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Two Degrees
Jean Illingworth. Vanguard, $9.99 (172p) ISBN 978-1-8001-6200-6
Fifteen-year-old Lexey struggles to navigate countrywide flooding and ongoing ecological catastrophe after becoming separated from her family in this dystopian drama, set in 2039 Yorkshire, England. When devastating floods cut Lexey off from her parents, she’s forced up north to the Yorkshire Moors to take refuge on her idiosyncratic aunt Jenny’s farm. There, she reconnects with—and falls for—childhood friend Finn O’Connell, and welcomes other disaster survivors from myriad locales. Though some newcomers are not as gracious as others, Lexey, Finn, and their growing found family remain adamant that they should provide aid to as many people as they can, believing that kindness in the face of adversity and a seemingly bleak future is the only path toward survival. Lexey’s life is not without levity; her and Finn’s feel-good budding romance culminates in a hopeful resolution. Illingworth (The Allotments) capably tackles topics such as climate disaster, death, and grief—and their subsequent effects on one’s mental health—and details what everyday life could look like should global warming and the mistreatment of the planet continue. Characters read as white. Ages 12–up. (Self-published)

Reviewed by Publishers Weekly on 07/22/2022

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