When cell phones are banned at their middle school, Frost and his friends Deedee, Wolf, and Bench, all outsiders in some way, but bonded over a love of D&D, start leaving sticky notes for each other. Soon, everyone at school is doing it—but just as online messaging can be kind or cruel, so too can sticky notes. Deedee, who is Indian-American, is the target of racist taunts (the other friends are White), and Wolf experiences homophobic bullying.
When new girl Rose arrives, she is teased for her size, and ends up part of Frost’s circle—but also throws their circle off balance and wants to fight back against the bullies, which isn’t the friends’ style. Frost, like so many middle schoolers, must navigate shifting friendships even as the sticky-note war gets nastier.
A moving story about the sometimes hurtful power of words, but also of allyship and friendship to combat it.
