Didn't get a chance to finish this in time, but bought and will finish reading later. Having trouble connecting to Indigo, and I'm not fully sure why yet, but I really am pulled in by the premise and Indigo's journalism desire to create positive change.

What an intense and needed read. Indigo fights for what is right within her school. She is backed by her family and new friends she makes along the way. I loved the book she finds that has letters that Ida wrote and as Indigo feels more connected to her it helps her stand up for herself.
This book really shows that people can be mean and only think of themselves that's why it is important to stand up for yourself and what you believe in.

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC!

"But I believed then, and still do today, that it is necessary to stand up for what's right rather than what makes you popular." This is one of the many gorgeous, powerful, poignant pieces of advice that our protagonist, Indigo Belle Fitzgerald, serendipitously receives from Ida B. Wells, via the mysterious letters she finds tucked away in one of Ida B. Well's books. In this stunning debut novel, Heather Murphy Capps reminds us to courageously "ring the bell for justice" and to be faithful to our values and beliefs. This book packs a powerful punch in its masterfully written sentences and memorable protagonist, Indigo. This young girl is spunky, smart, and unafraid to shine a light on the truth, no matter how ugly it may be. I fell in love not only with Indigo, but with her brother Elijah, her parents, and so many other characters that stole my heart (despite also breaking it at times). This novel touches on important issues of today in a way that will keep middle-schools engaged and turning the page! They will be rooting for Indigo every step of the way, just like I was. I'll be talking about this book for a long, long time!

Official Description:

When eighth grader and aspiring journalist Indigo breaks an important story, exposing an unfair school policy, she's suddenly popular for the first time.

The friends who've recently drifted away from her want to hang out again. Then Indigo notices that the school's disciplinary policies seem to be enforced especially harshly with students of color, like her. She wants to keep investigating, but her friends insist she's imagining things.

Meanwhile, Indigo stumbles upon a book by Black journalist and activist Ida B. Wells—with private letters written by Ida tucked inside. As she reads about Ida's lifelong battle against racism, Indigo realizes she must choose between keeping quiet and fighting for justice.

Review
I read this in concert with "Ida B. the Queen" by Michelle Duster, which was written by a descendant of Ida B. Wells and chronicles the life and challenges that Wells faced personally, professionally and for the race. Many of those facts were presented in this book through letters written to a "friend" and signed by "Ida."
This approach was a great way to introduce and humanize a historical figure without it being preachy or presenting a person as untouchable. The letters that Ida wrote Indigo mirrored some of the challenges that Indigo faced in her search for justice, rendering Ida as a person to be emulated, not just admired.
I recommend this book for classrooms and reading clubs. This is a great duet with "Dear Martin" and terrific for mentoring groups: the mentee could read "Ida and Indigo;" the mentor could read "Ida B. the Queen."

An important, relevant and touching story about confronting racial discrimination and choosing what’s right over what’s popular.
Readers will cheer for Indigo from the very first chapter. She is the epitome of the strong conscious female protagonist that kids should be reading about! The bits of past history of Ida B.Wells are cleverly woven into the story enriching the plot— Indigo finds her own path to justice inspired by Ida’s story.
Although dealing with serious issues, Indigo and Ida is a fun read, layered with depth of the subjects it explores.
Heartwarming family dynamics and fading childhood friendships are authentically portrayed. And aside from the well-developed characters, the beautifully described details in the setting (the sky, the clouds, the snow) are the cherry on top of this five-star read.

"The way to right wrongs is to turn the light of truth upon them."


INDIGO AND IDA is a POWERFUL debut and important work, yet completely accessible for middle-grade readers. Indigo Fitzgerald is a middle school journalist who decides to post a blog about the racism she sees happening at her school. Watching Indigo deal with the fallout of turning her light on the truth is both heartbreaking and inspiring and reminds us how much Black children see and process at such a young age, and how brave they can be in fighting against injustice. It also shows, in a very kid-friendly way, how early patriarchy and sexism are shoved onto young girls. It starts at such a young age that a boy speaking his mind is “confident” but too often a girl doing the same will be told she’s harsh, arrogant, aggressive, shouty, etc. Then throw in if she’s a Black girl and the misogynoir is staggering. What Indigo deals with is very much what Black girls are dealing with from day 1. This is why a book like INDIGO AND IDA is so important. It’s s a book that will resonate with a lot of girls and help them feel seen.

Heather Murphy Capps keeps all of this in balance with the turmoil of middle school, changing friendships, and trying to belong, and infuses a serious topic with humor, warmth, and compassion. I’ll be buying many copies of this book for the young readers in my life. HIGHLY RECOMMEND.

