We Don't Have Time for This

May 1, 2024
Teen eco-warriors reluctantly team up to fight for environmental justice. Compelled by the never-ending wildfires that plague her hometown of Lakewood, Washington, and the news that an energy company will be drilling a natural gas pipeline, 16-year-old Isa Brown joins the Environmental Justice Club at her high school, looking for an outlet for her rage and fear over the climate crisis. What she doesn't expect is to be thrust into a co-presidency with GPA-obsessed academic overachiever Darius Freeman, whose vision for the club is more about resume building than civil disobedience. While the two initially clash over the club's direction, Darius, who's Black, and Isa, who's Black and Samoan, eventually find common ground as they learn about the devastating and disproportionate impact of climate change on marginalized communities, including their own. But when one of them decides to push limits in order to spread the message, the begrudging truce and burgeoning feelings between them are put to the test. Throughout, Craft successfully balances developing believable--and likable--teen characters with powerful messages about community activism and the power of youth voices. And, while the environmental concerns are central to the plot, Craft is never heavy-handed or didactic in her approach and manages to acknowledge the complexity of the issue while still offering a satisfying conclusion. A refreshing romance with substance. (Romance. 12-16)

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July 1, 2024
Grades 9-12 Craft brings climate change to the front and center in this novel that demands action. Isa and her family are feeling the effects of climate change in Washington; wildfires have become a part of daily life, and everyone seems to shrug them off, normalizing this new symptom of the climate crisis. Isa is not ready to accept this new quality of life and hopes to mobilize her high school's environmental justice club to take action. She hits a roadblock when Darius, her newly elected co-president of the club, suggests a more passive project that won't incite change but will look good on college applications. Through their tenure as co-presidents, Isa and Darius must learn how to work together and stop a proposed natural gas pipeline that would further harm the town's climate, employment, and the health of their neighbors. Craft's story is a necessary and inspirational read. Isa and her classmates take real action to have their voices heard, learning that the road to change is not easy. Put this in the hands of teens who are ready to take a stand.

COPYRIGHT(2024) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

August 1, 2024

Gr 9 Up-Craft introduces a range of issues faced by marginalized populations, with a focus on climate change. Isa has become obsessed with the topic. The wildfire season has expanded to the point of affecting her first day of junior year, the air has become dangerous to breathe, and one of her classmate's family members just lost their home to the flames. To add insult to injury, her Samoan father, a longshoreman, is losing hours at the port due to the construction of a new gas pipeline. Frustrated that no one seems to be taking the changing environment seriously, Isa learns there's a school club focused on it and jumps in with both feet. Unfortunately, she lands toe-to-toe with Darius, who was expecting to be club president this year and had planned activities to further his college aspirations, instead of taking up the climate issues affecting their daily lives. When the pair wind up as copresidents, their competing interests turn into a test of wills; soon, their interests turn toward each other. Finally in accord, they agree to try stopping the pipeline, but the mayor has other plans. Through its diverse cast of characters, Craft's story introduces the varied impacts of discrimination while extolling the virtues of strong family and community bonds. VERDICT An upbeat read, despite the serious themes, that will hopefully inspire teens to fight for a cause that affects their own lives.-Cary Frostick

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