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tcbueti's review
3.0
Bored, hi gas prices, no electricity (brownout) decides to fix up empty lot. Community garden, playground. Loses desire for designer sneakers after price hike and mall avoidance. Crisis averted, at least locally.
Approachable Latinx STEM GN
Approachable Latinx STEM GN
corncobwebs's review
Luz doesn't think much about sustainability or green living. She always wants her mom to drive her to the mall (when she could just as easily walk) and she's dying to buy a pair of designer shoes that are imported from Europe. But then blackouts keep plaguing the city, which inspires Luz to find out about how energy use impacts the planet. Her mom explains that relying on too much energy (i.e. oil and coal) depletes the Earth of its natural resources, and that if we're going to make them last, we need to adjust our lifestyles by doing things like buying locally and walking/biking to destinations that are close by. Luz is inspired, and decides to transform a trashed vacant lot into a community space/garden. At first she's overwhelmed with how much work it will be, but then her friends and neighbors pitch in to make her dream a reality. It won't save the world, but the community garden is a small step in the right direction for Luz's city.
I really like the topic that this book addresses, but I thought parts of it were way too preachy. The factual stuff would have fit better in sidebars or a fact sheet at the end. Incorporating it into the dialogue between the characters seemed unnatural. I also thought that the ending was very unrealistic. Having had some experience trying to rally people around a particular cause, I know that it would take A LOT of time and effort to get a project like a community garden off the ground. It seems like Luz and her friends do it in a week or two. The artwork was cute, but it wasn't enough to save the sub-par storytelling.
I really like the topic that this book addresses, but I thought parts of it were way too preachy. The factual stuff would have fit better in sidebars or a fact sheet at the end. Incorporating it into the dialogue between the characters seemed unnatural. I also thought that the ending was very unrealistic. Having had some experience trying to rally people around a particular cause, I know that it would take A LOT of time and effort to get a project like a community garden off the ground. It seems like Luz and her friends do it in a week or two. The artwork was cute, but it wasn't enough to save the sub-par storytelling.
akmargie's review
3.0
Solid art but the story got really preachy with it's green theme and really mucked with the story. Maybe not so heavy-handed next time.
rebsvstheworld's review
4.0
This is for a slightly older reader than my 6-yr old, who simply enjoys graphic novels, but I wanted to get some of the messaging in this book across to her.
It worked. After reading it, she wanted to know where the book was printed. In China, of course. Which led to a discussion about how we buy local when we can, but we cannot control where the books we read are printed, especially when the cost to print overseas is so much cheaper than printing in Canada.
It worked. After reading it, she wanted to know where the book was printed. In China, of course. Which led to a discussion about how we buy local when we can, but we cannot control where the books we read are printed, especially when the cost to print overseas is so much cheaper than printing in Canada.
merer's review
1.0
I really, really hate children's stories with social and/or political agendas. It's not that I always disagree with the message they're trying to spread, but I have yet to come across one that doesn't use a tone that's corny, lecturing, and unpleasant to read.
Remember how 80s and 90s cartoon shows often had PSAs at the end of each episode? This entire story read like an epically long and whiny one from captain planet. The plot was completely secondary to the book's pro-environment message, and much of the dialogue consisted of having one character recite a monologue about materialism, or eating local, or saving gas, while another character listened and said things like, "Oh!" and "I see!"
Also, can I just say that I don't understand how Luz was able to turn an empty lot into a community garden without anyone in her family knowing what she was doing? Isn't this girl like, eleven? Doesn't anyone wonder where she is all day long? Also, did mom and grandma just stop going out of the house for weeks? I have a hard time believing that no one was driving by that empty lot, or that none of the neighbors clued them in to what was going on.
In short, skip this one. I have no idea what kind of child I would give this to. It's too long-winded to be of much use in a classroom setting, not to mention the fact that being a graphic novel makes it difficult to use for any kind of read-aloud. I was also disappointed that the "green" suggestion in the book was to build a community garden. Really? Another book about community gardens? They're great and all, but how about something original, guys.
Remember how 80s and 90s cartoon shows often had PSAs at the end of each episode? This entire story read like an epically long and whiny one from captain planet. The plot was completely secondary to the book's pro-environment message, and much of the dialogue consisted of having one character recite a monologue about materialism, or eating local, or saving gas, while another character listened and said things like, "Oh!" and "I see!"
Also, can I just say that I don't understand how Luz was able to turn an empty lot into a community garden without anyone in her family knowing what she was doing? Isn't this girl like, eleven? Doesn't anyone wonder where she is all day long? Also, did mom and grandma just stop going out of the house for weeks? I have a hard time believing that no one was driving by that empty lot, or that none of the neighbors clued them in to what was going on.
In short, skip this one. I have no idea what kind of child I would give this to. It's too long-winded to be of much use in a classroom setting, not to mention the fact that being a graphic novel makes it difficult to use for any kind of read-aloud. I was also disappointed that the "green" suggestion in the book was to build a community garden. Really? Another book about community gardens? They're great and all, but how about something original, guys.
heypretty52's review
4.0
A tale of learning about the importance of conservation and community in an accessible graphic novel format.