Mascot

Ages 10 And Up, Grades 5 And Up

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. Now in paperback!

A perfect book for future changemakers and activists seeking contemporary stories on systematic racism, empowering kids ages 10+ to fight for justice in their communities.

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.

An empowering middle-grade novel, Mascot is sure to inspire its readers and start conversations in classrooms and communities across the country.

"Waters and Sorell's plain spoken verse is always sharp and direct."—The New York Times Book Review

A Publishers Weekly Best Book of 2023A New York Public Library Best Book of 2023A National Public Radio "Books We Love" title of 2023

Story Locale:Washington DC suburbs

About the Author

Charles Waters is a children’s poet, actor, educator, and coauthor of African Town; Dictionary for a Better World: Poems, Quotes, and Anecdotes from A to Z; and the award-winning Can I Touch Your Hair? Poems of Race, Mistakes and Friendship. He lives near Atlanta. www.charleswaterspoetry.com

Best-selling author and Cherokee Nation citizen Traci Sorell writes inclusive, award-winning fiction and nonfiction in a variety of formats for young people. She is a two-time Sibert Medal and Orbis Pictus honoree for her nonfiction work. Her first five books have received awards from the American Indian Library Association. Learn more at www.tracisorell.com.

Author Residence: Atlanta, GA (Waters); Wagoner, OK (Sorell)

Author Hometown: Georgia (Waters); Nowata, OK (Sorell)