I had a hard time getting into this book. I felt the author really wanted to stress climate change and made the story fit to that theme.

What a great book about how kids can make a difference! I loved that the author included the main story about climate change as well as other side stories that add to the engagement of the story. As soon as I was done, I had to read its companion novel, Dress Coded by Carrie Firestone. I do wish I’d read Dress Coded first because it is spoiled a bit in First Rule of Climate Club, but it was still interesting to read how everything came to be. Just like Climate Club, there are additional side stories that are happening at the same time which adds to the book also!

With this follow-up to the amazing Dress Coded, Firestone shows young people dealing with multiple complex problems, standing up for themselves and others, and making real change. What especially resonated with me was Mary Kate realizing growing up means we often hold contradictory things true at the same time. Being nervous about a special science class and excited for the possibility the class represents, being worried about your best friend's health but excited for the birth of your niece. Loving your parents but being frustrated when they don't see the systemic racism and injustice happening around them. Firestone respects young people too much not to show a real slice of life. There's a lot going on here but it adds up to a wonderful story of kids and adults working together for real change right now in their own community.

This was a nice companion to Dress Coded. This one delved deeper into the intersections of various social justice issues - including climate change, race, and illness. The author does a good job of making these topics feel accessible for a middle grade audience, without creating a sense of doom. There is a strong undercurrent of hope running throughout the book, and some wonderful ideas presented on ways in which people can create real change. While I feel like real life is a lot more messy and there are a lot of factors to consider about most things, I think this was a good presentation of important topics for middle grade readers. Readers that enjoy realistic fiction and are interested in social justice issues will likely enjoy this book.

I really liked Dress Coded but couldn't get into this one as much.
I felt like the messages were somewhat heavy handed and some of the scenes were written just to fit into the narrative of climate change. I'm all for advocating for climate change but it felt like some of the issues wouldn't have been solved that neatly in real life.

First I'd like to thank NetGalley for the eArc in exchange for a fair and unbiased opinion.

I want to hang out with these kids and their teachers!
Characters... .pretty well developed. Not all of them likable, which is on point.
Setting... not described in deep detail, but enough that I could picture my own version of the town and the school. I actually liked this because readers can kind of imagine it taking place just about anywhere, not just in Vermont.
Pace... we got off to a slow start. But once things started moving along, the pace was great.
Students: What a great group of students! I would have loved to have had them in my classroom! Interested, respectful even in disagreements, diverse, caring, invested.
Teachers: HUMAN! We got to see both sides of their personalities... their professional demeanor with students and their fun side with each other, which is a breath of fresh air.
Parents: Again, we see them as people doing their best and making mistakes along the way. But, also willing to let their children do a bit of teaching.

This book proves what kids are capable of if they are encouraged and have a buy in. We put so little faith in our young people sometimes, and we need to remember that if we let them fly.... they just might fly!! Don't baby them, don't hold them back, don't tell them they are too young. Work with them, talk with them, and bring out their best.

Wow! "The first rule of climate club" seems to change throughout the story. By the end the class/club of studens has decided what the first rule really is and has gone from a rag-tag group of kids not sure what they need to do or how to work together to do it, to a group of young leaders well on their way to making changes. These changes are not only in the cliamate, the environmental climate, but also the climate of stopping racism and really seeing how we treat others whether we know what we are doing or if we are just "following" an unjust law that creates divides between social and ethnic groups of people. During all of this Mary Kate's best friend is going through a mystery illness and she, MK, is struggling with class, dealing with her own "accidental" racism, other adults' blatant or "accidental racism, and trying to help her best friend's family find out how to help her get back on her feet.
Her new friend, Shawn, points out that he has been going to her school since kindergarten and has never been invited to birthday parties or other activities outside school. Mary Kate realizes she never realized how difficult that might be for one of her classmates.
I really enjoyed this book and intend to make it part of my curriculum this year. I hope the students see how they can make a difference and there are many differences to be made.

I was given the opportunity to read this book by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a great choice for middle grade readers interested in climate change, social justice, and student activism. Much like Dress Coded, Firestone uses podcasts, letters, and a variety of other storytelling devices to tell the story of students trying to create a composting program. This novel addresses climate change but also touches on equity and inclusion as well as traditional and natural healing methods.

The First Rule of Climate Club is filled with engaging students who learn a lot about themselves and a variety of issues we face due to climate change. They are thoughtful students we can learn from as they raise the issues of fast fashion, composting and other less publicized problems that matter to young people. What an important class to be able to take in school!

A great middle-grades read for anyone. This book is well-written and thoughtful. It would make a wonderful read aloud.

