Who Will Save the Planet?

by Peter McLennan

Fourteen-year-old Jason can’t work out how to get climate change fixed—until he saves the life of the mysterious and powerful Graham. Graham promises a reward, and Jason asks him to do something to stop climate change. The request is caught by the media, so Jason thinks the man’s trapped and has to keep his word. But Graham’s got other ideas. Jason’s got a fight on his hands.

200 pages, Paperback

First published April 7, 2012

About the author

Peter McLennan served for 28 years in the Royal Australian Air Force, where he focused on strategic planning. He has tertiary qualifications in engineering, information science and government, and a PhD in planning for uncertainty. He has had several non-fiction monographs and papers published.

Peter now writes fiction from his home in Canberra, Australia. You can get his young-adult novel for free here, or buy a copy here.

His hobbies include playing computer games badly and developing software badly.

Reviews

[Valeria]

hi

[Adi · Rating 5 out of 5]

10/10

[Holly Kench · Rating 3 out of 5]

Who Will Save the Planet is the story of Jason, a 14 year old avid computer game fan with ambitions of becoming a life saver, but he's also a young and passionate environmentalist. After a lucky turn which resulted in Jason rescuing the Prime Minister, Jason becomes the topic of media speculation and government policy problems when he asks the PM to introduce emission controls.

Sure of his belief in scientific evidence and the need to protect the future of the world, Jason must contend with criticisms from locals, including his father, who believe that emission controls will badly affect the local economy. He soon discovers that nothing is black and white, but not before he suffers repeated attempts at manipulation from government members, and multiple run-ins with the media.

While I strongly believe that fiction is an excellent educative tool, I was a little unsure how McLennan would handle this difficult topic. In particular, I was unsure whether such a message would be hard to write in a story that remained appealing to young readers. As such, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the story was well paced and very enjoyable. The story flowed well, with no decline in plot appeal, had a light youthful voice and well defined, quite irresistible characters.

I particularly enjoyed Jason's family dynamic, and found Jason's character to be relatable and appealing. His cynical sense of humour was also very amusing.

[spoiler alert]
I was a little disappointed that Jason backed down in his request from the PM, despite winning out in the end. I understood that this was part of his lesson in seeing the world in its entirety with shades of grey, but felt disappointed that he did not stick to his guns over something he was so passionate about - particularly when his doubts resulted significantly from manipulation.

All in all this was a lovely read with a good message. I think most children would enjoy this book, and I look forward to a sequel.

[Bryanna Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

I honestly enjoyed this book. A fiction book aimed at boys in the YA category, I can see teens and younger children connecting with and relating to the main character Jason. The story is simple, but makes the reader question their own knowledge and understanding of some rather large topics. The main character is not trying to prevent a war, or in love with a princess, or anything like that. He is a teenager who is trying to get people to understand the idea of global warming. There is obvious character development, and whilst there is a resolution, there is plenty that can continue the story. A good read, and one I would recommend!

[Tracy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though not the usual style of YA fiction that I would read, "Who Will Save the Planet?" is an excellent book aimed at teenagers. It deals with environmental issues that concern us all, yet is also a tale of a young man learning the difficulties and subtleties of the adult world around him. It is well written and handles the complex issue of environmental versus political concerns in a way that teens will relate to.

[Tracey Lampley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jason is very resourceful, and the author shows this rather than tells us. That’s great. One can see life just as Jason does. The author populates this book with vivid characters. This book is a four-star read.

[R. Munro · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this novel. McLennan's language, characters and story areall highly accessible, especially to YA readers. I'm looking forward to reading more of this author's work.