The school science fair is quickly approaching. This year's theme is renewable applications! Charlie was really hoping to be paired with her best friend, Jack. Unfortunately she was late to class and must team up with Oliver who's more interested in perfecting his artwork instead of crafting an amazing report on recycling like Charlie and Jack were gonna do!
When a rival science fair team brings an experimental robot to school for their project, Charlie and Oliver accidentally bump into it activating the machine's unknown time travelling abilities. The new friends find themselves in ancient Pompeii. Thankfully, it's not volcano day. Instead the children meet a man who's using broken pottery and other refuse to repair a damaged part of the city wall.
The malfunctioning time machine promises to send Charlie and Oliver back to their present time. But only if they'll work together and gather information about sustainable ideas used throughout history. Now the duo travel through time and space learning about the advances in recycling technology along with the challenges cultures have faced in trying to make the Earth a safe and healthy place for the next generation to live.
I was fascinated to learn about the amazing things our ancestors did to conserve our precious resources. However, as Charlie and Oliver arrive in the 20th century, the children begin to lament the damage plastic has done to our environment. It can be argued that this section of the book gets a little preachy. I'll say that the book begins to take a one sided approach against this advance in technology. Yes, micro plastics are bad and that swath of garbage in the middle of the Pacific Ocean is a ridiculous blunder on mankind's part. However, it can be argued that without plastic, we would have lost World War II to the Germans. I will admit that this book does point out the myths about how little material we are made to recycle is actually recyclable. But no mention is made of how our local governments charge their citizens exorbitant recycling fees while rarely delivering on the sustainability promises made from those products we use.
The book offers some great ways for kids to take steps to help save the planet. Reaching out to our senators and congressmen is an important step. But don't lie to the kids reading this book that 'elected officials want to hear from you!', because they don't. From my experience, they really, really don't.
Both the author, Kate Wheeler, and the illustrator, Trent Huntington, have completed works that promote sustainability. I was awfully impressed that these creators actually practiced what they preach as this book is made from paper that is FSC-certified, meaning that the wood fibers that have been responsibly sourced. I don't care how nice to our planet an e-book might be; but nothing beats the intimacy of a tangible paper book. Thankfully, the book industry is trying to keep paper from dying with steps like using fully or partially recycled paper!
This 2023 graphic novel from Holiday House is sure to make young readers think. If your parents and guardians out there decide to support their decisions to help save the planet, give them your full blessing. But also, help them not get overwhelmed as practicing the 3 Rs of reduce-reuse-recycle are isn't something that one child can tackling alone or all at once. Yet with ever small step, hopefully our society can get there!
Worth Consuming!
Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.
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