Reviewed by Kellie Nissen
Climate change is an issue on the forefront of the minds of many
Australians, particularly our younger generation. While there is much doom and
gloom in the media and through other outlets, what we need are stories of hope
and ones that encourage and empower readers to effect change, no matter how
small. Global by Eoin Colfer, Andrew Donkin and Giovanni Rigano does
just that.
The beautifully illustrated graphic novel centres around two young
people, living very different lives in different parts of the world but still facing
the same issues.
Twelve-year-old Sami is a fisherman living in a village on the shores of
the Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean. Along with his grandfather, Sami spends
much of his day at sea, gathering a meagre catch of fish – often just enough to
feed their family and the other villagers. All around he sees the effects of climate
change; higher tides that destroy the sea wall of his village, less fish,
landslides that impact part of his village … and more frequent storms. One
night, Sami decides to return to his long submerged family home, desperate to
find out about his past and make a change. He doesn’t know about the
approaching cyclone though.
Meanwhile, fourteen-year-old Yuki is living north of the Arctic Circle
in a dwindling Inuit township in Nova Scotia. She becomes concerned about the
interbreeding of polar and brown bears – known as grolar bears – due to rising
temperatures caused by climate change. As Yuki observes, ‘the trouble is,
nature played a trick on grolars. They don’t have the skills to hunt on ice or
catch salmon on rivers’. With no innate hunting skills, the hungry grolar bears
are moving into her town. Yuki decides to head out to study the bears and try
and work out how they can be protected from being shot. However, she soon finds
herself being stalked by a hungry grolar bear, alone in the wilderness with her
dog and reliant on her wits and a single harpoon.
Eoin Colfer is best known for his graphic novel series, Artemis Fowl.
Together with Andrew Donkin and Giovanni Rigano (the team behind Illegal
– the powerful tale of one boy’s journey to reunite with his sister), Colfer is
broaching new and important ground with Global, which is sure to appeal
well beyond its target midgrade audience, with its relatable characters and
gripping storyline.
