Not really, more’s the pity, but the French publisher of How to Change Everything has put these posters in the Paris Metro stations. How to Change Everything is the book for young people that I wrote with Naomi Klein, about fighting against climate disaster and for social justice. Proud to see it in the Metro!
When my agent approached me about the possibility of adapting Naomi Klein’s writings on climate change and social justice into a book for young readers, I was over the moon. A dream project indeed! Adapting the work of a journalist and writer whom I admire immensely, who deals with subjects about which I care passionately, focusing on kids as activists. Today I’m even further over the moon, possibly halfway to Mars, because the book has been launched out into the world.
Working on this project was a treat from start to finish. Everyone involved was thoughtful, creative, and supportive all the way. But the number-one takeaway from the year I spent on this book is my new awareness of how determined, ingenious, and clear-sighted young activists are. All of the young people whose activism and passion are highlighted in the book insist that the future–everyone’s future–is worth fighting. This was for me a sustaining force during the year of the coronavirus pandemic, and it inspires me to hope that we can transform how we live and produce energy.
Will young activists really change everything? I don’t know–but I know they’ll give their all to the effort. I hope that with this book, we’ve handed them some useful tools. I can’t wait to see what they do.
My YA adaptation of Bruce Watson’s riveting book Freedom Summer came out this month, published by Seven Stories Press. It was a tremendous honor to be chosen to adapt this powerful story for young readers. I’m especially happy that the book includes the voices of many of the young people who went to Mississippi for that murderous, momentous summer and of the Black activists who taught, fought, died, and inspired.
In February 2021 Simon & Schuster will publish How to Change Everything, in which I adapted the climate and social justice writings of Naomi Klein into a volume for young people. Drawing on her experiences in settings as diverse as the Great Barrier Reef and the pipeline protest at Standing Rock, as well as on her years of reporting on topics such as disaster capitalism and climate change, How to Change Everything highlights the important work of young activists around the world and offers inspiration and tools for others–young or old–who want to change the world for the better.
I’m terrifically proud and excited that my Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Species: Young Readers Version: Young Readers Edition is a finalist in the Children’s Literature category of the 2020 Oregon Book Awards.
Sponsored by Literary Arts–a hard-working and effective organization that promotes our state’s writers, develops writing programs in schools, and brings thought-provoking and important writers from all over to speak in Oregon–these awards are given annually in seven categories. The litany of finalists and winners is a glorious one. I am thrilled to be in their number.
The winners will be announced in a ceremony at the end of April. No matter what happens, it truly has been an honor to be nominated. My adaptation of the Origin is my favorite among all the books I’ve written, and it is a delight to see it recognized in such excellent company as my fellow finalists.
I am a bit late with this post. The book launched two weeks ago.
Reviews so far have been great, I’m happy to say. Publishers Weekly said: “This attractive, oversize adaptation of Charles Darwin’s classic work of science has been shortened, updated, and streamlined for clarity and readability… Vocabulary words appear in bold throughout the text, while sidebars and supplemental sections delve into related topics… Bright photographs and illustrations of plants, animals, and habitats provide an expansive and inviting visual element. With valuable modifications and enhancements, Stefoff preserves the richness of Darwin’s content for contemporary young readers.” [my excited boldface]
Kirkus said: “The bible of evolution theory—condensed, glossed, furnished with updates, and enlivened with vivid photos and images… Big, bright nature photos or period engravings and paintings on nearly every large spread… Stefoff’s frequent glosses and boxed side essays unpack major concepts, add historical context, explain how later scientific discoveries modify or support Darwin’s broad picture, and even studiously point out where the author went wrong… handsomely presented and so close to the source… a glossy edition of one of science’s most fundamental works.”
The full title is Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Species: Young Readers Edition, published by Atheneum Books for Young Readers, a division of Simon & Schuster. Available now from amazon.com and the other usual sources. If you know a young person who is interested in nature or science, or if you’ve ever wished for a shorter, streamlined, illustrated version of the Origin to read for yourself–here you go!