THE CAMPAIGN

A 12-year-old girl leads a mayoral campaign in hopes of saving arts education.

Maddie Polansky loves art class—it’s the only thing that makes school bearable since she doesn’t have many friends and most teachers seem to dislike her—and dreams of being a professional cartoonist. When Mr. Xian, her beloved art teacher, tells her about Lucinda Burghart, the woman running unopposed for mayor who wants to slash funding for arts education, Maddie is ready to enact change. There are just two problems: She can’t legally run for mayor and her preoccupied, noncommittal parents aren’t nearly as worked up about this as she is. But Janet, her recent college graduate nanny, is a viable option. Janet accepts Maddie unconditionally and encourages her activism. They register Janet as a mayoral candidate just under the deadline, kicking off Maddie’s crash course in democratic processes. After a minor scandal, the campaign looks hopeless, forcing Maddie to seek out help from an unlikely source: her classmates. Maddie—who believes it’s her quirks, not her lack of a filter, that keep her from connecting with others—guides the long-shot team in hopes of improving society. This energetic, mindful book reinforces the agency of children and will inspire them to take action. Black-and-white cartoonlike illustrations throughout are often humorous and reinforce Maddie’s uncensored opinions. Maddie is White, Janet is brown-skinned, and there is diversity throughout.

A timely book encouraging youth to get involved.