TWO DEGREES by Alan Gratz

 

Author Alan Gratz takes on climate change in this newly release powerhouse novel. Readers will be catapulted from one jaw dropping catastrophe to another as Gratz relates as three disasters unfold. 

Akira and her family are trying to survive a California wildfire. She and her father are separated while enjoying a horseback ride near their mountain home. Wild flames and crashing trees threaten everything in their path.

Owen and George live in Churchill, Manitoba. Their small Canadian town is known for its polar bears. Tourists flock there to see the huge white bears before they head out to the ice in the Arctic to hunt for seals. The problem is the ice is forming later and later each year, so the hungry bears have become a threat to people. Owen and George find themselves being stalked by one of the huge bears.

In Miami Natalie is about to experience a monster hurricane. When a wall in her small house collapses, she is washed away leaving her mother and a neighbor stranded in what's left of the house. Natalie must struggle to stay afloat as she hopes to be washed to safety. When the storm surge calms, she is miles from home not knowing if her mother survived.

Gratz relates how all the disasters are the result of climate change. The young people fear if something doesn't change, these events will increase and threaten us all. Their decisions to become activists seeking change will hopefully encourage readers of all ages to step up and look for ways to prevent future destruction.