Gore, Albert, and Jane O'Connor. An Inconvenient Truth: The Crisis of Global Warming. Viking, 2007. 191pp. Lexile 1070.
Although no long cutting edge in its details, this adaptation of Gore's bestseller for adults, which was also a documentary, does a powerful job of presenting information graphically and making an impact on the reader. It introduces middle school readers to climate change through facts, figures, stories, and graphics, and makes it clear what the future holds unless we as a world address the crisis now. Before-and-after photographs show devastation that had already started by the mid-2000s. Gore is advocating here, not documenting in detail. This is a call to arms, which young people are starting to answer.
Reading Std #9 for grades 6-8: Compare/contrast texts on similar themes or topics. Pair this with Paul Fleischman's 2014 nonfiction title, Eyes Wide Open (Candlewick), which is more up-to-date and focuses on giving readers the tools to think critically about current issues, focusing on climate change. This is the key issue of our time and of great concern to young people who are aware of it. Have students compare the approaches in each book, the information each gives, and how it's presented.
