Summary

The novel opens in December in a letter Anna Hunt writes to Mrs. O’Dell along with her un-essay assignment. The un-essay is an assignment the students are asked to complete on a social justice issue. The outcome of their research is intended to be submitted in any format that is not an actual essay. Anna’s assignment is submitted late, but Mrs. Hunt had given Anna an Incomplete in order to allow her to submit it. Anna says she liked Social Issues, and she also liked that they were allowed to choose their own topic for their assignment. For her assignment, Anna decided to find out “what happened to Rachel Riley,” a girl at her new school, for her assignment (1). Anna writes that people should be prepared for one question to turn into many when they ask complicated questions.

Anna makes...