Middle Grade Monday: The Leak by Kate Reed Petty

Image: Macmillan

The Leak by Kate Reed Petty and illustrated by Andrea Bell. 240 p. First: Second/ Macmillan, March, 2021. 9781250217967. (Review of finished copy borrowed from public library.)

Yes, I am going to write it because I get to do so five time every school year! Happy penultimate Monday of the 2020-2021 school year! 

Middle Grade Monday features The Leak by Kate Reed Petty and illustrated by Andrea Bell. Twelve-year-old Ruth Keller is an aspiring journalist who questions everything. She is especially peeved by the state of her teeth and the fact that her dentist accuses her of not flossing, when she does so several times a day! She writes an online newspaper and usually covers the middle school beat, featuring articles about grafitti. When she and her friend discover a bunch of dead fish and black slime in a lake in her neighborhood, Ruth decides to investigate. Her muckraking leads to some scary consequences and Ruth must decide how far she's willing to go to uncover the truth.

This colorful, engaging graphic novel walks readers through what a real investigative reporter does while maintaining suspense. The book is dedicated to the residents of Flint, Michigan, who were being poisoned by contaminated drinking water some years ago. By the way, one of the most prominent social justice activists in the Flint Water Crisis was an eight-year-old girl. Mari Copeny wrote a letter to then President Barack Obama inviting him to visit Flint, Michigan to observe first-hand what the residents were faced with.

I'm excited to add this to my school library's collection. It's never too early to encourage youth activism.