Team Trash: A Time Traveler's Guide to Sustainability (Books for a Better Earth)

Two seemingly mismatched middle schoolers must partner up when tasked with a sustainability-themed assignment in this concise graphic novel debut by Wheeler and Huntington. Studious Charlie, portrayed with brown skin, has little faith that class clown Oliver, an East Asian-cued boy who prefers superheroes to research, will be much help with their project. The two routinely butt heads until they stumble upon a classmate's project called Time Bot, a clunky object resembling a go-cart. When the duo climb into the machine, they're mysteriously transported--with a "BWOOP!" and a "POP!"--to 72 CE Pompeii. Before they can travel back home, however, they must gather data surrounding recycling and sustainable practices or risk being stuck in the past forever. Subsequent time jumps to Edo-era Japan, 18th-century Philadelphia, and 19th-century N.Y.C. result in rapid-fire history lessons about resource management and environmental safety systems. While the overall pacing is sometimes choppy, the wide-ranging timeline provides glimpses into sustainability procedures spanning centuries, and the chronological momentum emphasizes the practice's evolutionary elements and connectivity across cultures. These snack-size history lessons--rendered in eye-catching color and easy-to-follow paneling interspersed with brief instructional guides--employ lightly slapstick humor to deliver digestible informational fare. Ages 10-14. (Aug.)

Gr 3-6--Charlie is dismayed to be partnered with Oliver for their Sustainability Science Fair. Their teacher insists it must be a team effort, but all Oliver wants to do is doodle. When they meet to work on their project, a classmate's robot transports them back in time to Pompeii in 72 CE, where--thanks to bracelets with translation software--they learn how trash was recycled into building materials for walls. Once they've collected data, TimeBot whisks them to a new destination; on each stop, Charlie takes notes and Oliver sketches, collaborating to create a notebook eventually titled "Pigs, Plastic, and Politics." From Japan in the Edo period to colonial Pennsylvania to England during the Industrial Revolution through more recent events in the U.S. and Italy, the kids learn about the benefits and flaws of various recycling systems and what they can do to help the problem of plastic pollution. Charlie briefly falls into anger and despair, but Oliver helps her through it. No one bats an eye at the kids appearing out of nowhere. Readers will likely encounter new vocabulary, which is explained in text. The layout is easy to follow, with four or five panels on most pages and the occasional notebook page. Charlie has brown skin and dark brown hair in puffs, and Oliver has pale skin and dark hair and eyes. VERDICT This guide presents the scale of the problem of plastic trash as well as the solutions everyone--even kids--can work toward. Its appealing format, relatable characters, fun premise, and informative content make it an excellent choice for all collections.--Jenny Arch