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Saving the Planet & Stuff
Gail Gauthier’s comic account of the culture clash that occurs when a twenty-first century adolescent slacker is thrown together with two aging and highly committed environmentalists is now available in this eBook edition.
Michael Racine is spending a miserable summer alone at home when he stumbles upon a temporary job and housing with his grandparents’ friends, Walt Marcello and Nora Blake. Walt and Nora made names for themselves in the environmental movement with their magazine, "The Earth’s Wife," and Michael believes he’s headed for an internship with them that could rival the summer activities of his far more industrious and accomplished friends. Lack of air conditioning and biking to work get old very fast for him, though, and he has trouble taking seriously Nora’s concerns about the environmental impact of golf courses and Walt’s interest in composting toilets. He gets to leave his hosts’ solar home each weekday only to be faced with turmoil and revolt among "The Earth’s Wife"’s staff. How can Michael—or Walt and Nora—decide on the right course of action?
"Saving the Planet & Stuff" was originally published by G. P. Putnam’s Sons. This new edition includes an unpublished short story that uses early versions of the Walt and Nora characters, as well as a new cover illustration by Eric Bloom.
Michael Racine is spending a miserable summer alone at home when he stumbles upon a temporary job and housing with his grandparents’ friends, Walt Marcello and Nora Blake. Walt and Nora made names for themselves in the environmental movement with their magazine, "The Earth’s Wife," and Michael believes he’s headed for an internship with them that could rival the summer activities of his far more industrious and accomplished friends. Lack of air conditioning and biking to work get old very fast for him, though, and he has trouble taking seriously Nora’s concerns about the environmental impact of golf courses and Walt’s interest in composting toilets. He gets to leave his hosts’ solar home each weekday only to be faced with turmoil and revolt among "The Earth’s Wife"’s staff. How can Michael—or Walt and Nora—decide on the right course of action?
"Saving the Planet & Stuff" was originally published by G. P. Putnam’s Sons. This new edition includes an unpublished short story that uses early versions of the Walt and Nora characters, as well as a new cover illustration by Eric Bloom.
- GenresYoung Adult
ebook
First published June 2, 2003
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38 people want to read
About the author
Gail Gauthier
15 books15 followersGail Gauthier has written eight books for children, as well as short stories, essays, and creative nonfiction for adults. She also writes about children's books and writing at her blog Original Content.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
October 2, 2018
I loved this book! I wrote a review of it for the local paper. I love the inter-generational dynamics and how each character, whether old or young, had a mistaken idea of the other and how at the end they came to appreciate each other.
Here is the review:
New Old Friends Bring Surprises
Although I don’t remember who recommended I read Saving the Planet & Stuff (Putnam, 2003) by Gail Gauthier, I am very glad I did. It’s not often these days that you read a middle-grade novel where there are intergenerational friendships. Gauthier does a great job both poking fun at and showing the marvels of friendships like this.
Michael P. Racine the Third (MP3 to his friends) is a typical teen character in that he is perpetually embarrassed by himself and his family members, he wants some kind of summer job that sounds cool to his buddies, and he wouldn’t turn down a date with the town’s head lifeguard.
Michael needs to find a summer job, since his original one fell through. While trying to fill up his days, Michael drops by his grandparents’ retirement home to use their pool and is introduced to their old friends— Walt and Nora. That couple run an eco-magazine in Vermont called The Earth’s Wife. The next thing Michael knows he is headed with them to Vermont to live in their solar house and intern at the magazine.
This is a set up for disaster and Michael instantly regrets his decision to join these weird and wacky oldsters who refuse to pay for TV, so they get only a few network channels; are vegetarian; never drive more than 50 mph, for maximum gas mileage; and hate contributing to the landfill, so Michael’s room is full of old pantyhose, denims jeans and Styrofoam packing peanuts.
Meanwhile, at the magazine Michael worries about appearing too dressed up or not dressed up enough; shaking the managing editor’s hand while sitting down, then looking dorky by standing up mid-handshake; accidently brushing against a co-worker’s breasts as he passes by her in a doorway, then spending an abnormal amount of time locked in the only bathroom trying to figure out how to handle that interaction.
Michael definitely grows in the course of the story. He begins the summer freaked out by these hilariously out-of-touch geriatrics (Walt doesn’t know who Oprah Winfrey is, for example),
and their goofy ideas for saving the planet and he ends up caring about them, their magazine and even about turning out the lights. In fact, one of the fun things about Saving the Planet is how Michael thinks Walt and Nora are hopelessly uncool and how Walt and Nora think Michael doesn’t pay attention or know anything. By the end of the novel, they all realize they’ve been wrong about each other.
