once Julian's foster brother, was diagnosed with ADHD and always had a hard time keeping still and silent. When Julian was assigned to him in school, they became friends again and he even introduced him to his own peers, which consisted of Emerald, Camille, Matt, Jesse and Charlie. (Oh Charlie was such a great character, he was the bully that you'd love to hate and hate to love, and I love him so much!)

Adam knew Julian was keeping secrets from him. Deadly secrets. And he was hellbent on discovering this secret, no matter how dangerous it could get.

This.Was.Heartbreaking!

There's no dry spot on my handkerchief after reading this book. All of my tears poured out of my eyes, my heart shattering into pieces. Julian and Adam are two broken souls, physically, emotionally, mentally. A List of Cages is a hard-hitting drama that would haunt you even in your sleep.

Honestly, with all the pain and hurt I've felt in this book, I don't even want to review it. God knows I could never do it justice to the suffering that Julian had experienced. God.. I can't help but wail when I see him in that trunk.. in that shell... in that cage. How could somebody be so cruel and evil and monstrous to this little angel?

Robin Roe's writing was poignant, raw and masterful and had mentally overwhelmed me. This isn't something you'll likely forget in weeks. This story will leave a mark to the reader and would move even the most insensitive person into tears.

As a precaution, when you get to read this, prepare a nebulizer at hand, because this will surely leave you breathless.

This book grabbed my attention because of its description of Adam and Julian, and what I expected to be a story of friendship. What I got was so much more. Without giving away spoilers beyond what the synopsis reveals, we know that Adam and Julian were once foster brothers, and now they have been reunited in the present. What we learn is a combination of the past that brought them together and also tore them apart, and the present in which we discover the depths of Julian's troubles and torment, and Adam as the catalyst to his help.

What we also discover is an incredible journey of friendship, brotherly love, and hope. It's not an easy read. There are some pretty horrible things happening here, and this book does not shy away from criminal abuse. But it also displays a beautiful relationship between Julian and Adam. A unique friendship. A bond that is layered and life-changing for both boys. And I loved that the author used these two boys' stories, threaded them in a way that challenged them, enriched them, and ultimately saved them.

Why not 5 stars? There was a small romance that was in this story that to me added nothing. If anything, it detracted from the story and stalled the plot. I also wished some of the side characters were explored a bit more. Charlie was a great addition to the story, but a deeper exploration of him would have added so much more. And the villain was very one-dimensional.

Overall, this was a harrowing, heartbreaking, yet hopeful story of surviving abuse and finding friendship and family. If you can handle the sensitive subject matter, Julian and Adam's story is worth the journey.