This book is my current situation - and my students. I am a middle school science teacher in north central Connecticut. I have students from Hartford and students that have suffered from Lyme disease. I enjoyed the character development of the students and enjoyed reading the application letters to join climate club that were sprinkled through the story. i have already purchased some copies for my class as so many of the issues are directly applicable to my classroom. As an older, "seasoned" teacher, I wish that at least one of the "cooler" teachers could have been older. Maybe Mr. Beam could have been an older librarian?

Really loved reading this book and enjoyed how it wove in so many important lessons and points without being overt. Racism and climate change are linked, and the author showed the ties between them in a frank and informative way. We need more upper-MG books like this for students.

I had not read the companion book, Dress Coded, and while events from the first book were referenced, I do think this book could easily be read as a standalone.

I read this book while looking for children's books about climate change, and I think it is one of the best middle-grade fiction options on the subject. It validates many of the concerns young people have but also shows them how they can make a difference in their communities, so the overall tone feels hopeful. There's definitely a lot of tension/conflict/strong emotions along the way though, so readers should be prepared an emotional read.

The kids in the Climate Club worked authentically pursue goals positively to change their environment and found friendship and growth. This book kept me involved from cover to cover, and is an ideal story to share with my Connecticut readers.

This is an ambitious book that touches on many topics including climate change, racism, government, puberty, illness, and friendships. Although references to current movements like Black Lives Matter make this book feel relevant, I also think these inclusions have the potential to date the book quickly. The adults in the story are also woefully out of touch and the mayor is practically a cartoon villain. One thing I really like about the book is that readers can learn how to make positive impacts to the environment by taking small steps like not buying fast fashion or composting food scraps. This was a fast read and I do think the intended audience will enjoy.

Another amazing book by Carrie Firestone! This story stands alone but incorporates characters and is set in the same community from Dress Coded by Firestone. Having read Dress Coded, it added something to the book and gave me a greater understanding of the side characters. This book packs so many important topics into one book and is complex exactly how middle school students lives are complex. The story is told from the perspective of an 8th grade girl who is in a special climate change class at her school. She starts the year dealing with her best friend being very sick but the doctors can't figure out what is wrong with her. Throughout the story Mary Kate along with the reader learns more about the climate crisis, the importance of advocating for friends, the importance of local elections and voting, systematic racism, and the power of speaking up for what is important. I love that the book encourages young readers to advocate for changes and provides a real example of how one person can make a difference.

A one-sitting read! When I read middle grade fiction, I generally have another book I’m reading as well. As an adult, I read middle grade fiction because I’m an educator, not because I inherently love the genre. When I read this one, I did not start another novel as this kept me fully engaged for a one-sitting read.

The One Rule Climate Club is timely, but not exhaustingly emotional. It tells the story of a select group of middle school students who are concerned not only about climate change and various actions and inactions that are linked to it, but also social issues occurring in their hometown.

A superbly written book that gets into the hearts and minds of preteens intent on being the change. I will be purchasing this for my classroom and recommending to librarians and colleagues. I have not read the previous book with the same characters, but have already ordered it.

Thank you to Netgalley, Penguin Group Young Readers, and the author for a review copy of this book.

I learned so much about climate change, but my favorite thing about this book is the friendships. It’s so awesome to see friends who stand by each other. Those parts made me cry every time!

The First Rule of Climate Club blew me away! Just like Dress Coded (which is always checked out in my library), I couldn't stop reading once I started. The characters are thoughtful and often a little quirky, the situations are believable and relatable, and the format is easy to read for all students, but will definitely appeal to those who struggle with traditional prose paragraphs. This story will be of interest to readers on many levels. As so many of my students have read Firestone's Dress Coded (and can't wait to discuss how they can relate to it afterwards), those students will be an obvious choice to recommend this book to since they share many of the same characters. For those who haven't read it, though, this story can stand on its own without any problem, and enough back story is told to have those readers coming back for the first one. For students interested in science and climate change, it will also be an easy recommendation, especially since not a lot of fiction focuses on climate change for this age group. As I was reading it, however, I thought of so many of my other students who might be able to relate to the other subjects Firestone addresses, such as chronic illness, missing a friend, making new friends, having parents who are older than your friends' parents, being the youngest child, being the youngest child with siblings that no longer live at home, the frustration of not being heard by adults, etc. The First Rule of Climate Club handles all of these issues, but in a way that doesn't feel overwhelming or preachy. Firestone balances these subjects and characters expertly, and I predict this book is going to be on some state award nomination lists next year! Thank you to NetGalley and Putnam for the opportunity to read this fabulous eGalley!

This book seem too mature for “middle readers.” There were lots of “big“ topics, throughout the book, like environmental concerns, sickness, and possible death. Although these topics might be important and relevant to students, a student creating a last will and testament makes me uncomfortable.