Language: G (no swears) Mature Content: G Violence: PG (life-threatening situations with nature)
BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ESSENTIAL
AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH
14yo Yuki lives in Northern Canada, and 12yo Sami lives in the Bay of Bengal. Warming temperatures are causing problems for both of them. For Yuki, the ice is melting, leaving less food for Polar bears, who are venturing closer and closer to town. Sami and his grandfather are fishermen, but the ocean is rising each day and they bring back fewer and fewer fish, making it hard to survive.
The art work is fabulous and the storylines are compelling. I looked up grolars, which is a cross between a polar bear and a brown bear. Apparently, there really are such things, so I learned something new. I liked how the story shifted between the two narratives, and how Sami and Yuki faced their problems. The authors manage to make you care about global warming by giving it a human face, but not hitting you over the head with it in a preachy manner. The action scenes should be able to pull in even reluctant readers. Yuki and Sami's cultures are indigenous to their areas and seem well-represented.
Michelle in the Middle
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