From the Arctic Ocean to Africa to Oregon, people are finding exciting careers that help save the planet, and this lively and graphically upbeat volume presents some of the stories behind this green revolution. Creating a $35-million empire out of worm poop and garbage, building a micro-hydro plant in the Democratic Republic of Congo and designing Earth-friendly bikinis are just some of the green-warrior stories in this wide-ranging collection. The attractive design reinforces the environmental theme, with black text and green sidebars and illustrations, and an eight-page, full-color photo section presents photographs of the “eco-pioneers.” The zealous tone is clearly celebratory and laudatory—“[T]his green angel is definitely earning her wings”; “Well, weren’t they amazing? I knew you would be impressed”—but the enthusiasm is infectious. A volume that just may inspire young readers to pursue career paths both exciting and green. (endnotes, resources, index) (Nonfiction. 12 & up)
Pub Date: April 15, 2010
ISBN: 978-1-897550-18-2
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Lobster Press
Review Posted Online: June 20, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2010
Brief yet inspirational, this story will galvanize youth to use their voices for change.
Testa’s connection to and respect for nature compelled her to begin championing animal causes at the age of 10, and this desire to have an impact later propelled her to dedicate her life to fighting plastic pollution. Starting with the history of plastic and how it’s produced, Testa acknowledges the benefits of plastics for humanity but also the many ways it harms our planet. Instead of relying on recycling—which is both insufficient and ineffective—she urges readers to follow two additional R’s: “refuse” and “raise awareness.” Readers are encouraged to do their part, starting with small things like refusing to use plastic straws and water bottles and eventually working up to using their voices to influence business and policy change. In the process, she highlights other youth advocates working toward the same cause. Short chapters include personal examples, such as observations of plastic pollution in Mauritius, her maternal grandparents’ birthplace. Testa makes her case not only against plastic pollution, but also for the work she’s done, resulting in something of a college-admissions–essay tone. Nevertheless, the first-person accounts paired with science will have an impact on readers. Unfortunately, no sources are cited and the lack of backmatter is a missed opportunity.
Brief yet inspirational, this story will galvanize youth to use their voices for change. (Nonfiction. 12-18)Pub Date: Oct. 13, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-593-22333-8
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Penguin Workshop
Review Posted Online: July 26, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2020
A wholly original novel that celebrates connection in unlikely places.
A 19th-century astronomy textbook connects two isolated teens in this epistolary collection of notes and drawings.
“Copernicus” is grieving their astrophysicist mother’s recent death. Their dad sent them to their grandparents in Green Bank, West Virginia, to complete senior year. A cryptic note their mother left behind leads the San Francisco native to an old textbook in the school library. Since the Green Bank Observatory’s sensitive equipment requires a ban on Wi-Fi in the area, instead of scrolling on their phone, Copernicus spends study hall creating fanciful artwork and writing letters to their mother in the pages of the textbook. After another student leaves a sticky note asking them to stop defacing the book, their exchanges evolve into true dialogue. “Kepler” is only in the school building early each morning, before she’s bussed to a gifted program. While she plans to leave the area for college, she’s proud of her Appalachian roots. The two, who appear white in the illustrations, ultimately join forces to investigate strange phenomena that occurred when Copernicus’ mother was in high school, referring to themselves and other members of their community through astronomy-related code names. Over the school year, they trade candid exchanges and challenge each other to grow. While their communications are confined to paper, their friendship feels organic and earned. Walker’s clever, eye-catching collages and drawings appear on the pages of a real historical astronomy textbook, incorporating the textbook’s contents in ways that maximize their effect.
A wholly original novel that celebrates connection in unlikely places. (Fiction. 13-18)Pub Date: Nov. 4, 2025
ISBN: 9780593692677
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: June 13, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2025
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