Growing up during the McCarthy era, thirteen-year-old Jamie has to be careful to not reveal too much about her family to others. Their politically left values have become dangerous. Worried about being bullied or shunned at school, Jamie feels growing anger at her parents. She is afraid to have friends over, lies about what newspapers her family reads, and struggles to understand why they must be so secretive and alert if they are doing nothing illegal. When Jamie is unjustly overlooked for a position on the school paper, apparently because of the rumors about her family, she begins to understand the importance of fighting for civil rights in a very personal way. It becomes even more personal—and frightening—when her father loses his teaching position over his politics and is called to testify and “name names” of colleagues who may be Communists. Through Jamie’s gripping story, Ellen Levine captures the tension and fear of a dramatic time in U.S. history. (Ages 9–12)

Jamie is like most girls in the 1950s--she loves Hollywood movie stars and practicing her yoyo moves. But unlike those other girls, she has something to hide, a secret that is hurting her family. Jamie's father is a member of the Communist Party, and in 1953, that's the worst thing you can be. Senator Joseph McCarthy and his committee are throwing Americans in jail if they refuse to reveal the names of other Communists, and Jamie's dad won't. He's not a rat.

When the truth comes out, and her dad loses his job, Jamie is ashamed to show her face in school. She's thrown off the school paper with no explanation, and all of a sudden Jamie knows how her father feels. Is there anything she can do to help her father? And what about herself?