Slick

January 1, 2011

Gr 5-8-Liza is unhappy that her recently divorced mom has developed a new serious relationship. The teen can't understand what her environmentally conscious mother could possibly see in oil-executive Robert, and she determines to undermine their growing relationship. She puts together a girls' group called GRRR! (Girls for Renewable Resources, Really!) to expose Argenta Oil's dirty underside and pressure the company to fulfill its responsibilities, and as the group succeeds in making some changes, Liza's activism helps her to realize what is important to her, both personally and politically. With its short length and high-interest, action-packed nature, this empowering book will be a favorite with younger teens.-Susan Riley, Mount Kisco Public Library, NY

Copyright 2011 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 15, 2010
Grades 4-7 In this slender, easy-to-read, and strongly purposeful tale, a Canadian teen becomes an eco-activist after learning that her mothers boyfriend works for an oil company that is dragging its feet on reparations owed to villagers in Guatemala for environmental damage. Putting savvy advice into the mouths of her supporting cast (Instead of being against, what can you be for?; Make it fun, make it easy, make it irresistible), Cassidy offers a blueprint for motivated readers as her protagonist, Liza, bands together with friends and gets e-mailed information and encouragement from an activist organization in Seattle. She organizes several imaginative public events and draws a promise from the oil companys embarrassed CEO to pay the debt in Guatemala. Though the man she dubs Slick turns out to be sympathetic and even helpful, this upbeat tale doesnt really need a visible villain. An authors note on oil spills closes this solid entry in the Orca Currents series.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)