Thank you, NetGalley for an advanced ALC of this book

This was an interesting read because every few sentences were said by the different POVs I'm the book which threw me off and I found it hard to concentrate on what was going on, but if you can look past that this is a story about 7 children in school who are talking about change and much more.

I read 70% before I put it down

I read this book when I first added it to my library.

The audiobook is even better. The use of multiple narrators helps establish each character so strongly!

The variety of perspectives and life experiences of each of the characters adds a richness to the story that is not always common in middle grade novels.

I love how we get to understand each character and why they feel the way that they feel. Seeing characters change their opinion when confronted with facts and others learn to respect each other was powerful.

I especially love that the book does not just contain ethnic diversity but also, economic diversity.

Only critique is the idea of a middle school class (even honors) with only six kids in it...

Thank you to Net Galley and RB Media for the audio ARC!

Told in different voices, this story successfully explores how a racist "Red Indian"-type mascot in a school creates fault lines amongst the students.

As the debate around the use of the mascot by the popular sports teams of the school becomes increasingly heated, the entire community gets involved.

I like how the different characters in the story are used to demonstrate the different points of view. They are believable and well-drawn, and I found all of them relatable - except Luis, whose attitude did not ring as true as th others.

All in all, a terrific introduction to these critically important and highly topical issues for young readers.

Thank you to NetGalley, RB Media, Recorded Books, and Charles Waters and Traci Sorell for the ARC of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Mascot, a middle grade novel in verse, shares the voices of six eighth graders. Their school, just outside of Washington D.C., has a Native American mascot. The students share an honors English class where their teacher puts them in pairs to debate about changing the mascot. At the same time, the local school board is having the same debate.

This book discusses multiple viewpoints on a critical issue, and it was fantastic on audio.

Mascot included multiple viewpoints about the mascot issue and about race in general. Many of the viewpoints went unchallenged, including some that were based on inaccurate information. Although some factual information about the damage of Native mascots was shared by characters, the book would have benefitted tremendously from end notes that provided additional information and resources about this complex issue.

There were a few additional details that were problematic for me:
-->All of the female characters in the book believe Native mascots are damaging and should be replaced; all of the males, initially, were in favor of Native mascots.
--> Only one of the six characters, who was Black, changed their mind about Native mascots.
--> For the debate, the teacher paired the only Native character, a young woman, with a young man. They were assigned to argue for keeping Native mascots. The young woman wasn't given any advance notice; she was just assigned to what, in my opinion, may have been an unsafe situation.
--> The characters were all in the same honors English class together. I wonder if this setting narrows who the book appeals to.

I could have used this book several years ago when the district where I teach changed the mascot!

This story is told from the perspective of six honors level 8th grade students over the course of a school year. There are some standard middle school growing pains, but the primary conflict in the story is that the school's mascot is The Braves and some people want the school to change it. While some of the characters come off as archetypes without a lot of depth, most of the characters are relatable. I like that the audience is introduced to multiple viewpoints on this hot button issue. I loved the audiobook narration for this book because there was a different voice for each character.

I think this book could be a great resource for teens to explore all the viewpoints and feelings that come with a mascot change. The author accurately depcited the gamet of viewpoints real people have, and not all the characters changed their minds in the end.

At times full of heart, at times painfully awkward, and always facing the problem head-on, Mascot is a book about the problem of using indigenous people as sports and school mascots. It's a novel in verse told from six eighth graders' perspectives, from the fully ambivalent to the fully supportive to fully against. In their honors English class, they are given an assignment to argue for or against the use of the school's mascot, set against the backdrop of the wider movement to change the mascot.
The audiobook gave each character a different voice actor. I really liked that. It dealt with the topic elegantly, showcasing both sides, and including a variety of voices and backgrounds. It also made a lot of really good points about why we really shouldn't be using native peoples as mascots anymore. All in all, it was a decent, if uneventful book. I think I might prefer it in book form instead, though, because it might make some of the elements of poetry more visible.

What a great way to present different points of view! Students have an assignment to present their views on whether the school mascot is racist. Written in verse, the characters may be stereotypical, but it just felt like a way to present more arguments and ways to think. The students interact with each other and share their experiences and feelings. Thanks to NetGalley., I got to listen to the audiobook, which was enjoyable with its different narrators.

Waters, Charles and Sorell, Traci. Mascot. 2024, 9781623543808. $17.99. 241p. Grades 5-8

Description: “What happens when a mascot is seen as racist, but not by everyone?”
In a middle school just outside of Washington, DC, Ms. Williams, an eighth grade English teacher, assigns students to debate whether or not their school mascot should stay the same or change due to it being perceived as a racist symbol. Following six middle school students: Callie, a Black Cherokee Nation Citizen, Franklin, a football and sneaker loving kid who wants to learn more about his heritage, Priya, who wants to be a journalist, Sean, a students whose family has attended Rye School District for six generations, Tessa, a white student who was previously homeschooled but has ties to social justice activism in the past, and Luis, who immigrated to the United States from El Salvador a few years. Written from these students' point of view, readers dive into the debate on if a Mascot should be changed or if tradition runs deeper.

Thoughts: This novel is PHENOMENAL. It does a wonderful job of allowing readers to see both sides of the debate and really think critically about where they fall in regard to the topic. It opens the conversation on why teams like the Washington Commanders changed their mascot a few years ago and that these changes are not made lightly. Overall, this book is HIGHLY recommended for grades 5-8 and the audiobook is narrated beautifully by a full cast.

Genre: Realistic Fiction, Novel-In-Verse

Tags: Social Justice, Indigenous People, Social Awareness, Middle Grade, In Verse, Sports Team Mascots, School Stories, Native American Fiction