Eighth-grade aspiring journalist Indigo has a plan.
She’s determined to win back her two best friends, Abbie and Manning, who drifted away from her as they got more popular. So now Indigo is going to become popular too—by breaking an important news story that gets everyone’s attention.
Indigo’s reporting about an unfair school policy puts her in the spotlight, and her plan seems to work. Suddenly everyone thinks she’s cool. Including Abbie and Manning!
At the same time, Indigo stumbles upon a book by journalist and activist Ida B. Wells—with private letters written by Ida tucked inside. Reading about Ida’s life and work prompts Indigo to keep investigating her school’s policies. She soon finds out that the rules aren’t enforced equally. In fact, the harshest punishments tend to fall on Black and brown students.
When Indigo keeps reporting on this issue, her newfound popularity starts to slip away. Her friends tell her she’s overreacting. Classmates say she’s too aggressive, too negative, too annoying.
But Ida gets it. Ida spent her whole life battling racism. And as Indigo reads more of Ida’s letters, she realizes she’ll have to choose between keeping quiet and fighting for justice.