R Is for Rebel

Gr 5–8—Malley lands at a National School after her parents are imprisoned and exiled for their resistance work against the Wealdan empire. She is shocked to see the way the other Milean girls have succumbed to the prisonlike atmosphere and is determined not to suffer the same fate. None of the other girls are willing to risk rebelling in any way—at least not at first. As Malley finds herself wearing the ugly uniform and going by a Wealdan name, she can't help but look for ways to keep her Milean identity. Soon, the other girls start to come around to Malley's way of thinking, and they all have to decide what price they are willing to pay for a taste of freedom. Themes of the cost of freedom and the power of identity shine through in powerful ways. Malley is a rebel to her core and her spirit won't let her accept the idea of submitting, especially not after what happened to her parents. While the nations depicted are imaginary, the connections to colonialism and past/present efforts to rub out supposedly inferior cultures is unmistakable.