Reading Metrics
Description
Alex's role in the Mockingbirds, an underground student justice system, is challenged when she tries to stop a group of students using prescription drugs to help other students cheat as school officials turn a blind eye to the wrongdoing.
Quick Summary
In The Rivals by Daisy Whitney, Alex faces a moral crisis when she tries to dismantle a cheating ring at her school that uses prescription drugs to help students ace exams, all while school officials pretend not to notice and her role in the Mockingbirds, a secret student court system, hangs in the balance. The book tackles themes of ethical responsibility, peer pressure, systemic corruption, and the difficult choice between loyalty and doing what is right when authority figures fail to act. If your teen liked The Outsiders with its exploration of social justice and moral complexity, they will find this similarly compelling. This novel is ideal for high school students in 9th through 12th grade who enjoy realistic fiction with a mystery-thriller edge and are ready for an 82,000-word read.