DuPrau takes a hard but unique look at the ethics of conservation and fuel usage in her upcoming release Project F. Written in a very approachable way, this dystopian-style book makes global warming an issue that even middle-grade students can discuss. This story engage your students in debating these topics in ways that they couldn’t understand before.
But while there is much to praise about the lifestyle touted in this book, it’s not without it’s problems. DuPrau glosses over the massive hardships and high death tolls that preceeded this idyllic way of life, and so that slant concerns me. We are not doing our kids favors if we do not teach them to think critically for themselves, and giving them only some of the information they need, before they’re old enough to understand how to go find it, will only hurt them.
Project F is well written and provocative. It will surely spark all sorts of conversations about ethics in a wide range of topics – but use this book responsibly. Have those conversations. Dig into the issues with your kids. There are definitely problems to be solved, but we can best do that together – in an informed way.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
