I really enjoyed the intensity of this book! The red line was a brilliant device to keep the tension going and I was curious about how this could end in any sort of hopeful way, which is a huge complement for a middle grade book. The stakes were high and I already know a bunch of kids who are going to love this one.

Thank you Netgalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

And hoo boy will this be honest.

This was just bad. It was break-neck pace where things were given a max of a page and then swiftly moved onto the next thing, characters were super flat and had no growth, so many "plot points" introduced and went no where, absolutely no real logic and super inconsistent for the imagined logic presented too.

The characters are just... really flat and feel like just a bullet point list of potential character ideas that have yet to be turned into actual characters. The mother has a phobia or severe anxiety of some sort, but it's treated horrifically badly and is literally one of the points of contention and anger at the end which is NEVER RESOLVED. Don't give this book to any kids that have a form of social anxiety, it's demonised pretty much at the end and it just really doesn't feel great to read.
There's no growth to any of them, they all start how they end. The 2 main characters have a defining trait each (... mostly) and the rest barely have even that. There's way too many characters as well, I kept forgetting the main 2 had a sister and the majority of the side characters just have a couple lines sprinkled throughout. Absolutely no reason to have so many introduced at the start and just more keep being added...

The inconsistencies drove me mad as well. The red line kept dropping a few feet apparently each time, but it barely dropped at all, and seemed to be dropping at different rates across the same street? The "redlining" was mad as well, I'm pretty sure "surface tension" of air doesn't entirely negate gravity.. They tried to give a scientific explanation for that but it doesn't really stick. Everything turns out to mean pretty much nothing in the end as well, and the general timeline of everything - I genuinely couldn't tell you how many days, weeks, this book covers.

Pacing is absolutely wild. Things legit get about a page and that's it. Someone dies, and it takes a page from the kids to learn he's dying, to him being dead and then instantly switches to the next scene/topic/conversation right after. Nothing is given any room to breathe or be actually explained. Nothing is shown, literally everything is only told. A lot is also just not resolved, the main plot ending is very neatly wrapped up and resolved through absolutely no input from the characters, it's just "the book's ending now, situation just happened to be resolved now because *shrugs*", but a lot of the side things are just completely left untouched - like the mothers' anxiety/phobia and the "problem" that caused.

The whole mental health thing in this is also wild. It's just thrown in randomly, random characters have random mental health issues and nothing is explained, resolved, or even has a place. A kid just randomly goes "I have mild depression but it's ok" and it's just, ignored I guess for the rest lmao. Like this is not how you do mental health topics in books at all, or medication around that as well.

I can appreciate trying to teach global warming and such to children, but I think terrifying them about being unable to breathe suddenly maybe isn't the way to do that? This book in the end feels very doomer and "there's really nothing you can do in the end, you're just going to die anyway" unless a complete miracle entirely out of your control happens. There's nothing about what could have been done to prevent it or anything, it's just "the adults screwed up now we're gonna die".

I was pleasantly surprised by this book. Normally i don't like dystopian, post apocalyptic books that much. But i did like this one. Liked the story concept of the whole sky is falling and there being no air, and the idea they had for survival. Actually sounded like a really good idea. Liked the characters, except for Hank. Hank i really hated, although i did feel a little bad for him at the end. Like how there was a cat. The book also had sad moments. And just a lot going on, mostly with the air dropping. The end was intense and almost got happy tears. It's also insane how a group of kids come with all the plans and kept them safe. And even tho this is a work of fiction, it is kind of based on climat change things that are actually happening. That is intense, and a little scary tbh.

