Considered by many to be mentally retarded, a brilliant, impatient fifth-grader with cerebral palsy discovers a technological device that will allow her to speak for the first time.

Pip. Unzip. Escape! It's hatching season, and all of Jemison Elementary is buzzing about the arrival of the baby chicks. Soon, the chicks will pip a hole in their shell, unzip the egg, and take their places in the world. For fifth-grader Jillian, breaking out of her shell is much harder. Jillian is always too shy to raise her hand in class, even when she knows the right answers; meanwhile her nemesis, Rashida, is never afraid to speak her mind. As...