Who protects nature? Legends of Lotus Island, a new middle grade series

"I'd never known my parents. I was just a baby when a storm capsized their boat on the open sea." - Plum

The new middle grade fantasy series, Legends of Lotus Island: The Guardian Test, by award-winning author, Christina Soontornvat, is the ideal story to share with children.  She writes of an orphaned farm girl, Plum, who is raised by her grandparents since she was a baby. She knows nothing of the rest of the country and is shocked when she is invited to join the elite school so that she may become a Guardian, a protector of the natural world.  

It is difficult for Plum to leave the security of her grandparents' home where she is comfortable taking care of the crops and livestock.  As she learns about the other cities in her country and meets children from those places, her eyes are open to how important Guardians are in this society. Readers can connect to this as they, too, are learning about the vast world and their place in it.  As Fred Rogers famously said, "Look for the helpers." This is perfectly applied to this story.  The natural resources are being depleted and it is up to the Guardians to save what is left for everyone's well-being, even if they are vilified for it.

Readers who enjoy magical school stories, like Harry Potter and Amari and the Night Brothers may also like this series. It is significantly shorter than both of those series at under 150 pages, so it is not as intimidating to pick it up.  The teachers and cast of students are all unique and bring a sense of humor and danger to the story. After a month of lessons, students are given a Guardian test in which they must transform into their creature form that will allow them to protect the natural world.  Plum has had difficulty with this and is on the verge of quitting.  Will she find what is inside of her to allow her to transform?

Another aspect of this story that readers will find interesting is the role of meditation in it. One of the lessons that the students learn each day is to sit and focus and on their breathing.  In this era of constant noise and entertainment, this is an important practice that will bring much-needed calmness to many young people.  As an educator I have witnessed the effects of my students being unable to control their emotions.  Daily practice of focusing on their breath helps to center them when they feel their emotions start to get out of hand. Soontornvat also wrote about this meditation practice in her nonfiction account of the Thai Boys' Soccer Team rescue in the caves in her award-winning book, All Thirteen.   The boys said that their coach taught them to meditate and that is one reason that they were able to stay calm and get through the many days of being trapped in the caves before they were able to be rescued. 

The last part of the story that drew me in the most is the mystery surrounding Plum and her mother. In the opening chapters the readers learn, along with Plum, that her mother was from the big island to which she didn't want to return.  When Plum sees this place up close and meets people from there she wonders how her mother would've been there. As the series continues, I hope that Plum uncovers her mother's past and why Plum has a set of powers that nobody else exhibits. Soontornvat's books are all ones that I recommend and this one is no different. It belongs on all bookshelves and in readers' hands. 

(Thank you to the book's publisher, Scholastic,  for sending an ARC to my book review group, #BookExcursion!)

 

All Thirteen: The Incredible Cave Rescue of the Thai Boys' Soccer Team: how did they do that?

 

All Thirteen: The Incredible Cave Rescue of the Thai Boys' Soccer Team by Christina Soontornvat is a riveting, non-fiction account of the teamwork and scientific knowledge that went into saving the thirteen lives that were trapped underground.

We all heard the news coming out of Thailand in June 2018 when the boys' soccer team was trapped in the flooded caves with no way out.  We also know that every single member of that team made it out alive.  This leads to the inevitable question: HOW?  

Soontornvat happened to be visiting her family in Thailand while this event was unfolding.  She returned to the area to interview the people who were there and tour the land where this took place.  The mountain itself played an important role in the story.  Soontornvat examines the science of the caves, how they form and how rainfall during an unexpected time trapped the soccer team beneath the earth.

Other factors played a role in the rescue efforts.  Buddhism and meditation helped the boys and their coach survive the isolation. The political situation in Thailand and Myanmar and the "stateless people" was also explained since the coach and two team members were considered without a country.  This drew a spotlight to this issue in the region and they were granted Thai citizenship afterwards.  

Soontornvat describes all of the experts involved in the rescue.  From the Cave Man to military strategists, engineers, and cave diving experts who all flew in to help in getting everyone out.  She also highlights the numerous volunteers that gave their time to ensure everyone getting what they need to rescue the team.

The most suspenseful part of the story is when the Governor was finally convinced to allow a dangerous plan to get the team out and move forward.  I knew that the team was unconscious when they were taken out of the caves, but logistically, I had no clue what that entailed.  My daughter was surprised to learn that the boys' classmates volunteered to test out the diving gear before it was used in the rescue.

The saddest part was to find out that one of the volunteer cave divers lost his life during the rescue efforts.  The book is dedicated to him.  When the boys' team was recovering from their time in the cave, they learned of his passing and it affected them greatly.  

Of course the details of being trapped underground for so long were also revealed.  How did they survive without food, bathrooms, sunlight, a place to rest?

Overall this is a story of community, determination, and heroic cooperation.  For readers this book leads to numerous topics for further study and discussion: science, diving, nutrition, brain function, politics, etc. Soontornvat's website provides additional resources for readers and a discussion guide for adults.