Loud Silence of Francine Green

Francine lives in Hollywood and goes to school at All Saints School for Girls. She never speaks up at school because she doesn't want to cause trouble. Then along comes Sophie Bowman, who is never afraid, and spends a lot of time with her feet in the wastebasket by the teacher's desk. The two girls become friends, and suddenly Francine cares about communism, the blacklisting of Hollywood actors, the atom bomb and more. How long can she maintain her silence? Ages 9-13 220 pages