S. Terrell French

I'm writing this review in a state of frustration, not at the book but at myself. I finished reading Operation Redwood by S. Terrell French at a time when my laptop (my main access point to the internet) was dead and I didn't have the funds to replace it. That meant I was writing reviews by hand and typing them with a Bluetooth keyboard connected to my ipod. It wasn't an ideal blogging situation and things I was sure I had written weren't or if they were written, they were lost somewhere in the pipeline.

So here I am months after the fact writing (or re-writing) a review for Operation Redwood, a tween book about illegal old growth harvesting. It's set in both San Francisco and near Willits, California, presumably in the Jackson State Forest.

Julian Carter-Li is living with his aunt and uncle and he desperately wants to be with his mother. She, though, is oversees on an important assignment and feels it would be better for him to stay in California. And it's while he's waiting for his uncle to take him home that he stumbles across an email addressed to him from an angry girl living in Willits accusing him of plotting to destroy an old growth redwood grove near her home.

Julian, already believing his uncle is no good, and desperate to escape for the summer until his mother can return, decides to meet the girl in person. Thus unfolds a plot that's very similar in execution and passion to Nate's Broadway adventure in Better Nate Than Ever by Tim Federle. Here though the destination is a summer camp in Willits and the goal is to stop Julian's uncle from cutting down the trees.

It's a quick paced and entertaining book that will leave readers knowing a thing or two more about the redwood forests and the logging industry. It's less heavy handed than There's an Owl in my Shower by Jean Craighead George, though it does share some of the nature lessons of my older book, My Side of the Mountain.

To learn more about the author and the book, there's a website. And for a historical perspective on redwood logging and conservation, I recommend Valley of the Giants by Peter B. Kyne.… (més)

Maine Student Book Award Nominee 2010-2011

I picked up this book because it had been languishing on the display at my library. I really enjoyed it. It tells the story of a kid, Julian Carter-Li, who has been sent to live with his Uncle Sibley for the summer while his mother is in China. Sibley and his wife are NOT happy to have him and have a ridiculous point system that is pretty much designed for Julian to fail. When Julian gets sent home sick from school and is left for hours in his uncle's office, he discovers an email from a girl named Robin, who claims his uncle is going to clear-cut some old-growth redwood forest. Julian and his friend Danny become pen-pals with Robin and from there, come up with a plan to try to save the forest trees from his Uncle Sibley. Will they succeed when adults don't seem to care as much as they do?

This book goes along pretty well until the end, where it all gets tied up rather neatly and a bit too unbelievably for my tastes. Other than that, it's a good story about the impact a small group of people, even kids, can have.… (més)

School Library Journal says (among other things) "Teachers will be able to use this novel for Earth Day discussions and can foster conversations on environmental activism of all types."

Please don't. This book is about activisim, yes. It's also about science, education, family relationships, initiative, curiousity, exploration, and wonder. It spoils it to make it educational!

Julian Carter-Li is spending the summer with his cold and unpleasant aunt and uncle while his free-spirited mother wanders around China. He knows they don't like him, but when he sees an e-mail with just how much they don't like him spelled out, he's devastated....and reads the next e-mail calling his uncle a jerk, which is pretty much how he feels.

And so begins a clandestine conversation with Robin Elder, a girl desperate to save the ancient
Redwood forest next to her house from Julian's uncle and the corporation he represents. At first, Julian and his friend Danny Lopez are just trying to save Julian from math camp. But they get drawn into Robin's problems and Julian especially gets drawn into the Elder's warm and loving family.

From an adult's point of view, the characters are somewhat one-dimensional. Good kids vs. the bad corporation, etc. But, um, excuse me SLJ, this is a kids' book and yep, that's how kids generally see people. Robin isn't interested in the other aspects of his nasty uncle's character - he just wants to get away from him. The deus ex machina at the end (which I won't tell you) is a little pat (ok, a lot pat), but this isn't meant to be a realistic story of environmental activisim, just a fun introduction. So happy endings are ok!

Included in Julian's adventures are plenty of fascinating snippets of information about redwood trees and their history. Be prepared to have more information on environmental activisim and the redwood forests because this book will whet readers' appetites for more.

And a homeschooling family that lives on an environmentally sustainable farm and has five kids but isn't involved in a cult and the parents aren't ex-hippies forcibly depriving their children of necessary socialization! French gets it exactly right - her homeschooling kids aren't all sweetness and light but they enjoy their life; they fit several homeschooling families I know who have chosen similar lifestyles.

Verdict: A fun story for kids who like some relationships and social elements in with their adventures and enjoy reading about something a little different.

ISBN: 978-0810983540; Published May 2009 by Amulet; Borrowed from the library… (més)