This is a wonderful middle grade novel that explores important themes of injustice, inequality, and standing up for what is right. I adored the main character, Indigo, from the very first page when she purposely gets in trouble so she can experience detention. I love how this book weaves in relatable friendship/school situations with more serious issues. My favorite part is Indigo's connection with Black journalist and activist Ida B. Wells, and how she is inspired by her. Ida's personal letters were so interesting and placed so well throughout the story. I believe that Indigo will be a true inspiration for young leaders of today, and I hope INDIGO AND IDA finds its way to young readers everywhere.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read the digital ARC of Indigo and Ida by Heather Murphy Capps.

I would give this book 10 stars if I could! Incredibly relevant and timely, this book tackles social issues head on and had me cheering for Indigo as she stands up to racism and discrimination, and against the unfair bias she is thrown under as a black girl. I could not put this down and I think middle schoolers will be equally engrossed.

Indigo is an amazing protagonist. She's in the 8th grade and has recently been dropped by her closest friends due to a minor incident in which she was deemed embarrassing to be around. Ugh, middle school is the worst. Indigo, who is biracial with a white mom and black dad, starts doing some investigative journalism at her school. The first story she addresses requires that she be sent to detention, as she believes the bathroom policy during detention is unjust (students are not allowed to go even in an emergency). While there, she uncovers a much larger story, in that all of the kids who are at detention and who are sent there regularly, are black/brown students. Even though their white classmates are often doing the same minor infractions - having their phones out, wearing a short skirt (the RAGE I felt at this one), throwing chalk being a few - only the black and brown students are being punished.

Indigo decides to run for President of the student body, and she uses her voice and her video blog to highlight important issues. She is unfairly bullied by the popular crowd, and the rest of the school including her former friends label her as "intense" and #toomad. We see some white girl tears and lots of racist behavior from other students.

The one thing helping Indigo through all of this are a series of letters she finds written from civil rights journalist and activist Ida B. Wells! These letters give Indigo the support that she is lacking from her supposed friends who keep telling her to "chill out" on the important social justice issues she continues to raise.

There is so much more I could get into, but I'll leave the review with two enthusiastic thumbs up and the recommendation that this should be required reading for all middle schoolers. I will for sure be sharing this with my own children.

Indigo is very interested in investigative reporting, so even though she is usually well behaved and doesn't get into any trouble, she spray paints a quotation from Winnie the Pooh on the school sidewalk in order to get sent to afterschool detention. She is supposed to read a book about a "social influencer", and finds a book on Ida B. Wells left there by a substitute teacher. She also finds out that students are not allowed to go to the restroom, and even though this is clearly stated in the school handbook, she finds it unfair. Her parents, both doctors, are not too thrilled that she's gotten into trouble, but they are both heavily invested in issues of social justice, so understand. Her father, who is Black, and her mother, who is white, are both involved in being street medics, attend protests, and work hard to make sure that their work environment is fair. Indigo follows their lead with her investigations, and often angers Principal Belkin. This has also alienated her from some of her friends, who don't want to be involved in her crusades. Indigo has a blog through the school web site, and has a decent amount of followers. Upon reflection, she also realizes that detention attendees seem to be largely Black and brown kids. She thinks a great way to make change happen at her school is to keep investigating, but also to run for student body president. Unfortunately, her opponent is the popular athlete who is running to spite her and has no concrete ideas about what he would do in office. The letters of Wells inspire Indigo when she is feeling down. There are issues outside the school community as well, with a Black man who was in a lot of distress being turned away from the hospital. Indigo's parents are involved in this, of course, but there is a surprising connection to Indigo's life as well. In addition to her activism at school, Indigo has to watch her younger brother, who feels misunderstood, and who bonds with a friend's nonbinary older sibling. When all of these issues boil over, will Indigo be able to take comfort from Wells' experiences and be able to continue her work at making a difference?
Strengths: Indigo's interest in investigative journalism is great to see, and makes her chance encounter with writings of Wells even more inspirational. The friend drama is quite on point, and is something my students always are eager to explore. There is a lot of different representation showcased in this book: Black and brown students, LGBTQIA+, mental health, and even a glimpse at a student who is discriminated against because of a police record, although the principal has gotten the wrong student. The letters add a tiny bit of magical realism, but the fantasy element is not too heavy. Indigo's parents are quite interesting, and show up just enough to support her. I'm looking forward to seeing what else Capps writes.
Weaknesses: There were a number of things that didn't ring quite true to my middle school experience, but I'm sure schools in different areas have different rules. Class elections and student reporters are also not something my school has ever had.
What I really think: Indigo would be friends with Shayla from Ramee's A Good Kind of Trouble and Neva from Kendall's The True Definition of Neva Beane.

