Jamie, a timid Virginia boy, and his three friends time travel seventy years into the future where they are horrified at a barren Earth devastated by climate change and dirty energy pollution. They return to the present and launch an international kids’ crusade to save the planet from the same toxic gases that are threatening the life of Jamie’s little sister. Insisting that the U. S. lead the … lead the world in changing the future, Jamie and his close pals team up with a maverick U.S. senator on a controversial environmental bill, fight the fossil fuel industry, and counter Washington backroom politics. But things are often not how they seem, and what the youths experience shocks them all.
This magical realism, cli-fi tale tracks an improbable activist as he and his millions of global followers race against time to beat the forces starting to imperil the human race. This is also a story about the power of sibling love and the discovery of a power much greater than that.
more
A captivating story that stays with you long after you have reached the end, and a reminder of how quickly we need to commit to saving our planet.
Due to the topic of evironmental issues and how our relationship as humans is affecting health, this book drew the reader in. The author’s choice to develop the story along the lines of personal and political was brilliant. These choices presented thought provoking reflection on what exactly are we doing to ourselves, those we care about and the planet.
This tale is an appealing story for young people who are concerned with contemporary environmental issues and the role that politics and big business play in how society addresses climate change. The adolescent characters work together in a commitment to stand up to the negative forces of the status quo which continue to pollute our world. A heartwarming and engaging story!
When I first got into this book I thought it was really just for teens but as I continued I realized its impact on me. Everyone should read it, but at the very least it should be required reading for every middle or high school student…and their parents!
It brings with it a remarkable knowledge of the effects of climate change and what can be done now to combat it along with a great story to hold the attention of any reader. The author says every fact in the book can be backed up by her research.
Its remarkable how much she knows on the topic and is able to slip those facts into a story that holds your attention to the end.
I highly recommend it!
Tying The Leaves is a MUST READ novel. It is a fantastic story with a great plot and sub-plots, superb character development, fast paced action and intrigue, with valuable life lessons for adults, adolescents and teens. Characters cross gender, ethnicity, religious and social status in favorable interactions. The author has expertly woven in the issues of today including children’s health, environmental issues, politics, the influence of lobbyists, and the science of climate change.
The timing of the novel’s release nicely coincides with the growing youth movement to protect the planet and the upcoming 50th anniversary of Earth Day in 2020.
Tying The Leaves is not just another fiction novel. It is about real time issues, real time problems, and real time solutions, and just a lot of fun to read. Ordinarily it takes me months to read a novel. This one I finished in three evenings because I could not put it down and kept wondering what was coming next. It is an easy read for everyone, including teens, young adults, and adults.
Peter Slepsky
I really enjoyed this book. It’s great for all ages. I couldn’t put it down. I loved the way the young activists worked so hard to protect the planet and how courageous they were in the way they kept fighting the powerful, irresponsible adults.
This is the perfect book for our time with climate change and fossil fuel pollution getting worse every year. The children find an effective way to get the adults’ attention and influence the adults to take action because the kids know, based on their time travel to the future, that if they don’t get the world to change fast enough there will be so much devastation of the planet.
I especially liked reading about the protective relationship between the lead character, Jamie, and his younger siblings, and the way Jamie grew in confidence as he attempted to save his sick little sister and the planet from fossil fuel pollution.
If you’re looking for a wholesome, uplifting novel for you or your children that’s full of important life lessons, this is a great choice.
After I read this book I bought several copies to give to family and friends and everyone, all ages, loved it! It’s a powerful story about a boy and his friends who travel seventy years into the future where they see the devastation of Earth due to fossil fuel pollution. When they return they start a global crusade to save the planet from the same toxic gases that are already threatening the planet. The lead character has a very personal reason to clean up the Earth – his little sister’s life is at stake.
A real page turner-
After watching his young sister suffer from debilitating breathing issues and then traveling into the future and seeing the effects of unchecked poisoning on the Earth, Jamie jumps into action with his friends to try and raise global awareness before it’s too late! Karen D
Masterfully written! A thought provoking, powerful message about the future of our Earth as seen through the eyes of a compassionate adolescent. A “must read” for anyone concerned about the environment!
David Shaffer
Tying the Leaves lifted me up, dropped me down, then lifted me up again. This is an inspiring, heartfelt story about a boy with low self confidence who pushes himself to lead a global kids’ mission to save the planet and his little sister from fossil fuel pollution. He’s motivated by what he sees when he travels to the future and discovers a world destroyed by fossil fuel pollution and where few children survive its toxic gases.
He’s like the little David coming up against the forces of the fossil fuel industry Goliath and the politicians who benefit financially from that industry. But he and his friends press on and align with a US senator who is bucking the system. I had a hard time putting this book down and kept thinking about it long after I read it. Definitely a good read and a page turner.
At first this seemed like a book about kids, which mostly it is. But it’s much more than that. As the story progressed it became obvious to me that this is a sophisticated piece of literature written in simple language about complex issues. The author, June Toher, pulls you in gently, grabs you, and keeps you enthralled until the end.
On the surface Tying the Leaves is a tale about Jamie, a boy with poor self- esteem, struggling with grief and guilt over a relatively recent death, and worried about his little sister’s illness. It’s a close-up look at the level of suffering dirty energy causes and how it affects the lungs of a child.
It’s also a look at the future if the world continues down the path it’s on today. After traveling seventy years into the future with his friends and witnessing the devastation wrought by fossil fuel pollution, the same pollution sickening his little sister, Jamie hatches a plan to try to prevent what they saw when they return to the present.
Along the way he receives guidance from a mysterious old man that helps him grow from a timid, fragile boy to the leader of a global youth movement dedicated to shifting the world to clean energy. He comes up against some of the real-life challenges in the United States with the fossil fuel industry and the role money and lobbyists play in all of these. The adult dialog seems to capture many of the issues of today’s political climate.
All of these elements are tightly interwoven and periodically interspersed with beautiful poetic imagery about nature as the backdrop to the whole story. I highly recommend this novel.