Charles WatersMascot

I liked the multiple perspectives presented by the authors and how they let the students debate and decide how they felt about the mascot issue without adult influence. Very thoughtful and well written.

With Mascot, Charles Waters and Traci Sorell explore a hot button issue... "What if a school's mascot is seen as racist, but not by everyone?"This was such an interesting read! While the story centers on a middle school mascot, the cover is quite obvious with its reference. There are many cultures represented, and I appreciate the attention paid to the different perspectives.This story was very well done, and I would love to see how all parties navigated their friendships/relationships moving forward. Definitely add this to your tbr if you're looking for an engaging book that will make you think!Read this if you like:• Quick, engaging reads• Books in verse• Books that make you think

Can a mascot that appropriates another culture ever truly be considered an "honor"? What does it take to change "tradition"? These are questions a small class of English honors students ask themselves when they are tasked by their teacher to present arguments for or against the school's Native American appropriated mascot.

I enjoyed the multiple points of view in this novel in verse and the diverse characters featured, including an adult. The topic is one that brings out strong emotions and I was pleased to see how some characters wanted a mascot change, others didn't, and still others changed their minds because they could see the topic from others' perspectives.

Powerful and timely. A compelling novel-in-verse about a group of eighth graders, assigned to debate the pros and cons of the school's sports mascot, the Braves, and how demeaning the depiction is to Native Americans. This book should be a must-read in every middle school! Minds will be opened.

Following six students through their 8th grade year, this verse novel shows the thoughts and feelings behind using Native icons and symbols as mascots for sports teams. In the story, we see the six students paired together to fight for or against the use of their school mascot, the Braves, and the resulting protest and rally the students ignite to change the school mascot.This is a really thoughtful and grounded book around a tough topic. I think the authors did a great job showcasing different perspectives on the mascot issue—and honestly showing, as the character Franklin recognizes by the end, that no group of people are a monolith. I think this book is so important for kids to see and I appreciate how it tied everything together, I also appreciated the information at the back of the book about the history of Native iconography in colonial times, dictionaries for Cherokee language and Spanish language used throughout the book, and further resources for students. Very timely and important read.

School mascots are a hot button issue in a school district in Washington DC, where the NFL team has recently been renamed the Commanders.A middle school English teacher challenges the six students in her honors class to present a side of the debate to keep the Rye mascot, the Braves, or to replace it. The six are of different identities, Indigenous, Black, Indian, Hispanic immigrant, white ex-homeschooler, white, working class, impoverished, upper middle class, and are paired up with another who doesn't share their views.Thematically based on Langston Hughes' Theme for English B, the book is written in verse, but feels more stream of consciousness rather than poetry.In Colorado where I live, where Native mascots are slowly being phased out, though not without a fight, this book will resonate with the teens I know. They'll be inspired by the fight that the BIPOC kids take to remove the mascots, as well as recognize how an Indigenous adult in the book can feel like the mascot is part of his heritage. Additionally, kids will relate to having a white savior try to take the reins, and how some folks don't care about mascots at all while they are trying to survive.

An amazing and timely novel-in-verse told through multiple points of view about a group of eighth graders given an assignment to show the pros and cons of using Indigenous People as mascots. The teacher assigned the pairs and who was to argue for and against. Callie, a Cherokee Nation citizen, is assigned with Franklin who likes their Braves mascot who wields a tomahawk. The others are paired with those who feel the opposite. As the story unfolds, feelings and friends are hurt. Some groups are cyber bullied. The kids go to a school board meeting with a petition to show they want to have the mascot changed. What does the school board end up doing?

A nuanced story in verse exploring multiple perspectives, 'Mascot' reminds us that activism must be intersectional for it to be meaningful.Ms Williams, an eighth grade teacher, invites her class to debate whether the mascot of the school should stay. Callie is convinced that there’s no room for debate. It’s absurd that people think it’s okay to appropriate to use a copper-toned, muscled, tomahawk-wielding caricature as a mascot. Others, however, believe that the mascot honours Native American tradition and it is absurd to replace it with something else. Six eighth-graders from a variety of backgrounds and beliefs begin to talk about it–and the consequences are far-reaching.As I read #Mascot, I found myself sucked into the very real issues that the book addresses, and the ways in which we justify our convictions.For Sean, how can white privilege be real when his family just about manages to put food on the table?How can Tessa not use her privilege to talk about discrimination when she knows just how real it is? Does it really matter if she’s talking for someone else?And when the protests spill out on to the streets, how far can your conviction really take you?I enjoyed the multiple perspectives and the ways in which grey areas are explored in 'Mascot'. I also liked the simple, direct verse. It is almost like prose, but sparser and more hard-hitting because of it. While some characters were were wonderfully drawn, however, I can’t say that about all of them. Some changed a little too suddenly, and towards the end, it did feel like the details were tied up neatly because the school year came to an end.Having said that, 'Mascot' is still well worth a read because of the sensitivity with which it addresses diversity. A gentle, important story, it reminds me of why verse calls out to me so often.