I really enjoyed my read of Global by Eoin Colfer, Andrew Donkkin and Giovanni Rigano. The illustrations are really dynamic and the layout is really well done. The story itself is a bit basic. We get that it's a climate change narrative, but I'm not sure if it ever elevates beyond that. The story follows two children as they embark on separate adventures that are made harrowing by the climate crisis. Unfortunately, I didn't think there was enough connective tissue or story dynamic to make these two stories feel like they needed to be in the same narrative (other than "look climate change is happening everywhere" which I don't think is a good enough narrative)

I will mention the fact that every time we switched perspectives (which happens a lot) we got the location told to us. This got annoying. Quick.

I think if we had focused on just one of the two stories and developed the characters of that story a little more, I could have seen this getting a way higher score, because I did enjoy the action.

I wasn’t sure how I felt about the book from the start, but it soon became a compelling, alternating and parallel story of adventure. It was horrifying to think about the effects of climate change on these young people’s lives, but it was even more so when reading the note at the end that talked about how this is not just a cautionary tale about the future, but it is a reality that people are already living. The brief explanation of climate change at the end was also really effective to provide context for the story, and while it is stressful to think about these effects, it is also good to remember that people are finding and will continue to find ways to work together to survive, to build community, and hopefully to work toward solutions.

Excellent storytelling and illustrations. Loved the dual perspectives regarding climate change and how it affected each character.

3.5 ✨

I enjoyed the dual perspective, the overall message, and the artwork. The format was a bit wonky and often distracted me from the storyline. A great short read for Earth Day!

This was a middle grade graphic novel, super quick read, fiction but based on global warming issues currently happening right now.

I felt like this makes climate change accessible to younger readers, and near the end there was a whole section explaining global warming and what it is.

The novel follows two different characters in different parts of the world experiencing climate change in different ways.

The artwork was beautiful, and I thought the story was well done. Not the most amazing middle grade graphic novel I’ve read, but I enjoyed it and appreciated how it tied together current events with fictional characters.

I’d recommend this for the kiddos, or anyone who enjoys graphic novels ☺️. 📚

📍Thank you @NetGalley and Sourcebook Young Readers for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

In "Global," authors Eoin Colfer and Andrew Donkin weave together the stories of two young protagonists from different corners of the world, both grappling with the effects of climate change. Set in coastal Bangladesh and the far north of Canada, the narrative explores the contrast between the characters lives and their shared determination to make a difference.

Sami, living in a simple shack with his grandfather along the Indian Ocean, witnesses the devastation caused by the rising ocean and the dwindling fish population. He embarks on a quest to retrieve their lost family knife, believing it will bring them good fortune.

Yuki, residing in northern Canada and enjoying modern conveniences, is deeply concerned about the melting ice and its impact on polar bears. She sets out to photograph a hybrid polar/brown bear, convinced that proving their existence will save them from being hunted.

Colfer and Donkin have crafted a compelling story, showcasing the contrast between Sami's and Yuki's lives while emphasizing their common struggle. The characters are well-written, and their solo adventures have lasting consequences for them and their communities. While the ending may be somewhat improbable, it provides a heartwarming connection between their stories.

Giovanni Rigano's illustrations deserve special mention, as they truly bring the characters to life and immerse readers in the action. His captivating visuals complement the narrative, making "Global" a thoroughly engaging read.

"Global" is a powerful and timely story that sheds light on the pressing issue of climate change, offering readers a glimpse into the lives of those most affected. With its engaging narrative, well-developed characters, and stunning illustrations, this book is a must-read for anyone seeking to understand the human side of this global crisis. Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for a free eARC copy for an honest review.

The overall message of this graphic novel is important. As it states at the end, children are the least responsible for yet are, unfortunately, the most impacted by climate change. Having books geared toward children about environmental issues, especially when they are on a global scale and feature characters from places with which the readers may not be personally familiar, is so valuable. However, I did find this graphic novel to be a bit hard to follow. I almost wish the two perspectives of Sami (Bay of Bengal, Indian Ocean) and Yuki (Northern Canada, Inside the Arctic Circle) were companion texts and not alternating within the same one. The environmental impacts of climate change have effects that go hand in hand with each other on these two children who live different yet similar lives across the globe. I really appreciated that that was highlighted but I just felt a bit of reading whiplash with the way this one switched back and forth. The art style was beautiful but I had a harder than expected time with the text formatting. Once again, I did love the message and hope that younger audiences can benefit from this graphic novel. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

I really enjoyed this story, it brought an innocent set of faces to the mounting global catastrophe that is climate change. I really connected with the character Yukon who had a husky that was discarded (I have one, too) that shows a different side of our culture and how we waste and discard of things that should be treasured. I received this book for free as an advanced reader and am giving a review voluntarily.