4,5 stars

Finally finished this after literally having to squeeze myself to get time to read it it was so so so worth my time love love LOVEDDD it I was genuinely scared at first because this is so realistic its actually terrifying but whoever I love it so so so much the idea of the book wonderful the characters. Lovable literally PERFECT

Man, I was crying and sobbing while reading this book. It’s so insanely good and taught me something I don’t think I ever knew about before. Though I’ve always been aware of climate change, I wasn’t aware of how extreme the consequences could really be beyond natural catastrophes and extreme heat and cold. I never thought about the fact we could run out of oxygen and the sky could fall and now that I learned about it, I feel both terrified and glad I learned about it.
This book is very nuanced, even for a Children’s Book. And it’s a real gem. It has bittersweet moments with tragic backstories and problems. It sheds light on so many important factors and issues that need to be considered, like the fact the adults are ruining the worlds for the children and it will be up to the youth to save the world. What about those who cannot help themselves? What about those in need? How will we be able to help them when we can hardly help ourselves? So many sentences in here were worth gold and could be quoted because they are so true.
I believe this book should be read by any age group. It’s insanely good and important especially in today’s age. I certainly loved it. And all the illustrations were really cute!
My only issue with this book is the ending. It came so abruptly and feels rushed. I would love if that was handled differently.
Either way, I am extremely glad that I read this book. It’s so great.

Per my son

" It was really interesting, it was definitely a page Turner. Character were good and little scary (disaster scenarios can be scary) but overall I enjoyed it and hope there is more books like this, maybe I will try more by this author."

He literally talked my ear off about the storyline.
(ETA he is anxious about shooters and end of the world scenarios so trigger warning may be helpful for some kids)

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Digger by Deborah Cholette is a first person dual-POV Middle Grade apocalypse novel. When the air starts lowering and it feels like the world is about to end, siblings Nick and Lily have a plan to not only save their mother, but also to their neighborhood. Nick has been digging a tunnel at the bottom of his home and starts to dig to the other homes while Lily gets in contact with as many people as she can and plans their community out.

I cannot speak to whether or not the science is accurate as I was not familiar with several terms or the line of breathable air actually lowering or what a Red Line is. A student who really loves science and geology would enjoy learning about these terms and could open the door to further research.

The kids are very much put in charge here as Lily and Nick are the ones to formulate a plan and go through with it as well as bring other kids into the plan. Nick’s friends help him dig the tunnels while Lily’s friends assist in getting information to the people in their network and keep an eye on the Red Line. Several of the adults also help the kids, particularly Ms. Jennifer, who remembers WWII and does what she can to assist the kids without taking away their autonomy or belittling them. Not all the adults are content with this, however, and one in particular is willing to resort to violence to get what she wants.

Content warning for mentions of a plane crash, use of the word ‘crap’ and ‘holy crap,’ guns, and allusions to domestic abuse

I would recommend this to middle school students who love science and younger students who are mature enough to start seeing depictions of an apocalyptic event.

Digger - Deborah Cholette 4,5*

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this.

In this book we follow siblings Nick and Lily plus their mom who are experiencing the worst consequences of climate change; loss of breathable air.

The siblings come up with a plan to help their neighborhood (whoever is left in it) to survive for as long as possible, employing the neighborhood kids and adults in the process.

‘Some adults don’t know any of their neighbors,’ Lily said. “Kids already have a network just by going to school and having friends that live nearby. We’re using connections we already have to…” “…save lives.” I said.

Some of the main themes in this book are having to grow up quickly, mental health and overcoming your fears. Mainly Nick takes on the biggest responsibilities causing him to feel responsible for all the adults as well, as if the world is depending on him. The little sister (Lily) has anxiety, the mother is claustrophobic and can’t handle crowds and others who have their struggles. These all come into play during the story and show how a community can help others through troubling times. Despite each person’a fears and struggles they all have to do things that scare them and prove that they are more capable than they thought.

The stakes in this story are realistic, however scary that prospect may be. The illustrations are nice and add to the story. Also fun for the kids to see. It’s also refreshing to read a story where there isn’t even a mention of a romantic interest. The focus is fully on survival and community.

I think this story might scare children a little bit because the stakes are so real, but if parents talk through it with their children it can be a very inspiring story. Not just for the children. Kids can do anything is the main takeaway from this novel and I assume it will stay with many children for years to come.

Little notes:

Spelling mistake p.183 (Hi(s) son)

Maybe a glossary in the back with the more difficult words for the children and adults alike.