Four middle-schoolers who publish an alternative newspaper at their Harlem academy for gifted students investigate why a classmate--one of the best chess players in New York City--was caught trying to buy drugs.
Zander's play, Act Six, brings Da Vinci Academy into the spotlight, especially when LaShonda's costume designs win her an opportunity she can accept only if she is willing to leave her autistic brother and their group home behind.
Friends Zander, Kambui, LaShonda, and Bobbi learn their alternative newspaper, "The Cruiser," has made its way to England where London's Phoenix School starts contributing to the paper, but things get suspicious when articles are accompanied by photos.
Friends Zander, Kambui, LaShonda, and Bobbi, caught in the middle of a mock Civil War at DaVinci Academy, learn the true cost of freedom of speech when they use their alternative newspaper, The Cruiser, to try to make peace.
