Mascot by Charles Waters and Traci Sorell is the third and last book I read because it’s on the required reading list for an online workshop on revising your verse novel that I will be attending later this year thanks to my Highlights Foundation scholarship. 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.
| Title | Mascot |
| Authors | Charles Waters, Traci Sorell |
| Tags | Verse Novel, Middle Grade |
| Rating (out of 5) | 4 |
| Ages | 11+ |
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