In one scene where Nora has a crisis of confidence and is afraid she looks like an old fool, Michael says:
“So you’re going to give up because you’re worried about what people think about you? What was important to you, anyway? What you believed in, or what other people thought about you?”
This outburst is especially striking since Michael could just as easily be describing himself.
Here is the review:
New Old Friends Bring Surprises
Although I don’t remember who recommended I read Saving the Planet & Stuff (Putnam, 2003) by Gail Gauthier, I am very glad I did. It’s not often these days that you read a middle-grade novel where there are intergenerational friendships. Gauthier does a great job both poking fun at and showing the marvels of friendships like this.
Michael P. Racine the Third (MP3 to his friends) is a typical teen character in that he is perpetually embarrassed by himself and his family members, he wants some kind of summer job that sounds cool to his buddies, and he wouldn’t turn down a date with the town’s head lifeguard.
Michael needs to find a summer job, since his original one fell through. While trying to fill up his days, Michael drops by his grandparents’ retirement home to use their pool and is introduced to their old friends— Walt and Nora. That couple run an eco-magazine in Vermont called The Earth’s Wife. The next thing Michael knows he is headed with them to Vermont to live in their solar house and intern at the magazine.
This is a set up for disaster and Michael instantly regrets his decision to join these weird and wacky oldsters who refuse to pay for TV, so they get only a few network channels; are vegetarian; never drive more than 50 mph, for maximum gas mileage; and hate contributing to the landfill, so Michael’s room is full of old pantyhose, denims jeans and Styrofoam packing peanuts.
Meanwhile, at the magazine Michael worries about appearing too dressed up or not dressed up enough; shaking the managing editor’s hand while sitting down, then looking dorky by standing up mid-handshake; accidently brushing against a co-worker’s breasts as he passes by her in a doorway, then spending an abnormal amount of time locked in the only bathroom trying to figure out how to handle that interaction.
Michael definitely grows in the course of the story. He begins the summer freaked out by these hilariously out-of-touch geriatrics (Walt doesn’t know who Oprah Winfrey is, for example),
and their goofy ideas for saving the planet and he ends up caring about them, their magazine and even about turning out the lights. In fact, one of the fun things about Saving the Planet is how Michael thinks Walt and Nora are hopelessly uncool and how Walt and Nora think Michael doesn’t pay attention or know anything. By the end of the novel, they all realize they’ve been wrong about each other.
In one scene where Nora has a crisis of confidence and is afraid she looks like an old fool, Michael says:
“So you’re going to give up because you’re worried about what people think about you? What was important to you, anyway? What you believed in, or what other people thought about you?”
This outburst is especially striking since Michael could just as easily be describing himself.
December 19, 2017
This book is good for people who want o have a book almost relate to their life. This book is from the viewpoint of a teen named Michael. He has to stay at his grandma's house while having cousins and some of his grandmothers friends over. One of her friends worked at a magazine company.
The book is good for people who like realism. This book has normal people with troubles. Michael doesn't want to work at the magazine company but has to due to him needing job. His friends tease him with him being fired from his last job.
The book is very well written like a teenager wrote it. With problems and complaint like a normal teenager he doesn't want to work at a magazine company. He has a crush as his co-worker but doesn't know how to approach it like some around the age of 15.
I gave this book 2 stars because it got boring at some points. Now and then it's just the same of Michael sitting and doing nothing. It changed my beliefs of being a little bit eco-friendly. It could be improved by removing the points were michael's at home doing nothing.
This book should be read if you need a book to read. I would only recommend if you need a book to read. This book is a bit boring.
The book is good for people who like realism. This book has normal people with troubles. Michael doesn't want to work at the magazine company but has to due to him needing job. His friends tease him with him being fired from his last job.
The book is very well written like a teenager wrote it. With problems and complaint like a normal teenager he doesn't want to work at a magazine company. He has a crush as his co-worker but doesn't know how to approach it like some around the age of 15.
I gave this book 2 stars because it got boring at some points. Now and then it's just the same of Michael sitting and doing nothing. It changed my beliefs of being a little bit eco-friendly. It could be improved by removing the points were michael's at home doing nothing.
This book should be read if you need a book to read. I would only recommend if you need a book to read. This book is a bit boring.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 7, 2008
This is a hilarious book. I read it aloud to my husband and we both throughly enjoyed it. If a remember correctly there was some mild language.
Want to read
June 19, 2009Happy Kid author
May 27, 2013
Really enjoyed the humour and felt that Gail captured superbly Michael Racine's the self-focused teen ennui as well as his summer transformation. Great character development throughout!
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews