Operation Redwood

Dumped with his snively aunt and uncle while his widowed mother travels to China, 12-year-old Julian Carter-Li’s life changes the day he intercepts an angry email meant for his CEO uncle. In the email, a girl named Robin Elder accuses Sibley Carter of destroying precious redwood trees just to get more money. As Julian and Robin write back and forth, they realize that it might be up to them to save the redwoods. But what can their odd group of friends do against money-seeking adults?

This is, simply put, the best middle-grade novel I have read in a long time. A winsome cast of varied characters, excellent writing, and an urgent but not proselytistic theme make this a book I would be an evangelist for.

S. Terrell French writes like J. K. show more Rowling—and no, I am not exaggerating when I make that comparison. The third-person narration from Julian’s point of view is wonderfully engaging and moving. Compared to his friends, Julian is really quiet, but it’s his dedication to the environmental cause in the face of his introversion that make him endearing. He is an unusual yet much-desired protagonist: quietly observant but not in an annoyingly self-pitying way, old enough to act on his own, young enough to have recognizable naivetes and limitations, and half-Asian. MG and YA literature needs more characters like him.

The other characters in the book are, of course, fantastic also. Julian’s best friend, Danny Lopez, is a laugh-out-loud force of his own, and certainly reminds me of my crazily outgoing and selfless middle school classmates. Robin’s a bit more difficult to define, but in the end both she and her friend Ariel are realistic, poised at the edges of the pages, ready to jump out and start chattering away right next to you. And it says a lot that the adults in OPERATION REDWOOD can be believable also, no matter how horrible some of them might be.

I also would like to point out how much I appreciated the diverse characters. Julian’s mixed race is a solid part of his identity without overwhelming the story. Indeed, if you fixate on his race in the story, then you have company in his nasty aunt Daphne, who is one of those characters that makes you really really hate them but be amazed that the author could write such a hateful character so well at the same time.

There’s nothing bad I have to say about this novel. It’s an easy must-read for all ages, both for its rarity of being an excellent middle-grade novel and its inspirational environmentalist themes. Find it and give it a try! show less

His uncle’s company plans to cut down some of the oldest remaining California redwood trees, and it’s up to Julian and a ragtag group of friends to figure out a way to stop them. This fantastic debut novel, full of clever stunts and pranks, shows the power of determined individuals, no matter what their age, to stand up to wrongdoing. And it introduces readers to a memorable cast of characters—smart kids who care about the world around them.

School Library Journal says (among other things) "Teachers will be able to use this novel for Earth Day discussions and can foster conversations on environmental activism of all types."

Please don't. This book is about activisim, yes. It's also about science, education, family relationships, initiative, curiousity, exploration, and wonder. It spoils it to make it educational!

Julian Carter-Li is spending the summer with his cold and unpleasant aunt and uncle while his free-spirited mother wanders around China. He knows they don't like him, but when he sees an e-mail with just how much they don't like him spelled out, he's devastated....and reads the next e-mail calling his uncle a jerk, which is pretty much how he feels.

And so begins a show more clandestine conversation with Robin Elder, a girl desperate to save the ancient
Redwood forest next to her house from Julian's uncle and the corporation he represents. At first, Julian and his friend Danny Lopez are just trying to save Julian from math camp. But they get drawn into Robin's problems and Julian especially gets drawn into the Elder's warm and loving family.

From an adult's point of view, the characters are somewhat one-dimensional. Good kids vs. the bad corporation, etc. But, um, excuse me SLJ, this is a kids' book and yep, that's how kids generally see people. Robin isn't interested in the other aspects of his nasty uncle's character - he just wants to get away from him. The deus ex machina at the end (which I won't tell you) is a little pat (ok, a lot pat), but this isn't meant to be a realistic story of environmental activisim, just a fun introduction. So happy endings are ok!

Included in Julian's adventures are plenty of fascinating snippets of information about redwood trees and their history. Be prepared to have more information on environmental activisim and the redwood forests because this book will whet readers' appetites for more.

And a homeschooling family that lives on an environmentally sustainable farm and has five kids but isn't involved in a cult and the parents aren't ex-hippies forcibly depriving their children of necessary socialization! French gets it exactly right - her homeschooling kids aren't all sweetness and light but they enjoy their life; they fit several homeschooling families I know who have chosen similar lifestyles.

Verdict: A fun story for kids who like some relationships and social elements in with their adventures and enjoy reading about something a little different.

ISBN: 978-0810983540; Published May 2009 by Amulet; Borrowed from the library show less

Julian Carter Li is miserable. While is mother is in China taking pictures of Buddhist Temples for a grant she was awarded, he is stuck with his rich aunt and uncle. All the money in the world doesn't matter if the people who have it are terrible. Julian can't seem to do anything right. To try and improve his behavior his aunt decides to set up a point system that rewards good behavior. Unfortunately for Julian, no matter how hard he tries his points keep going backwards and now they are in the negatives. While sick he is stuck at his uncles office and begins snooping around. He finds an email that was unopened and reads it. It is from someone named Robin who is upset because his uncle is going to clear-cut the redwoods in Big Tree show more Grove. Julian and his best friends write back in answer and find out the sender is a girl about their age. Together they hatch a plan to help save the redwoods. This book is great for getting kids to look at the larger issues in the world today. It shows them that no matter how young they are they can still take steps to help protect the world they will one day inherit. I am excited to share this book with my students. show less

Plot: Julian is stuck living with his aunt and uncle while his mom is in China. One day he is sent home from school sick. While waiting in his uncle's office for his uncle to pick him up, Julian discovers an email revealing his aunt's plan to to send him to math camp for the summer. Then he discovers an email addressed to his uncle from a girl named Robin. She's angry that Sibley's company plans to cut down a stand of old growth redwoods that are precious to her. Julian forwards the email to his friend Danny. From there the three of them hatch a plan to help save the redwoods. While the plan seems impossible they let nothing stop them. In the process, the bonds of friendship are strengthened.

Why I picked it up: It was on the long-list show more of books being considered for the Solano Kids read 2012.

The book is set in San Francisco, so I was familiar with many of the locations, which helped bring the book to life for me. The character development was great. Even the secondary characters jumped off the page. Though the storyline was somewhat predictable, it was a good read if you're looking for something light and positive. It's a book that will inspire kids to take an interest in the world around them. show less

I'm writing this review in a state of frustration, not at the book but at myself. I finished reading Operation Redwood by S. Terrell French at a time when my laptop (my main access point to the internet) was dead and I didn't have the funds to replace it. That meant I was writing reviews by hand and typing them with a Bluetooth keyboard connected to my ipod. It wasn't an ideal blogging situation and things I was sure I had written weren't or if they were written, they were lost somewhere in the pipeline.

So here I am months after the fact writing (or re-writing) a review for Operation Redwood, a tween book about illegal old growth harvesting. It's set in both San Francisco and near Willits, California, presumably in the Jackson State show more Forest.

Julian Carter-Li is living with his aunt and uncle and he desperately wants to be with his mother. She, though, is oversees on an important assignment and feels it would be better for him to stay in California. And it's while he's waiting for his uncle to take him home that he stumbles across an email addressed to him from an angry girl living in Willits accusing him of plotting to destroy an old growth redwood grove near her home.

Julian, already believing his uncle is no good, and desperate to escape for the summer until his mother can return, decides to meet the girl in person. Thus unfolds a plot that's very similar in execution and passion to Nate's Broadway adventure in Better Nate Than Ever by Tim Federle. Here though the destination is a summer camp in Willits and the goal is to stop Julian's uncle from cutting down the trees.

It's a quick paced and entertaining book that will leave readers knowing a thing or two more about the redwood forests and the logging industry. It's less heavy handed than There's an Owl in my Shower by Jean Craighead George, though it does share some of the nature lessons of my older book, My Side of the Mountain.

To learn more about the author and the book, there's a website. And for a historical perspective on redwood logging and conservation, I recommend Valley of the Giants by Peter B. Kyne. show less

Maine Student Book Award Nominee 2010-2011

I picked up this book because it had been languishing on the display at my library. I really enjoyed it. It tells the story of a kid, Julian Carter-Li, who has been sent to live with his Uncle Sibley for the summer while his mother is in China. Sibley and his wife are NOT happy to have him and have a ridiculous point system that is pretty much designed for Julian to fail. When Julian gets sent home sick from school and is left for hours in his uncle's office, he discovers an email from a girl named Robin, who claims his uncle is going to clear-cut some old-growth redwood forest. Julian and his friend Danny become pen-pals with Robin and from there, come up with a plan to try to save the forest show more trees from his Uncle Sibley. Will they succeed when adults don't seem to care as much as they do?

This book goes along pretty well until the end, where it all gets tied up rather neatly and a bit too unbelievably for my tastes. Other than that, it's a good story about the impact a small group of people, even kids, can have. show less