LANDSLIDE

A Maine boy with an unusual gift watches the landfill across the street—and fears it’s about to bury his father.

Ten-year-old Nathan has a skill he calls “I-sight”—the ability to detect subtle movements that others miss—and it’s showing him something alarming: The Homefront Municipal Waste Management landfill is moving in ways that suggest an imminent collapse. His dad drives the compactor at the summit, and Nathan already worries about his father’s health after years of lung damage from working at the Fortier’s Cement factory. As environmental protestors gather, Nathan’s new friend Wilder Bacon, a boy with alopecia areata, joins forces with him to document the hill’s movement. Culley grounds the story in solid environmental education, explaining rural landfills’ acceptance of out-of-state waste and the cumulative dangers of exposure to environmental waste and landfill gases. The plot builds steadily, and Nathan’s voice remains absorbing throughout, capturing a kid’s determination to protect his family while grappling with complex community politics. The environmental message is clear but never heavy-handed, and Wilder’s feelings about his condition add authentic representation. An author’s note reveals the story is based on an actual Maine landfill collapse in 1989 and states that such disasters occur worldwide. Most characters present white.

An earnest, well-researched environmental tale that educates as it engages.