by Avi
First published 2010
Philip Malloy sits in Miss Narwin's English class, frustrated and angry. She gave him a D that knocked him off the track team. Now he wants payback. When the morning tape of "The Star-Spangled Banner" begins playing over the school intercom, Philip starts humming along. He knows this breaks school policy requiring silent respect during the anthem. Miss Narwin tells him to stop. Philip refuses and gets sent to the principal's office. What starts as petty revenge spirals into something much bigger. The incident gets reported. Parents get involved. The media picks up the story. Soon Philip finds himself at the center of a national controversy about patriotism, free speech, and school authority. Both Philip and Miss Narwin become symbols in a battle neither wanted to fight. The truth gets lost as everyone takes sides.
Genres: fiction, american-fiction, contemporary, social-issues, school, academic
Vibes: suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, unreliable-narrator
208 pages · Library Binding · Turtleback Books