CCBC booklist are compiled from books we have recommended in various editions of CCBC Choices. Most of these booklists are updated annually. You can also select books from one or more booklists to create a custom list, which can also include additional books from the CCBC-Recommended Book Search.
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Save Our Forest! (Cross My Heart, #2)
CCBC Review:
Bao (Vietnamese Norwegian) and her best friends Tuva and Linnea (both white) love the bog (forest) behind their middle school, where they’ve played and adventured for years. Bao is also passionate about environmental issues, and, as president of the student council, a student representative on the school board. A convergence of issues—not enough parking, and unusually heavy rain causing flooding in the forest that poses a danger—leads to members of the board outvoting Bao and deciding to raze part of the forest to expand the school parking lot. Bao’s furious: No one seems to care about the impact on forest life or kids, or that more cars only contribute to climate change, which is behind changing weather patterns, while more concrete means more runoff. Her anger is compounded by frustration with her mom, who was too busy to help Bao prepare for the meeting. She tries to rally other kids to protest the parking lot, at first with limited success, but a daring act on Bao’s part inspires a group of them to stage a camp-in, occupying the forest so work cannot begin. Bao’s passion, rooted in climate anxiety and her love for the forest, is not always matched by her fellow protestors, especially once the rain begins again; it’s one of the elements that makes this heartfelt, inspiring graphic novel, translated from the Norwegian, so genuine. ©2025 Cooperative Children’s Book Center
Illustrated by
Nora Dasnes
Translated by
Bryn Laerdal Lise. Translated from Norwegian. Originally published in Norway.
CCBC Age Recommendation: Ages 8-12
Age Range:
Grades 3-5 (Ages 8-10)
Grades 6-8 (Ages 11-13)
Format:
Graphic Novel
Subjects:
Activism and Resistance
Climate Change
Norwegians and Norwegian Americans
Translated Books
Vietnamese and Vietnamese Americans
Diversity subject:
Asian
LGBTQ Character/Topic
On CCBC Booklist:
Eco-Reading: Selected Books for Children and Teens about Our Earth and the Environment
Publishers:
Astra, Hippo Park
Publish Year: 2024
Pages: 219
ISBN: 9781662640735
CCBC Location: Non-Fiction, 741.5 Dasnes
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Please send questions or comments about CCBC booklists to ccbcinfo@education.wisc.edu.