25 Pack - Lizzie B. Hayes on a Mission

It’s 1970, three years since the 1967 riots in Lizzie’s beloved Newark, NJ neighborhood. Full of mixed emotions, 12-year-old Lizzie is headed to junior high school. Determined to keep up her straight A average, make new friends, and become the first girl to play on the school’s basketball team, Lizzie has other concerns.

Lizzie, Cousin Mookie and her friends are disappointed that the Mint Street Recreation Center is still closed. The rec center was a vital part of her neighborhood for both kids and adults. Because of the riots, their neighborhood was one of the hardest hit. But folks have high hopes for the newly elected Black mayor; the first in the history of the city. Maybe her neighborhood will be restored.

Lizzie is on a mission to make things right. But what can a 12-year-old kid do to fix such a huge problem?