California Blue

by David Klass

Book Overview

Teenager John Rodgers and his dying father find themselves on opposite sides of an environmental battlefield. At issue is a new species of blue butterflies that John discovers on a jog through land... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0590466895
• ISBN13: 9780590466899
• Release Date: April 1996
• Publisher: Scholastic
• Length: 199 Pages
• Weight: 0.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 4.3" x 6.8"
• Age Range: 12 to 17 years
• Grade Range: Grades 7 to 12

Customer Reviews

California Blue

In the book california blue the main character is john. He has two older brother that are extreemly good at foot ball and basket ball. he on the other hnd is not so good at sports. he run's track and only has 3rd and 4th place ribon's. His friends led him to smoke and drink. He disides to run away to his old teachers house and his mom has to draghim home. This book is very deep. If you read this book you have to pay attention to the details in the story. I wouldn't recommend this book to anybody undernine years of age. I think that kids under nine are to immature for this book because it involves drugs, alcohol, and sex therefor should not be read by children under nine years old.

Inspiring

This book inspired me to become a distance runner. There should be a warning sign on the front of this book that says, "Caution: This book could change your life." I read the book at the end of eigth grade, and the imagery and freedom of distance running appealed to me. This is my seventeenth season of distance running. Read this book. It could change your life.

Incredible

Although I may not have agreed with the environmentalist's point of views, I thought the book was very well written. The boy, the main character, reminded me of myself in a lot of ways. I would recommend this book to anyone.

A book that makes you question . . .

I teach this book in my upper-level Reading class. It is a marvelous book with a quiet voice that subtly makes you question your attitudes about animals, the environment, industry, realtionships, and nature. This is not an action-packed thriller, which is a turn-off for some kids--at first. I have found that once they get into the story and realize the questions it brings up, they really enjoy it.I live in a community where hunting is a major pasttime. This book offers the hunters (and those who are against it) different perspectives on the issues of animal rights and the preservation of nature. This book leads to LIVELY discussions and arguments. I highly recommend it for young adults as well as those of us who are older.

Family Relationships, Ecology and Industry

Young John Rodgers enjoys tramping through the forest of sequoias in his home town, Kiowa. This forest is home to the small town's lumber mill and home to a rare species of butterfly found by John. Should he fight with ecologists to preserve the forest and the rare species or should he stand by his family and the whole town of lumber workers? To further complicate John's decision, his father has leukemia. John and his father have always had a tumultuous relationship but can John turn his back on his family in such dire circumstances? _California Blue_ by David Klass, explores family relationships and ecology versus industry conflicts. The young adult novel has a compelling storyline that can hold an adult's interest as well as youth. This book also gave me a new perspective on ecology issues. At a town meeting, one question asked was, "What does it [the butterfly] do that's important? If it died out, who would miss it? What right does it have to exist?" Being from the city and not a scientist, I guess I never realized that when people are against saving a species, they are fighting for their livelihood, for a way of life they have known for years. Is the spotted owl more important than people's lives? This may seem an obvious question to some but _California Blue_ transformed this question to a reality for me. An excellent novel, not just for the young