Today’s book review for We the Future by Cliff Lewis is brought to you as part of the TBR & Beyond Tours blog tour. Read on to see what I have to say about this thought provoking book.
I received this book for free from Jolly Fish Press, NetGalley to facilitate my review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
We the Future by Cliff Lewis Published by Jolly Fish Press on 04/18/2023
Genres: Juvenile Fiction / Recycling & Green Living, Juvenile Fiction / Science Fiction / Time Travel, Juvenile Fiction / Social Themes / Activism & Social Justice, Middle Grade
Pages: 288
Format: eARC, Hardcover
Source: Jolly Fish Press, NetGalley
Buy on: Amazon CA // Buy on: Amazon US // The Broken Binding
Goodreads
I'm from the future. We need you.
Ever since he learned about climate change, twelve-year-old Jonah has dreaded a weather-beaten future where not even his asthma medication can save him. Luckily, a girl from that future arrives just in time to throw Jonah a lifeline.
Sunny traveled back to the 2020s with a mission: help Jonah launch a climate strike big enough to rewrite history. To do it, he'll have to recruit his entire school before Halloween. Why so soon? Sunny won't say. But how can Jonah win over 600 classmates when the only thing he dreads more than the end of the world is talking to other kids?
I can’t truly quantify my thoughts about this particular book using the usual “CAWPILE/CAWPIRE” method, so I’m not going to even try.
We the Future paints a fictional picture of a bleak future due to a very real and very serious issue – climate change. It also paints a picture of how the youth of today can rally themselves together to help instigate changes to mitigate the damage being done to our environment and our climate.
One thing I appreciate is that Cliff Lewis manages to do the above without being preachy. If there’s one thing that will turn me off from a book about being eco-friendly, environmental issues, climate change, etc., it is when the book comes across as thought the author were a preacher standing at the pulpit to preach a sermon. Mr. Lewis managed to keep the preachy tone out of the book and make the subject interesting.
Am I saying that the events in the book are necessarily the way it would work in real life (minus the time-traveler)? No, I’m not. I’m also not saying that our youth should take cues from the methods used in the book – unless of course their parents are cool with it. But… I do think that this book brings a lot of useful things to light.
For instance, talking about climate change as a real thing. Talking about greenwashing and how all the little changes we make just distract us from the bigger picture. And showing kids that they can be activists, even at their young age. The idea that you don’t have to wait until you’re an adult to take a stand is a powerful message.
You’ll meet a teacher in this book who has a very interesting outlook on life… you’ll know who I mean when you meet him. Let’s just say, he was very much a good influence to help Jonah and his friends do what they do.
I gave this book four stars because it passes along a very good, and important, message about climate change and what needs to happen in the next few years if we don’t want our children/grandchildren/great-grandchildren etc., to face a horrifying existence on a planet that is inhospitable. It also gives a great message about trusting in yourself and knowing you can make a difference even if you’re “just a kid”.
About Cliff Lewis
Cliff Lewis is a time-traveler from the 1990s, presently parked in the 2020s. He’s a professional writer, a hometown story-slam winner, and a keynote speaker living in Pennsylvania with his wife, their two kids, and a little dog named Pippin. In his spare time, Cliff volunteers for local progressive organizations, which once led to a crew of young climate activists devouring all of his family’s traditional election-day chili.