This fact-filled novel takes us through the mindset of students at a private preparatory school, who participate in an effort by their parents, teachers, and administrators to achieve the right balance between a diverse student body and a merit-based system designed to enhance entry to top ranked high schools. Their ability to reach that goal is nuanced by the reality of the world they inhabit. Along the way, the reader is treated to some outstanding dialogue between students debating everything from the meaning of poetry to the root causes of homelessness. The character development is highly entertaining, as exemplified by this comment from the eccentric science teacher, Rag, who opines on the situation the school finds itself in: “It makes sense that Northern Virginia would be ground zero for these issues, since it’s the estuary of American politics, where the saltwater of Southern sentiment creeps up into fresh, cold Northern waters, forming a brackish stew where no fish are entirely comfortable”. Their most effective teachers often exhibit nontraditional traits which form the basis for excellence in the classroom, while at times pushing the envelope to the extent that inevitably some parents find cause to object. The central character is Head of School, Piper, an administrator who weaves her way through the agendas of all parties, eventually finding an ethical common ground that she can live with.