Barbara Dee

By seventh grade Freya Stillman has learned to keep her strong opinions on mute—at least from her classmates. But when she needs to research a local hero for a school history project, she discovers something shocking about Benjamin Wellstone, her small town’s most famous resident and namesake: he didn’t think women should be allowed to vote! Or to go to school, or have any rights at all. Outraged, Freya refuses to keep quiet any longer. With the help of her new classmate Callie, Freya hatches a plan to erase Wellstone’s name from the town. First order of business: tearing down his public statue and replacing it with one of Octavia Padgett, a local crusader for women’s right to vote, and one whose true impact has been long-hidden by the town. Because Benjamin Wellstone is so important to the town’s identity, no one takes the girls’ mission seriously at first. But soon their activism leads to big surprises, both at home and at school. And when the mayor tries to interfere, Freya and Callie decide it’s time to take a dramatic step, even if it risks landing them in serious trouble. Award-winning author Barbara Dee (Maybe He Just Likes You) returns with a timely and thought-provoking novel about two middle schoolers standing up and speaking out.