This book is inspiring! It is fast paced, engaging and relatable. Indigo is passionate about issues and bullied because of it. Her white friends don’t understand why these issues matter and the other students of color don’t want to face the repercussions of Indigo’s stories, but they all come around in the end.

This book is a triumph! Definitely recommended reading for all ages!

Indigo is a typical middle grade student in many ways - struggling to fit in while standing out, mostly staying out of trouble, but Indigo sees more. There are problems in her school, and she tries her best to follow the example of Ida B Wells, an activist journalist whose biography and letters Indigo discovers while in detention.

Her eyes are opened to the sweeping injustices in her school and social setting, but also in her larger community.

And I'm sure the reader's eyes will be opened as well. Such a powerful story in one little book. It reminds us that we all have a voice. And that we need to use our voice!

"Indigo herself had been on the sidelines, playing it safe. Everyone who had shared their stories had been brave. Now it was time for Indigo to do her part."

Nothing changes until one person is brave enough to speak up.

A wonderful blend of history and current events. The story features injustices that occur and demonstrates a way for how to affect change. A great book with wonderful lessons for young people.

(Review by middle schooler):


I absolutely loved this book! It's a great book for more advanced elementary school readers, and a good light read for middle school. It's relatable and funny, capturing middle school drama perfectly, while also covering real world topics like racial equity. Through mysterious letters, this amazing book connects historical civil rights activist and journalist Ida B. Wells, and Indigo, an aspiring 8th grade journalist who just wants to make her school fair for everyone.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advance copy!

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5160517044

The way that Heather Murphy Capps weaves together all the story threads in this book to pack a huge punch of an ending in had me staying up way past my bed time to finish. Wonderful theme that would be excellent in any and all classrooms. Definitely get this for any girl leader in your life!

I recieved a free eARC of this book. Thank you for the opportunity to read it.

There are books that I rate high because I know kids would enjoy reading them, even if they aren't quite my cup of tea. They are valuable because they inspire kids to read.

And then there are books that I rate high because kids SHOULD read them. They deserve to be taught in classrooms, discussed, and used to inspire.

Indigo and Ida is the latter. Indigo, a middle school journalist, decides to get detention to follow up a lead that students are not allowed to go to the restroom even in emergencies. This leads her down a path of exploring racial inequity at her school and in the community, as her efforts in school parallel her parents' efforts as doctors who work, in part, as street medics.

The story of Indigo's efforts is interspersed with the letters of Ida B. Wells, who Indigo is learning from,

This is, all told, an amazing book that brings both the historic civil rights movement and the current one into sharp focus, in ways which are immediate and relevant to middle grade students. Along with racism, it calls into account ableism and classism as well. And, through Indigo's efforts, it also gives a plan for kids to call adults in their lives and systems they are involved in to account for injustice.

Unfortunately, I suspect that many schools won't assign this book for exactly the reasons that they should. They will use the excuse that it makes White kids feel bad, or that it encourages students to disrespect authority, adding the book to a long list considered to be teaching CRT. So, I'll be adding this book, once it's published, to my little free library across from the school, and I encourage parents, community librarians, and public libraries to do the same. Consider starting book clubs to read and discuss (there are questions in the back), not just for kids but for adults, too.

When 8th grader Indigo intentionally gets detention to try to break a story, she stumbles upon a book about Ida B. Wells. Soon, Indigo is inspired to run for student body president. However, there are many internet trolls, plus the school principal, who are trying to bring her down. It doesn't help that her former best friends seemingly have turned against her. She decides though to follow in Ida's footsteps and become someone to stand up for equality.

I really enjoyed this book. I thought it covered a lot of heavy topics well. I wish there had been a little more incorporation of the letters from Ida that Indigo found. Every now and then, she would be like oh yea, Ida! But I felt like they could've been more clearly incorporated. Overall though, a really good Middle Grades read.

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Oof, this book is a heavy hitter, but also so important and so emotional and so good. It feels similar to We Are the Scribes by Randi Pink in how a young Black girl finds her voice and strength through the stories of Black women who came before them - in this case, Ida B. Wells-Barnett. I also loved the element of letters that were exactly what Indigo needed to hear in order to speak the truth and keep making noise, even as administration and her peers tried to silence her. Uncomfortable topics are just that - uncomfortable - but if we can’t have those conversations then nothing can change. And we need change, as Indigo makes clear with her recognition of the racist application of school policies to disproportionately punish Black and brown students. This story takes place over just a week, and what an intense week it is. I found this to be an unputdownable story and look forward to the stories Heather Murphy Capps will write in the future.