Book Review: We the Future by Cliff Lewis

Publisher’s description

I’m from the future. We need you.

Ever since he learned about climate change, twelve-year-old Jonah has dreaded a weather-beaten future where not even his asthma medication can save him. Luckily, a girl from that future arrives just in time to throw Jonah a lifeline.

Sunny traveled back to the 2020s with a mission: help Jonah launch a climate strike big enough to rewrite history. To do it, he’ll have to recruit his entire school before Halloween. Why so soon? Sunny won’t say. But how can Jonah win over 600 classmates when the only thing he dreads more than the end of the world is talking to other kids?

Amanda’s thoughts

Quick review on this one, but I wanted to be sure to highlight it.

This was a really good, fast-paced read. With a main character from the future working to race toward actions that NEED to be taken to help save the future of the world, the stakes are high. Given the increasing horrors of climate change and the massive amounts of eco-anxiety young people are carrying, this story about action, attention, and organizing will resonate. The friendship element of this book is great, too. Jonah has been a loner for quite a while, but Sunny, our friend from the future, makes it clear that he needs to create a crew to bring about change. He needs to make connections, reach out, and find common ground. He can’t change the world alone. The way Jonah and friends work to race against the clock is inspiring. The message about environmental care and justice is an important one and Sunny shows us just what the world will look like if we don’t act immediately. With talking of greenwashing, slacktivism, and performative changes, Sunny, Jonah, and crew get deep into what it means to actually seek out environmental changes. Their superpower is collective action and together they can change the world. That’s a great message for all of us, but especially for young readers who may be despairing over the horrible mess they’ve inherited. A quick, smart read that will inspire lots of discussion.

Review copy courtesy of the publisher

ISBN-13: 9781631636967
Publisher: Jolly Fish Press
Publication date: 04/18/2023
Age Range: 8 – 13 Years

Filed under: Book Reviews