Global: One Fragile World. An Epic Fight for Survival

Alternating survival narratives depict two youths in different locales overcoming perilous situations caused by climate change in this heart-pumping graphic novel from Colfer, Donkin, and Rigano, the team behind Illegal. Twelve-year-old Sami subsists by fishing with his grandfather in the Bay of Bengal. Brutal waves and mudslides routinely threaten his community’s ramshackle homes; to conjure better fortune, he plans to dive for his family’s lucky knife, which Sami believes sunk into the bay following a monsoon that submerged his home and killed both his parents. Meanwhile, 14-year-old Inuit-cued Yuki’s arctic circle town in Northern Canada is beset by hybrid grizzly-polar bears known as grolars, which have been pillaging human food stores due to declining resources in their natural environment. Angry that humans destroyed the grolars’ habitat, Yuki sets off into the icy landscape with a camera, a bear blind constructed out of an umbrella, her family’s carved seal harpoon, and her dog, Lockjaw, intending to snap a photo to garner sympathy for the bears. Realistically rendered, suspense-filled illustrations by Rigano, presented via straightforward paneling, portray the children’s harrowing experiences with sharp clarity. Colfer and Donkin’s tense narrative clearly outlines contemporary climate change–related realities amid relentless, riveting action. Extensive back matter concludes. Ages 10–14. (Apr.)