Miss Liberty

Gr 3-6–With a Fourth of July tradition threatened, a meaningful cause is found. The town of Liberté has a long-standing tradition of crowning a local girl as Miss Liberty, who serves as a flashy, sparkling focal point for local celebrations. However, with waning interest in the holiday and fading community engagement, the tradition may be entering its final year. Savvy Montrose’s older sister, Levi, is entering her third year in the role, and is beginning to feel called to use her platform to speak on social issues— in particular, the unjust reassignment of the town’s voting site to a merged location 40 miles away. Meanwhile, the choreographer and curator of all things Miss Liberty, their aunt Bobbi, is intent on directing everyone’s Miss Liberty energies towards a petition to save the parade. Torn between these two causes, and feeling increasingly twisted up with her own anxiety and desire to control the situation, Savvy, with some help from her friends, begins working on a historical slideshow that will present Miss Liberty’s sparkling history and the causes she’s represented over the years. The small-town stakes are important—free speech and speaking up for what you believe in, and Savvy’s narration further centers this, as she scrutinizes everyone’s choices, actions, and their consequences.