The following version of the novel was used to create this study guide: Ramée, Lisa Moore, A Good Kind of Trouble. Balzer + Bray, June 16, 2020. Kindle.

In the children’s novel A Good Kind of Trouble by Lisa Moore Ramée, twelve-year-old Shayla wishes the world was more fair, especially for Black people. When her sister, Hana, tells her that sometimes a person must act to get what he wants, Shayla worries that she will get into trouble. After attending a Black Lives Matter rally and then witnessing a White police officer being found not guilty of killing a Black man,even though there was a video showing the man was not harming the officer, Shayla is ready for action. She still fears she will get into trouble. However, she reasons that some causes are worth the trouble.

Shayla and her family are focused on the trial of a White police officer who shot a Black man as he was walking away from her. Even though there is a video of the man being shot in the back, some have already begun to protest because they believe the White officer will be found not guilty. Shayla’s mother explains to Shayla that people have been told for so long that Blacks are scary, that police officers automatically respond to them with this idea in mind. She says that she believes this mindset will eventually change, but it will take time.

Hana, Shayla’s sister, is very active in Black Lives Matter protests and marches. She offers Shayla a black armband to wear in memory of the Blacks killed by police officers, but Shayla will not wear it. Even though Shayla wants things to change, she does not want to draw attention to herself or make someone mad. Hana warns Shayla that it is not enough to want things the change. She must do something to bring about these changes.

One day when Shayla is in a bad mood because she and her best friends, Julia and Isabella, have been fighting, Hana offers to take Shayla with her to a protest. Shayla and her mother had gotten caught in a group of violent protestors who were shouting and breaking windows outside a mall where they were shopping. Hana explains to Shayla that Black Lives Matter is not about violence. Hana says they want to draw attention to the injustice in a peaceful way. Shayla, as well as her mother and father, attend a silent protest with Hana. Shayla is overwhelmed by the feeling of unity as hundreds of people hold candles and walk together. She realizes for the first time how loud silence can be.

When the White police officer who shot the Black man is found not guilty, Shayla is angered to the point she wants to act. She gets a black armband from Hana and wears it to school. Several of the students ask Shayla about the armband. When they learn the armband is in honor of the murdered Black man, they ask for one to wear as well. The school principal sees the armbands and announces they violate the school’s dress code. She orders everyone who is wearing an armband to take them off.

The next day, instead of leaving her armband at home, Shayla wore it anyway. She took a bag of armbands to distribute to other students. She continued to wear the armband even after the principal again announced that the bands violated the dress code. The principal called Shayla’s mother to school because Shayla had distributed the armbands and continued to wear hers. Shayla’s mother pointed out to the principal that the armbands did not violate the dress code. She also said that they could not make any sort of compromise about the armbands. After Shayla and her mother left the principal’s office, Shayla’s mother told Shayla she was proud of her for standing up for what she believed it, even though it meant she might get into trouble.