A school election. A mysterious mailbox. And a letter from . . . Cleopatra?

Middle school is so weird. Nina’s best friend Maya has her heart set on being elected class representative. The trouble is, she’s running against the super popular Kai Nakamura. Together, the girls come up with a plan to expose Kai’s less than honourable intentions. But things go wrong—like seriously wrong. As a result, Nina is given her first ever detention. There, she has an assignment: write a letter to a woman from history. Dear Cleopatra, Nina starts.

On a long-cut home, Nina and Maya stumble upon a battered old mailbox in the woods. The girls drop Nina’s letter into it, hoping that’s the end of this terrible day. Turns out, it’s only the beginning. Because the next day, Nina finds a giant scroll adorned with hieroglyphics and a single signature at the bottom: Cleopatra VII Thea Philopator.

As the girls scramble to put Cleopatra’s strategy for winning their school election into action, a mystery unfolds: Did this letter really come from the past? If so, how? There’s only one way to find out. But who should they write to next?

Rebel Girls is a global, multi-platform entertainment brand, dedicated to inspiring and instilling confidence in a generation of girls around the world. Rebel Girls started from a 2016 international bestselling children's book, featuring real-life, extraordinary women throughout history, geography and field of excellence, focusing on creators, innovators, leaders and champions. Its community of self-identified Rebel Girls spans more than 100 countries, with six million books sold in 51 languages and 13 million podcast downloads.

Marti Dumas is a mom, teacher, writer, and creative entrepreneur from New Orleans. An expert in childhood literacy, Marti has worked with children and teachers across the country for the last 15 years to promote an early love of reading both in and out of the classroom.