Carbon Diaries 2015

What with news this past summer of extreme drought in Russian, disastrous monsoons in Pakistan, more flooding in China and heat waves in Canada and the U.S., this might be a good time to consider what effects such massive climate events might have on a typical teenager in, say, London in 2015. This is the premise of an entertaining book by Saci Lloyd. On the one hand, the diary tracks the implications of major climate events on Britain, including rationing of energy by tracking hot water consumption, computer use, cell phone charges, etc. Food becomes more scarce and showers get colder. Students -and their parents-- must stop driving and start riding the bus or their bicycles. Things get worse as temperature levels in homes and public buildings (i.e., schools) plunge first to the low 60's and eventually to freezing. If you try to cheat or you use up your points, it's carbon re-education camp. Londoners are confronted with storms, tidal surges and drought. Basic survival is a real worry. On the other hand, this is still a teenager's diary. Can Laura's nu-punk band, the dirty angels, ever get a gig? Why won't the lead singer use Laura's lyrics? Will the cute boy next door ever notice her? Will her parents' marriage survive, given her mom's inability to deal with reality and her dad's weird mutation into a farmer with a pig? Will Laura fail out of school? Lloyd manages to consider serious issues without preaching. Laura is great character--clever and ambitious for her band, embarrassed by her parents, contemptuous of school, and aching to communicate with her mum and her sister. Much of the writing uses British slang, but fortunately there's a grammar guide at the end.

P.S. Lloyd has published a sequel, The Carbon Diaries 2017, also available at the library.

Imperfect Birds by Anne Lamott

Lamott's book is a "crossover" novel, with appeal to both older teens and to adults. It is the story of a family heading towards disaster. Mother Elizabeth is a recovering alcoholic, still shaky and lacking confidence in herself. She adores her daughter and wants desperately to connect with her. Step-father James is struggling with his career as a writer. He tries to balance the constant demands of his work and the responsibility of emotionally supporting his wife and setting effective boundaries and expectations for their daughter. Basically, neither parent knows how to handle Rosie, a bright, witty and seemingly responsible teen (she works for a Bible summer school and coaches tennis) who, despite self-denials and repeated assurances to her parents, is falling deeper into the local drug culture and a life out-of-control. The relationships are vividly described, as the three swing between overwhelming love for each other and an urge to kill. James and Elizabeth want to trust their daughter and so repeatedly fall for her stories about where she's been and what she's doing. Even when they try to discipline her, by grounding her and administering random urine checks for THC, Rosie outsmarts them. By the end of the summer it is clear that something has to be done to save Rosie from herself. The book is packed with emotions--anger, hatred, humor, desperation, and affection between the characters, and the tale is suspenseful and cautionary. This is a challenging but worthwhile read.