Greta Thunberg: Climate Activist

September 1, 2020
In 2018, 15-year-old Greta Thunberg's personal campaign against climate change moved beyond her family and led to student demonstrations around the world. Former journalist Marcovitz ably introduces the Swedish teen who became Time magazine's youngest ever Person of the Year in 2019. Strongly moved by a climate change video at age 11, Thunberg became totally focused on its devastating effects and seriously depressed. A diagnosis of Asperger's syndrome explained her hyperfocus, and she used this trait to challenge first the Swedish government and then world leaders. What began as her personal "School Strike for the Climate" became an international crusade as she was invited to address world leaders at the World Economic Forum in Davos and United Nations meetings in Katowice, Poland, and New York. The book chronicles her activism--spurred in part by the post-Parkland anti-gun protests in the U.S. and her parents' own advocacy--as well as the sometimes personal public criticism she has faced, to which she once replied, "If they are attacking me, then that means they have no argument to speak of and their debate only involves attacking me. That means we've already won." Marcovitz concludes with various examples of "the Greta Effect." The straightforward, accessibly written text includes short pullout sections on a variety of topics and occasional photographs. Informative and well-sourced, this holds appeal for young activists. (source notes, timeline, further reading, index, photo credits) (Nonfiction. 12-18)

COPYRIGHT(2020) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

October 9, 2020

Gr 6 Up-This title is both a biography of Swedish activist Greta Thunberg and a primer on climate change politics. When she was 11 years old, Thunberg was shown a video in school about the devastating effects of climate change. She was deeply affected by the upsetting footage in the video and became depressed and stopped eating. Her parents took her to see a doctor, who diagnosed her with Asperger syndrome. As Thunberg grew older, her interest in climate change intensified. She was frustrated with the lack of action she saw in the world around her. She started an Instagram account and posted about climate change. Later, inspired by the student walkouts over gun control and the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida, Thunberg began skipping school to protest in front of Sweden's government buildings. Eventually, her one-person movement made headlines. She began to get speaking invitations from around the world to share her views on climate change, culminating in her address to the United Nations Climate Action Summit and the World Economic Forum. She was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2019. In addition to chronicling Thunberg's rise to prominence, Marcovitz provides a thorough explanation of the corporate and political pushback against the teen advocate and the science behind climate change. Young readers will come away from this text with knowledge about Thunberg, the major issues of climate change, and the incredible movement and activism she has inspired. VERDICT Recommended for most library collections where nonfiction and biography are in demand.-Kristy Pasquariello, Westwood P.L., MA

Copyright 2020 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 13, 2020
Grades 6-12 How did Greta Thunberg go from being a lone protestor outside Sweden's Parliament House to being a leading climate change activist and Time magazine's "Person of the Year" in just 14 months? Marcovitz plots the teenager's course in this straightforward and thorough biography. He begins with early influences on Thunberg, including her distant ancestor, Svante Arrhenius, a Nobel Prize-winning chemist who first signaled climate change effects in 1896, and the teenaged survivors of the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. Successive chapters follow her school strikes, such pivotal speeches as her addresses to the World Economic Forum and the UN Climate Action Summit, and her global impact, both on other young activists and on national and world leaders. The author also notes Thunberg's Asperger's syndrome diagnosis and the role that plays in her life, as well as criticism, especially from President Trump, that she has received from speaking up. Numerous photos highlight key persons and events, while a concluding time line and list of related resources aid student researchers. A solid biography that educates and inspires.Women in Focus: The 19th in 2020

COPYRIGHT(2020) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.