In this article, we examine children's (aged 9-11) experience of deliberative dialogue in which they sought to reach consensus around a shared problem with their peers. Through analysis of pre- and post-task interviews as well as videotapes of the sessions, we explore the pedagogical nature of children's engagement. In light of shifting trust assessments of their peers, children tried on new roles and identities, even as they bumped up against entrenched narratives of self gleaned from prior experience. It is in the negotiation of these multiple subjectivities that children demonstrated their potential for rereadings of themselves in relation to others, challenging stereotyped subjectivities, and experimenting with their emerging voices. We foreground three children, Helen, David, and Addie, whose experiences serve as windows into the role of trust in civic learning.