The UK will host the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) in Glasgow on 31 October – 12 November 2021.
In celebration, from today until 22nd November these four fantastic stories with an eco-angle are available to read online here.
Aubrey and the Terrible Ladybirds – Horatio Clare
It’s the Easter holidays, you’ve just become as small as an earwig, the swallows are back (and offering you rides), and a spider wakes you up in the middle of the night and asks you to save the world. Then, as if that weren’t enough, the Ladybirdz turn up from Bohemia to find Rushing Wood does not want them…
The world of Aubrey, the boy who can talk to animals (and understand the answers), grows larger and faster in this moving and hilarious story from award-winning children’s author Horatio Clare.
The first Aubrey adventure Aubrey and the Terrible Yoot, won the Branford Boase Award for the best first children’s book of 2016 and was longlisted for the Carnegie medal.
Bigfoot Mountain – Roderick O’Grady
‘The book explores family, friendship, dealing with loss and the importance of protecting the environment. This will sweep you away to the mountains for a wild adventure.’ The Week Junior Book of the Week
Minnie and her stepfather, Dan, are stuck in their small cabin at the foot of the mountain struggling to come to terms with the death of her mother – and each other. But when Minnie and her friend Billy discover four giant footprints on a mountain trail, everything changes.
Kaayii and his clan have to move across the mountain to escape huge forest fires, but find their ancient paths blocked by new holiday cabins… As Minnie and Kaayii’s paths unexpectedly entwine, can they help each other, and heal their families?
My Name is River – Emma Rea
Dylan’s mum thinks he’s with his friends on a residential geography trip. His geography teacher thinks he’s at home with flu. In fact, Dylan is 33,000 feet above the ocean on his way to Brazil…
When Dylan overhears his dad say that their farm has been sold to a global pharmaceutical company, he decides he has to make them change their minds. In Brazil, things don’t go at all to plan. Only when Lucia – a street child armed with a puppy and a thesaurus – saves his life, do they start to uncover the shocking truth about what the company is up to, and Dylan’s home problems suddenly seem dangerously far away.
The Territory – Sarah Govett
Winner of the Trinity Schools Book Award, The Territory is a gripping dystopian thriller set in a future Britain where unflooded land is scarce due to environmental issues caused by global warming. Everyone must pass an exam at 15 to stay in The Territory or be exiled to the disease-ridden Wetlands. But how can Noa compete when the system is skewed to favour rich kids who can upload information through a Node in the back of their neck? And how can she focus when her heart is being pulled in two directions?
OUT NOW! Nicola Davies’ stunning environmental epic, The Song that Sings Us, with cover and chapter head illustrations by Jackie Morris.
When animals talk, it’s time humans listened: Harlon has been raised to protect her younger siblings, twins Ash and Xeno, and their outlawed power of communicating with animals. But when the sinister Automators attack their mountain home they must flee for their lives. Xeno is kidnapped and Harlon and Ash are separated.
In a thrilling and dangerous adventure they must all journey alone through the ice fields, forests and oceans of Rumyc to try to rescue each other and fulfil a mysterious promise about a lost island made to their mother.
All these books, and so many more, are available to buy from the Firefly Press website.
Learn more about COP26 here.