Former Attorney Linda Soules Releases Kids' Guide to Public Defenders for Ages 10 to 14

Linda Soules, a former attorney with a twenty-five-year legal career, has released So You Want To Be A Public Defender, a 41-page illustrated career guide for readers ages 10 to 14. The book, listed at https://www.amazon.com/dp/197276666X, explains what happens when a person is accused of a crime and cannot afford a lawyer, and why the right to a fair trial protects everyone. It has won the Grand Prize in the 2026 Purple Dragonfly Book Awards and a Silver Award in Children's Nonfiction at the 2026 CIPA EVVY Book Awards.

The full title carries a long subtitle: A Kids' Guide to Criminal Justice, Courtroom Law, Your Constitutional Rights, and the Courageous Lawyers Who Defend Everyone's Right to a Fair Trial. It is part of the So You Want To Be A... series of career-exploration books for curious kids, which Soules created. The ISBN is 978-1-972766-66-8.

Public defenders are central to the American justice system, yet most young people meet them only through television dramas, if at all. The profession rests on a constitutional principle: a person accused of a crime is presumed innocent and is entitled to legal representation, whether or not they can pay. Children in middle school are often studying civics, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights at the same time they are forming their own ideas about rules and fairness.

Soules wrote the book for that moment. Her approach, consistent across the series, is not to talk down to young readers. The book uses clear language to explain how the criminal justice system works and treats the question "But is that fair?" as a serious one. It is aimed at readers who are curious about law, government or helping others, and at the teachers, librarians and parents who guide their reading.

The core of the book is a narrative walk through a public defender's day. Readers follow one defender through the courthouse, from meeting nervous clients in the hallway to cross-examining witnesses, negotiating with prosecutors and researching late into the night. The structure shows that much of the work happens outside the courtroom. The book explains what defenders do long before trial and why most cases never reach a jury. It also shows how investigators, social workers, judges and juries fit into the same system.

The book addresses the question public defenders hear more than any other, "How can you defend those people?", and offers an answer built on fairness, rules and the presumption of innocence. It is candid about the difficult parts of the job, including heavy caseloads, tough losses and unpopular clients, and about why many defenders say they would not trade the work. A closing section covers the education path from high school through law school and the bar exam, the skills that help defenders succeed, and related careers in law, social work and investigation.

True stories from American history anchor the constitutional material. Readers learn how Abraham Lincoln won a murder trial with an almanac and how Clara Shortridge Foltz developed the idea of the public defender. The book recounts how Clarence Earl Gideon's handwritten petition from a prison cell led to the Supreme Court case Gideon v. Wainwright, and how Ketanji Brown Jackson went from public defender to Supreme Court justice. It also traces the origin of the Miranda warning and a teenager's case that gave young people the right to a lawyer in juvenile court.

Lighter material balances the subject. Kids can solve the Case of the Missing Cupcake, learn what "The defense rests" actually means, find out how ancient Athenian jurors voted with bronze ballots, and meet the French lawyer who once defended a town full of rats. The book closes with a kid-friendly glossary of legal terms, recommended books and websites, and hands-on activities such as holding a family mock trial.

"Kids ask whether something is fair all the time. This book shows them the people whose job is to make sure the answer holds up in a courtroom," said Linda Soules, author of the So You Want To Be A... series.

The book is designed for several audiences. Social studies and civics teachers can use the history of Gideon v. Wainwright and the Miranda warning to illustrate how constitutional rights work in practice. Mock trial and debate coaches can use the courtroom chapters and the family mock trial activity as a starting point for students new to legal argument. Homeschool families and school librarians gain a nonfiction title that pairs career exploration with civics. For an individual reader with a strong sense of justice, it is an introduction to a profession few children know about, and it makes a gift for kids interested in law, government or helping others.

So You Want To Be A Public Defender is available through the Amazon product page at https://www.amazon.com/dp/197276666X. The book is a children's nonfiction title of 41 pages, with the ISBN 978-1-972766-66-8, and current pricing and format options are listed on that page. Educators and librarians who want to confirm the title for a classroom or collection can use the ISBN for ordering and cataloging. No subscription or account beyond a standard retail purchase is needed to obtain the book.

The book is one entry in a series that Soules envisions spanning more than 180 titles, with more than 60 published to date and new releases appearing on a steady cadence. The series covers a wide range of careers, from astronauts and marine biologists to magicians, stunt performers and roller coaster designers. Each title aims to show a real career honestly, including its rewards and its difficulties. The public defender volume extends that model to a field in which the stakes involve constitutional rights, and its two 2026 awards suggest that the approach is resonating with book judges in the children's category.

About Linda Soules and the So You Want To Be A... series: Linda Soules is the author and creator of the So You Want To Be A... series, a growing collection of career-exploration books for readers ages 10 to 14 and beyond. Before writing for young readers, she spent twenty-five years as an attorney. The series is planned to span more than 180 titles, with more than 60 published so far. Her guiding philosophy is to never talk down to kids, and to give curious young readers books that respect their intelligence while sparking their enthusiasm. More information on So You Want To Be A Public Defender is available at https://www.amazon.com/dp/197276666X.