Sources Say

Gr 8 Up–Sisters Cat and Angeline couldn’t be more different. Cat is not looking forward to her senior year as one of the only students returning to the school newspaper after all of her friends graduated and the paper has a new advisor. Cat just wants to hide away in the makeshift newsroom, a custodial closet conversion. Angeline, however, thrives on her always-increasing follower number from her YouTube channel. She is an influencer and her peers value her opinion about the newest fashion and skincare. She has even been noticed by her idol influencer, Evelyn’s Epic Everyday, with an invitation to attend her summer camp, though their mother won’t let her go unless she takes on some extracurriculars. Angeline decides to run for student body president, but her plan goes awry when her ex, Leo—whose mom is a politician—also decides to run for school office. For Cat, this is a chance to cover real news and report the facts of this election of star-crossed lovers. This high school setting is clearly a metaphor for our current national political climate where lies, manipulation, and “fake” news are the real influencers. Goldstein shows readers how even adolescents are capable of ignoring what is right and embellishing details for personal gain.