Arlene, The Rebel Queen

Arlene Harper has dealt with big change before. In fourth grade, she came to the first day of school in new leg braces. But the changes that rock her world this year feel like a total earthquake.

Inspired by a social studies unit on our country’s biggest social movements, and perhaps prompted by the cafeteria’s overflowing garbage cans, Arlene and her friends launch a campaign to reduce their school’s carbon footprint. Like most rebellions, they face stiff opposition, in this case from principal Musgrove and his love of budgets, order, and apparently, Styrofoam. But these mini versions of Rosa Parks, Susan B. Anthony, and Cesar Chavez are not deterred. They knock fists and pronounce, Si se peude!

Yes they can. They can get themselves in quite a heap of trouble. And while leading this revolution, Arlene finds herself marching farther away from the friend she always thought would be there.

Carol Liu is a licensed clinical social worker and an attorney focusing on special education and family law. For ten years she worked with children facing a variety of emotional, learning, and behavioral challenges at the Reginald S. Lourie Center for Infants and Young Children in Rockville, Maryland. She was also the school counselor and special needs coordinator at the National Child Research Center in Washington, DC. Most recently, Carol created Family Support and Advocacy Services, an agency dedicated to providing consultation, legal representation, and support services for children and their families. Carol s children s books are part of a long-term vision to create additional resources for families and professionals and to increase understanding of childhood disabilities across a wide audience.
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