Why Climate Change Matters: Engaging Students in Crucial Conversation with Books | Mentoring in the Middle

Why Climate Change Matters: Engaging Students in Crucial Conversation with Books

Some students are knowledgeable about climate change.  Others are frightened by it.  You know your students best.  Is there a way to start important discussions with some of these books?


  • Pax by Sara Pennypacker is really about how war separates two dear friends, a boy, and his pet fox.  But the underlying premise is that it is a war over water rights that makes Peter's dad decide to leave Pax in the woods.  You can watch my video review here.  
  • Paradise on Fire by Jewell Parker Rhodes is about the increase in forest fires in California, mostly because of carelessness.  But the drought that the state has been experiencing certainly makes their spread easier.  This action-filled plot follows Addy and 5 other inner-city kids who go to a remote camp for the summer.  You can watch my video review here.
  • Dry by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman is an action-packed thriller about some teenagers in California, living with "the tap-out."  This is a set of rules that some of us who live in warmer climates already experience when the water supply runs low: don't water your lawn, don't fill your pool.  But what happens when the water supply runs out?  You can read my review of the book here.

I hope these books keep some of your students learning about things we all can do!

No comments

Post a Comment