This should be a required reading book in schools for anywhere between 4th to 8th grade and all members of Congress.

Global alternates between the stories of Sami and Yuki, two children in two extremely different environments, both struggling to overcome problems caused by climate change.

As someone who feels overwhelmed by climate anxiety every time I think of the bigness of the crisis, I liked how the main conflicts in these stories were on a smaller scale although the stakes were still life or death. It's not a Captain Planet type of tale where the kids are off to save the whole world. Sami and Yuki are only looking to affect change in their immediate communities by doing what they can to survive and protect the survival of other creatures. Global presents real-world environmental ramifications in a way that is much more engaging and emotional than a scientist rambling statistics at you. It makes it easier for the reader to visualize and fully understand just a fraction of the effects climate change has on human society. The informational debrief at the end of the book also helps ground the story and remind the reader that this is based on real current events and isn't theoretical catastrophizing.

This middle grade graphic novel follows two young people and their communities as they deal with a few specific effects of climate change.

Sami lives with his grandpa in a shoreline village in the Bay of Bengal near Bangladesh. His community of fishers live in small shacks and improvised shelters, frequently relocating due to storms and rising seas. Sami's parents were lost to a typhoon a few years ago. He and his grandpa try to catch fish most days, to eat and barter, but struggle to find success in the face of pirates and industrial overfishing. There's also conflict in the village from an influx of refugees from Myanmar and the constant stress of living at the mercy of the storms. Sami just wants to find some good luck so his grandpa can rest a little more.

Yuki lives in the Baffin Island area of northern Canada, inside the Arctic Circle, with her parents and her dog Locky, whom she rescued from a river when he was a puppy. The population of her small town is dwindling as people move to distant cities seeking opportunity. Due to habitat loss, grizzly bears moving north and polar bears moving south have interbred, creating "grolar bears" who lack the ancient hunting skills of either of their ancestral species, and thus are more likely to seek food in human settlements. A bear has come to Yuki's town and the town council intends to have it killed, but Yuki believes it's a grolar that would be protected by conservation regulations. She and Locky sneak out on a dangerous quest to get photo evidence.

CRITICISM:
I had two clarity or accuracy concerns while reading GLOBAL. The first was about the protection status of grolar bears. Yuki says, "One good picture is all I need for the Conservation Center to prove the bears are grolars and maybe -- I hope -- save them," but it was never stated *why* that would save them. I assumed there was a conservation regulation in place, but it would have been better to state that outright.

The second was about the plausibility of Yuki's umbrella reaching Sami. I asked my resident expert (my spouse is an ocean currents scientist) and it would be basically impossible for the umbrella to travel from Baffin Island to Bangladesh in the timeframe of less than a year as indicated in the story. The object could make that trip but it would probably take at least a couple years.

FAVORITE THINGS:
I particularly liked the parallel between Yuki being told she couldn't do anything to help the puppy then doing it anyway, and Yuki being told she couldn't do anything to help the bear then doing it anyway. This is a good allusion to the way young people are often at the forefront of effective movements for social change of all types.

I also really liked the way Sami's fixation on finding an external source of good luck was contrasted with his grandpa's quiet insistence on creating his own good luck by deescalating conflict and building community. The importance of working together and sharing resources (physical and intellectual) cannot be overstated in the efforts to lessen the severity of climate change effects.

The story is fast-paced and full of peril, with a satisfying happy ending for our characters and a short educational afterword. The artwork is evocative and dramatic.

Sami and Yuki are fictional, but all the climate change effects in their communities are already happening in our world today. This book does a great job making that feel personal through the eyes of these young teens. I enjoyed reading GLOBAL and would recommend everyone read it with the young people in their lives.

This graphic novel is weaves two adventure stories (one in the Arctic Circle and the other in the Bay of Bengal) that demonstrate the effects of global warming. Emphasis on adventure. It is not the work of didactic pedants but storytellers who know how to grab an audience and hold on. The detailed illustrations are integral in understanding the environments and connecting the stories together. Readers will enjoy the adventures and come away with new knowledge.

This amazig team who previously authored Illegal, comes together again to bring us this eye opening story that focuses on how Global Warming affects real communities across the globe.

