About This Book
Reach for this book when your middle schooler is starting to question authority or struggling to find their place in a high-pressure academic environment. It is a perfect tool for a child who feels like an outsider or is beginning to realize that adults do not always have the right answers. The story follows four friends at a gifted school who start an alternative newspaper to express their views during a school wide mock Civil War, exploring themes of free speech, non-conformity, and social justice. Parents will appreciate the way Walter Dean Myers validates the intellectual and emotional life of adolescents. At just 126 pages, it is an accessible yet profound read for ages 9 to 13, modeling how young people can use creativity and diplomacy to navigate complex social hierarchies and advocate for peace.
