California Blue

Rating:
Summary: California Blue a winner
Review: This is a traykewl book! The way the author shows the teenage feelings is very effective and the relationships between John and Miss Merill and John and his dad are very realistic! This book rings true to what is happening in society today and the war between loggers and enviromentalists. A GR8 read!!

Rating:
Summary: Family Relationships, Ecology and Industry
Review: Young John Rodgers enjoys tramping through the forest of sequoias in his home town, Kiowa. This forest is home to the small town's lumber mill and home to a rare species of butterfly found by John. Should he fight with ecologists to preserve the forest and the rare species or should he stand by his family and the whole town of lumber workers? To further complicate John's decision, his father has leukemia. John and his father have always had a tumultuous relationship but can John turn his back on his family in such dire circumstances? _California Blue_ by David Klass, explores family relationships and ecology versus industry conflicts. The young adult novel has a compelling storyline that can hold an adult's interest as well as youth. This book also gave me a new perspective on ecology issues. At a town meeting, one question asked was, "What does it [the butterfly] do that's important? If it died out, who would miss it? What right does it have to exist?" Being from the city and not a scientist, I guess I never realized that when people are against saving a species, they are fighting for their livelihood, for a way of life they have known for years. Is the spotted owl more important than people's lives? This may seem an obvious question to some but _California Blue_ transformed this question to a reality for me. An excellent novel, not just for the young