Out of Time

Out of Time by David Klass is an environmental thriller.

Green Man is a terrorist who is committing acts in the name of waking people up to climate change and the fact that soon it will be too late to make the changes that may keep the Earth inhabitable. 

Each target is a threat to the environment. Once the attack happens a letter is sent to the media explaining why that industry must change. 

Tom Smith is a young FBI agent who finds patterns. He is assigned to the task force searching for Green Man. 

This is a great thriller. Klass has written a fast-paced ride. 

Klass, David. (2020). Out of Time. New York: Dutton.

Tracking Trash: Flotsam, Jetsam, and the Science of Ocean Motion

Tracking Trash: Flotsam, Jetsam, and the Science of Ocean Motion by Loree Griffin Burns is a look at our oceans and what we are doing to them.

Since Benjamin Franklin ocean scientists have been looking at currents that affect travel. One way that Dr. Curtis Ebbesmeyer uses is to track things that have fallen off of container ships. For example, in May 1990 the Hansa Carrier ran into a major storm in the Pacific and lost 21 cargo containers. One was filled with Nike shoes.

Over the next few years, Ebbesmeyer and a society of beachcombers tracked where the shoes landed. The same was done with a container filled with 29,000 floating bath toys - ducks, frogs, beavers, and turtles. Where the toys were later found showed scientists how currents work.

One effect of the currents in the Pacific is that where they converge - in the middle of the ocean about half way between California and Hawaii - is a giant field of floating debris that has been said to be as big as Alaska. It is called the Great Garbage Patch. The plastics we use do not break down, they float, and they are creating a hazard for animals, fish and humans alike. From things that fall off of ships to discarded soda bottles that float down river to the ocean, this indestructible material is accumulating in the Pacific (and other places around the world's oceans).

As the plastic gets broken into smaller pieces through weather and rough currents, it is more likely to be eaten by sea turtles, jelly fish and birds. Larger pieces of plastic, including rope and fishing nets can cause tangles that kill fish and mammals. Though it is exciting to think of tracking a rubber ducky from a ship in the middle of the ocean to a beach in Oregon, the garbage and debris we create will eventually change the ocean currents, which in turn will affect the weather and climate. We all need to do our part to reduce the disposable plastics we use and make sure those we do purchase make it into a recycling bin.

Also check out this adult book on the subject - Moby Duck: The True Story of 28,000 Bath Toys Lost as Sea by Donovan Hohn.

Burns, Loree Griffin. (2007). Tracking Trash: Flotsam, Jetsam, and the Science of Ocean Motion. New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

First Light

First Light by Rebecca Stead is a great book that entertains while sneaking in important information about climate change / global warming.

Peter's father is a glaciologist and has gotten a grant to go to Greenland and study how global warming is affecting the ice cap. Peter and his mother, along with a graduate student, will be going as well.

Thea lives in Greenland, though she does not know it by that name. She lives within the glacier Peter's father is going to study. Her people carved tunnels and homes out of the ice generations ago when they were being hunted by others.

While Peter explore the top the glacier, Thea wonders if there is a way out of her world - not to escape but to expand the current city. They will come together by chance and learn about the other's life in this beautifully written, well crafted plot.

Stead has a way with words that will appeal to readers of all ages. Her book is packed with science that enhances the story and teaches readers more about our world. Her characters are thoughtful and true to their age group. She makes readers remember being twelve and knowing that anything in the world is possible.

Stead, Rebecca. (2007). First Light. New York: Wendy Lamb Books.

Raising Atlantis (Atlantis #1)

Raising Atlantis by Thomas Greanias is a science fiction thriller that includes both one possible future and the origins of human life on Earth.

Dr. Conrad Yeats was once a cutting edge megalithic archaeologist - an expert on the pyramids an other large scale ruins. After a few mishaps with local governments and the destruction of ancient sites, the only job he can find is on a TV show that looks for signs of aliens in the ruins.

Dr. Serena Serghetti is an ex-nun and language specialist who had dedicated her life to fight human rights violations around the globe.

When a secret US military installation in Antarctica discovers something buried under the ice, Conrad is requested by the General in charge. Having no other choice, Conrad goes to Antarctica to investigate.

When the Vatican finds out about the discovery, they send Dr. Serghetti to oversee, not in her capacity as an ex-nun who still occasionally works for the church, but as her role as a member of the Australia-Antarctica Preservation Society.

What they find under the ice will be the most important discovery of the century - but it may also trigger the melting of the ice cap that will flood much of the world.

This first in the series of sci-fi thriller is along the lines of books by James Rollins, Lincoln Child & Douglas Preston, Benjamin E. Miller and Dan Brown.

Greanias, Thomas. (2005). Raising Atlantis. New York: Simon & Schuster.

Exodus

Exodus by Julie Bertagna takes place in one of our possible futures - a world full of water with very little land left after the polar ice caps melt.

The year is 2099 and Mara is fifteen. She lives on the island of Wing in the north. Each year the winter gets longer and the water rises making the island smaller.

The people must do something before there is no land left. When Mara finds evidence of new cities build for people to live high in the air above the rising water, the island people load their fishing boats and head south.

The do find one of the fabled sky cities, but there is no way in...

Bertagna, Julie. (2008). Exodus. New York: Walker Publishing Company.

Life As We Knew It (Last Survivors #1)

In Susan Beth Pfeffer's novel, Life As We Knew It, the Earth goes through a major change. What at first sounds like a fun event to witness turns to chaos when a meteor hits the moon.

The moon is pushed into an orbit closer to Earth. This changes the gravitational effect it has on the oceans, rising the tides 20 feet. Coastal cities and islands are wiped out. Weather patterns change. Volcanoes erupts. And ash blocks out the sun.

Miranda and her family are better off than most. Her mother was smart enough to get all of her money out of the bank in cash. They stocked up on food and water to wait out the changes. Miranda is sure the scientists are coming up with ways to help, but with no electricity she cannot watch the news or go online to find out.

This young adult novel, written through journal entries, is a thrill ride into the unknown. Will Miranda and her family survive a winter that started in September and has no end in sight?

Pfeffer, Susan Beth. (2006). Life as we knew it. New York: Harcourt.