About this item
What if a school's mascot is seen as racist, but not by everyone? In this compelling middle-grade novel in verse, two best-selling BIPOC authors tackle this hot-button issue.. In Rye, Virginia, just outside Washington, DC, people work hard, kids go to school, and football is big on Friday nights. An eighth-grade English teacher creates an assignment for her class to debate whether Rye's mascot should stay or change. Now six middle-schoolers--all with different backgrounds and beliefs--get involved in the contentious issue that already has the suburb turned upside down with everyone choosing sides and arguments getting ugly. . Told from several perspectives, readers see how each student comes to new understandings about identity, tradition, and what it means to stand up for real change.
About the Author
Charles Waters is a Children's Poet, Actor and Educator. His poems have appeared in various anthologies including: THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC BOOK OF ANIMAL POETRY, AMAZING PLACES and ONE MINUTE TILL BEDTIME. Charles performs his one person show, as well as conducts poetry performance and writing workshops for elementary and middle school audiences. His books CAN I TOUCH YOUR HAIR? Poems of Race, Mistakes and Friendship and DICTIONARY FOR A BETTER WORLD: Poems, Quotes and Anecdotes from A - Z (both co-written with Irene Latham) are published by Carolrhoda Books, a imprint of Lerner Publishing Group. #proudtobealerner
