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URGENT MESSAGE FROM A HOT PLANET

NAVIGATING THE CLIMATE CRISIS

From the Orca Issues series , Vol. 6

A well-researched and emotionally impactful call to make choices that revitalize nature and our planet.

A call to action that is both sobering and hopeful.

Biologist and science writer Eriksson outlines the three major problems that contribute to the climate crisis: “global heating, ecological destruction, and inequality.” She conveys unvarnished facts about the climate crisis from reputable sources along with their causes and how societies can prepare for natural disasters, disruptions to the global food supply, mass population displacement, and armed conflicts. Eriksson makes an impassioned case for young people to take action to cultivate hope and fend off despair. Along the way, she shares inspirational stories and words of wisdom from interviews with activists and changemakers from around the world. The book concludes with eco-anxiety self-care suggestions. An intimate relationship between author and readers is created through the accessible first-person narrative that makes space for emotions as well as scientific facts and figures. The layout is crisp and inviting, with color photographs and graphic design illustrations with speech bubbles and bold color. Artwork and writing by youth from all over the world are spotlighted throughout. The disproportionate impact on vulnerable populations is emphasized, with the work of Indigenous activists and organizations being championed and the need to “unite with and learn from Indigenous peoples” cited as vitally important. Only solutions that meet the needs of both equity and ecology are presented as truly viable in the fight for climate justice.

A well-researched and emotionally impactful call to make choices that revitalize nature and our planet. (glossary, resources, photo credits, index) (Nonfiction. 12-18)

Pub Date: Jan. 18, 2022

ISBN: 978-1-4598-2632-8

Page Count: 216

Publisher: Orca

Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2021

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2021

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CONTINUUM

From the Pocket Change Collective series

Best enjoyed by preexisting fans of the author.

Deaf, trans artist Man meditates on his journey and identity in this brief memoir.

Growing up in conservative central Pennsylvania was tough for the 21-year-old Deaf, genderqueer, pansexual, and biracial (Chinese/White Jewish) author. He describes his gender and sexual identity, his experiences of racism and ableism, and his desire to use his visibility as a YouTube personality, model, and actor to help other young people like him. He is open and vulnerable throughout, even choosing to reveal his birth name. Man shares his experiences of becoming deaf as a small child and at times feeling ostracized from the Deaf community but not how he arrived at his current Deaf identity. His description of his gender-identity development occasionally slips into a well-worn pink-and-blue binary. The text is accompanied and transcended by the author’s own intriguing, expressionistic line drawings. However, Man ultimately falls short of truly insightful reflection or analysis, offering a mostly surface-level account of his life that will likely not be compelling to readers who are not already fans. While his visibility and success as someone whose life represents multiple marginalized identities are valuable in themselves, this heartfelt personal chronicle would have benefited from deeper introspection.

Best enjoyed by preexisting fans of the author. (Memoir. 12-18)

Pub Date: June 1, 2021

ISBN: 978-0-593-22348-2

Page Count: 64

Publisher: Penguin Workshop

Review Posted Online: March 24, 2021

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2021

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GRAMMAR GIRL PRESENTS THE ULTIMATE WRITING GUIDE FOR STUDENTS

Like many grammar books, this starts with parts of speech and goes on to sentence structure, punctuation, usage and style....

As she does in previous volumes—Grammar Girl’s Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing (2008) and The Grammar Devotional (2009)—Fogarty affects an earnest and upbeat tone to dissuade those who think a grammar book has to be “annoying, boring, and confusing” and takes on the role of “grammar guide, intent on demystifying grammar.”

Like many grammar books, this starts with parts of speech and goes on to sentence structure, punctuation, usage and style. Fogarty works hard to find amusing, even cheeky examples to illustrate the many faux pas she discusses: "Squiggly presumed that Grammar Girl would flinch when she saw the word misspelled as alot." Young readers may well look beyond the cheery tone and friendly cover, though, and find a 300+-page text that looks suspiciously schoolish and isn't really that different from the grammar texts they have known for years (and from which they have still not learned a lot of grammar). As William Strunk said in his introduction to the first edition of the little The Elements of Style, the most useful grammar guide concentrates attention “on a few essentials, the rules of usage and principles of composition most commonly violated.” After that, “Students profit most by individual instruction based on the problems of their own work.” By being exhaustive, Fogarty may well have created just the kind of volume she hoped to avoid.

Pub Date: July 5, 2011

ISBN: 978-0-8050-8943-1

Page Count: 304

Publisher: Henry Holt

Review Posted Online: May 20, 2011

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2011

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