Stained

By Rhonda DeChambeau

In this stunning novel in verse, a boy watches his town grow bitterly divided from behind the lens of his camera... until he finds the courage to stand up for what's right. A story of bravery, allyship, and risks worth taking.

Twelve-year-old Ulysses is new in town. Between his unusual name and the port-wine stain splashed across his face, he's hardly looking for more attention. Uly is happiest hidden behind the lens of a camera, where he can obscure his appearance while taking in the world around him.

Luckily, his middle school needs a photographer for their mural project, and Uly gets to watch (and snap) as students come together to paint a local artist's design. The mural is perfect: powerful words, images from nature, and even a painting mistake transformed into a tiny rainbow.

Except that tiny rainbow becomes a GIANT problem.

Murals are supposed
to bring communities together.
What does it say about
our community,
that our mural
must be destroyed over
something as innocent
as a rainbow?

Activism, art, and identity collide in this courageous story based on real-world events. Told in captivating, accessible verse, Rhonda DeChambeau captures a town in crisis and the unlikely heroes who step in to bring their community back together.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0823458148
• ISBN13: 9780823458141
• Release Date: November 2026
• Publisher: Holiday House
• Length: 352 Pages
• Weight: 1.25 lbs.
• Age Range: 9 to 12 years
• Grade Range: Grades 4 to 7