This Graphic Novel is a must read. It does a fantastic job woth it’s vivid and colorful illustrations. The story alternating between two young kids growing up in opposite sides of the world, but both facing the problem of global warming and rising sea levels. One is set in a village on the shores of the Indian Ocean, as sea levels rise, Sami’s home gets floded over and over again, and they see thir livelihood affected by overfishing. On the other side we meet Yuki, in far Northern Canada, as temperatures rise, the polar ice melts making wildlife struggle to survive.

4.5/5 stars!

Thank you to Netgalley, Sourcebooks Kids, and the authors (Eoin Colter & Andrew Tonkin) and illustrator (Giovanni Rigano) for an advanced copy of this book! All opinions are my own. Available as of April 11, 2023.

In this graphic novel, we see how climate change impacts the world and how the lives of children will be drastically altered. Yuki lives in Northern Canada where she is tracking a “grolar” bear, a grizzly-polar bear hybrid, across the Article circle. Sami lives near the Bay of Bengal where he works with his grandfather to find food and protect their home. In both perspectives, we see how communities have been impacted with many being forced to move for opportunities and resources. This highlighted climate refugees and migration, which is one of many topics this book opens for discussion.

I loved that this was in the form of a graphic novel. The storytelling and artwork were excellent vehicles for telling this story. I also appreciated the dual perspective, and how Yuki and Sami are ultimately connected to one another. Finally, I appreciated the informational section on global warming included towards the end which discussed both the social and biological impacts. I believe this would be a great read for all ages because everyone would benefit from this story and learn from the topics discussed. This would be a great addition to any collection, library, or classroom!

This graphic novel does a wonderful job of capturing your interest and keeping you entertained as it informs. It offered up characters that I could feel deeply for as their stories unfolded. All in all, I found this book very thought provoking and if that can help inspire change that is a wonderful thing.

Global highlights impact the choices we make today are having in our present and will continue to have in our future. No one will deal with those consequences more than children trying to live through the challenges climate change will present. This book focuses on two such children, both trying the best they can with what they have on completely different sides of the world, but whose problems are rooted in the same source.

Language: None
Violence: Mild (nature-related)
Drugs: None
Sex: None

Yuki and Sami live on opposite sides of the world and are struggling to survive the devastating impact of climate change. The text and artwork are perfectly paired. This graphic novel could be an important part of climate study for middle school and even high school students. The popularity of graphic novels will draw students to the study. Simply researching what is fact and what is fiction would lead to deep engagement in learning.

I hope Eoin Colfer, Andrew Donkin, and Giovanni Rigano will continue to collaborate on future graphic novels. Sequels to Illegal and Global would be welcome.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this arc in exchange for an honest review.

When I found this book I knew I had to read it inmediatly. I'm an advocate for enviromental education, especially on matters of climate change.

We follow two different characters that live on opposite sides of the planet but both of them affected by the effects of climate change.
Sami and his grandfather live in a little village on the Indian Ocean and beacuse of the rising water levels they have to continuosly move the houses farther inland. They earn their living by fishing but each day there are less and less fish.

Suki lives in Northen Canada in a small town in the middle of nowhere that's slowly losing its inhabitants. Bears are getting closer to town and their policy is to kill any that comes too close. Suki is sure that the bears wandering into town are Grolars - a hybrid of Polar and Grizzly bears that do not have the skills to hunt on the ice - and wants to prove it so she goes on a little adventure with her dog.

In this graphic novel we learn about the problems caused by climate change and how it affects everyone around the world.
I really appreciate the information included at the end about global warming and its effects.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of the book.

It took me a while to understand what was going on, but I eventually was able to. Art was stunning and I love how the story focuses on such an important topic.

Thank you Netgalley for the chance to read this graphic novel.

Now, I know its an ARC which probably accounts for all the formatting issues. I loved the art and how I learned new things, but I do have to admit that when sentences don't make sense or split or jump around, it got distracting.
Eventually, the story made sense, especially when I tried to place them with the images. And I was drawn into the story of these kids' lives. It was really good, and I hope to see it in its final form, the way it should be read. The story intrigued me enough to look up the artists/authors and looking forward to read more of their work!

I did not like the way this book was written. It was very confusing. WhY wRiTe LiKe ThIs?! It made it so difficult for me to read that it gave me headaches. Plus the pictures didn’t line up with the writing. I understand the concept behind this story one hundred percent. But it was not easily readable whatsoever.