Dear Dad: Growing Up With a Parent in Prison - And How We Stayed Connected

About this book

A stunning graphic novel memoir about growing up with an incarcerated parent. " ...Your dad is coming back home." As far back as nine-year-old Jay Jay Patton can remember, her dad, Antoine has been in prison. Growing up in Buffalo, New York with her mom and younger brother, she's only been to visit him twice. Instead, the two have sent each other numerous letters -- Jay Jay's letters can take weeks or months to reach her dad, and some never even get delivered. What's it going to be like having Dad home? This powerful coming-of-age graphic novel memoir tells Jay Jay Patton's life of growing up with a dad in -- and out of -- prison. How she and her dad were able to develop a powerful father/daughter bond and create Photo Patch -- a life-changing application that connects children to incarcer

Similar grade-level books

• 
  Remember
  Toni Morrison
• 
  Hatchet
  Gary Paulsen · 1020L
• 
  Charlotte's Web
  E.B. White · 680L
• 
  Bridge to Terabithia
  Katherine Paterson · 810L

See all books like Dear Dad: Growing Up With a Parent in Prison - And How We Stayed Connected→ — matched on theme + reading level.

Why widely assigned

This Juvenile Nonfiction title, typically at grades 4–5. Published in the canon; cited across 1 curriculum framework.

Where this book is assigned

• Great Lakes Great Books Award

  • recommended·4th grade · Michigansource: Michigan Reading Association — Great Lakes Great Books Award 2025-26 honor book (official GLGBA winner press release, announced March 7, 2026 at the MRA Annual Conference) — 4-5 division
  • recommended·5th grade · Michigansource: Michigan Reading Association — Great Lakes Great Books Award 2025-26 honor book (official GLGBA winner press release, announced March 7, 2026 at the MRA Annual Conference) — 4-5 division

Common questions

What grade level is Dear Dad: Growing Up With a Parent in Prison - And How We Stayed Connected?

Dear Dad: Growing Up With a Parent in Prison - And How We Stayed Connected is most commonly assigned in US schools in grades 4–5. Specific grade placement varies by curriculum — AP Literature and IB English Literature typically use it in grades 11-12.

How long does it take to read Dear Dad: Growing Up With a Parent in Prison - And How We Stayed Connected?

It takes about 2h 25m to read Dear Dad: Growing Up With a Parent in Prison - And How We Stayed Connected (130 pages) at an average adult reading pace of about 250 words per minute — roughly 145 minutes. Faster or slower readers will vary; the estimate is a planning guide for assigning the book.

What curricula assign Dear Dad: Growing Up With a Parent in Prison - And How We Stayed Connected?

Dear Dad: Growing Up With a Parent in Prison - And How We Stayed Connected appears on reading lists for Great Lakes Great Books Award. Each assignment on this site links to its primary-source citation.

Is Dear Dad: Growing Up With a Parent in Prison - And How We Stayed Connected banned in schools?

Dear Dad: Growing Up With a Parent in Prison - And How We Stayed Connected does not appear in PEN America's Index of School Book Bans 2022-2024. No documented multi-district removals on record, but individual districts may challenge titles locally.