Indigo and Ida

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Title:

Indigo and Ida

Alternate title:

Indigo & Ida

Author:

Capps, Heather Murphy, author.

Summary:

The friends who've recently drifted away from her want to hang out again. Then Indigo notices that the school's disciplinary policies seem to be enforced especially harshly with students of color, like her. She wants to keep investigating, but her friends insist she's imagining things. Meanwhile, Indigo stumbles upon a book by Black journalist and activist Ida B. Wells―with private letters written by Ida tucked inside. As she reads about Ida's lifelong battle against racism, Indigo realizes she must choose between keeping quiet and fighting for justice. -- Amazon.

Audience:

Ages 10-13. Carolrhoda Books.

Grades 7-9. Carolrhoda Books.

General Note:

Includes author's note.

Physical Description:

302 pages ; 20 cm

Subject Term:

Racism -- Juvenile fiction.

Investigative reporting -- Juvenile fiction.

Student government -- Juvenile fiction.

Racially mixed people -- Juvenile fiction.

African Americans -- Juvenile fiction.

Middle schools -- Juvenile fiction.

Publisher:

Carolrhoda Books,

Publication Date:

2023

ISBN:

9781728467689

Publication Information:

Minneapolis : Carolrhoda Books, [2023]

Call Number:

M CAPPS

Holds: Copies:

Available:*

Item Barcode	Collection	Call Number	Status	Item Holds
33607003672493	New Middle Fiction	CAPPS	Searching... Unknown	Searching... Unavailable

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Summary

When eighth grader and aspiring journalist Indigo breaks an important story, exposing an unfair school policy, she's suddenly popular for the first time. The friends who've recently drifted away from her want to hang out again. Then Indigo notices that the school's disciplinary policies seem to be enforced especially harshly with students of color, like her. She wants to keep investigating, but her friends insist she's imagining things.Meanwhile, Indigo stumbles upon a book by Black journalist and activist Ida B. Wells--with private letters written by Ida tucked inside. As she reads about Ida's lifelong battle against racism, Indigo realizes she must choose between keeping quiet and fighting for justice.

Reviews (1)

Publisher's Weekly Review

In Capps's endearing debut, biracial (white and Black) eighth grader Indigo Fitzgerald faces scrutiny and microaggressions from her peers during her campaign for class president. When Indigo, an investigative vlogger, intentionally lands herself in detention to interrogate her school's detention policy, which she believes is disproportionately harsh against students of color, she borrows a copy of the autobiography of journalist and activist Ida B. Wells (1862--1931), which contains letters between the pages written by Wells to an unnamed friend. Inspired by Wells's drive and determined to better her own school, Indigo decides to run for class president. But when she posts a vlog about her detention policy findings ("No white students are being sent to after-school prison," she says), her initially supportive classmates accuse her of disregarding "important issues" such as a no-homework mandate, claiming that "not everything is about race." Wells's fictional letters--created by Capps, who "used real stories from Ida's life to shape them," as outlined in an author's note--appear throughout, focusing on historical aspects of the story. In particular, they shed light on the figure's accomplishments and explore how her legacy bolsters contemporary advocacy pursuits. Forthright conversations surrounding privilege between Indigo and her white mother further elevate this complex depiction of race and discrimination. Ages 10--13. Agent: Shannon Hassan, Marsal Lyon Literary. (Apr.)