Eleven-year-old Haley is at home in Brooklyn, New York, listening to a recording she made of a story her friend Esteban shared about his father being taken away by immigration officials. Haley reflects on the close friends she made in sixth grade: Esteban, Tiago, Holly, Amari, and Ashton. Their teacher, Ms. Laverne, permitted them to meet regularly as a group without adult supervision so that they could be free to talk about whatever was on their minds. Haley is now about to enter seventh grade, and she misses her friends. Haley lives with her father and uncle, both of whom are musicians, but her uncle is about to move to Manhattan.

Haley describes the beginning of her sixth-grade school year: “Eight special kids” (5) including her were in a classroom together with one teacher. Each of the students has a particular learning need that made it harder for them to keep up in a regular classroom. Their teacher, Ms. Laverne, is kind and patient. Within one week, two of the students left Ms. Laverne’s class, leaving just Haley, Esteban,