Red Flag Warning: An Eco Adventure

by Claire Datnow

Red Flag Warning follows the adventures of three special young people from across the world, the amazing animals that are part of their lives, and the terrible threats they face, threats that affect the entire world. The three teens, all scarred by fire, struggle with the deeper wounds to their self-image and dreams. They must learn to respect the wildness of the animals they love and find their own voices, along with the power of community, in the mission to heal the Earth. The story is told through the eyes of three diverse teenagers brought together by devastating wildfires, and by a powerful gift—the ability to communicate with animals. Their animals save them from certain death during a race to outrun the flames roaring toward them. Aisyah a compassionate free spirit from Sumatra, bonds with Pongo an endangered orangutan. Kirri a competitive marathon runner from Australia, bonds with Rocky an endangered Rock wallaby. And then there’s Hector, a headstrong and gifted falconer from California, who bonds with Swain, a magnificent Swainson’s hawk. After their painful recovery from burns, the teens take on a new challenge, caring for animals injured in the fires. But the true test of their courage lies ahead. When they uncover an illegal wildlife trafficking scheme, they hatch a plot to catch the mysterious zoo keeper.

272 pages, Paperback

Published January 31, 2021

About the author

Claire Datnow grew up in Johannesburg, South Africa. Her family originates from Lithuania. Claire immigrated to the United States with her husband, Dr. Boris Datnow, in 1965. She wears many colorful hats—nature lover, conservationist, historian, world traveler, and writer. THE ADVENTURES of The SIZZLING SIX: ECO MYSTERY series (grades 4-8) . RED FLAG WARNING: AN ECO ADVENTURE, climate change fiction. Blogs at: http//www.mediamint..net. She has published numerous works of nonfiction ranging from news features and educational materials, to biographies for young adults. She taught gifted and talented children, in the Birmingham, Alabama Public School System. She has received numerous scholarships and grants including a Beeson Samford University Writing Project fellowship, a Folk Life Grant from the Alabama Arts Council, a Fulbright Memorial Fund teacher scholarship to Japan, the Blanche Dean Award for Environmental Education, and Birmingham Public Schools Teacher of the Year. Claire Blogs on the ENVIRONMENT, HISTORICAL NOVELS, and MEMOIRS. You can visit her Blogs at: www.mediamint.net

Reviews

[Cathy Hall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Author Claire Datnow has packed her YA novel, RED FLAG WARNING, with a compelling story and both serious ecological and emotional issues. Her passion for these issues comes through on every page as the reader travels the globe, dealing with deforestation, fires, habitat loss, and other effects of climate change, as well as bullying, isolation, and the effects of life-changing burns.

But as much as one comes to learn about all that these teens face, including the threats to the endangered species associated with each character, Datnow's superlative gift with words makes all these places around the globe come to life; I felt as if I could smell the fires, taste the unique regional foods, and hear the raucous cries of birds and orangutans.

And though all the teens have hardships to face and stories to tell, I was especially drawn to the Sumatran orangutans and the magical realism element. But if you want to know more...about Pongo, about true beauty, about the dangers our earth is facing every day, read it yourself! Truly, RED FLAG WARNING is the kind of book that informs and inspires not only kids but every reader to go out and change the world.

[Nabeel Ismeer]

I loved the diverse worlds full of animals and human beings trying to make things better.

The author Claire Datnow has this easy flowing style describing beautiful animals and their curious behaviour while also delving into really serious topics like environmental degradation, climate change and wildlife poaching.

Being a stickler for plot holes myself, I found Claire’s explanation of how Aisyah and Pongo communicate actually quite innovative.

I found myself thinking Claire has a really similar style to Cresida Cowell (How to train your dragon), whose books I read to my daughter all the time.

Although Red Flag Warning is aimed at teens, I can imagine anyone who is a kid at heart (like myself) would enjoy it too.

[Sally Sperling · Rating 4 out of 5]

These are the kinds of stories that young kids should be reading today. Red Flag Warning presents the realities of our changing climate through the lens of a multicultural cast of young protagonists and their up-close-and-personal experiences with the consequences of our changing planet, as well as the other species being directly impacted. But it shares a message of hope, too, and isn't as dark as this topic could be. Love that the story integrates people from all over the world. Love that it's written about young people, for young people.

[Falzah]

Very buthiful book

[Gunjan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting

[Claire Datnow · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Red Flag Warning Claire Datnow has written an uncommon kind of YA novel. It’s not just that it’s a work of “eco-fiction.” It’s not just that she weaves scientific ideas seamlessly into her narrative. It’s not just that science and magical realism (one of the characters telecommunicates with an orangutan) appear together in the novel. It’s not just that through three young protagonists we’re exposed to three different countries, their environments and their cultures. It’s not just that Mrs. Datnow’s characters care as much about animals and the environment as they care for homo sapiens. The novel contains all of these ideas, themes and characters. The striking achievement of this novel, at least to this reader, is Claire Datnow’s ability to include and combine these and other separate and sometimes disparate ideas into one short novel, and also in the end, to produce a book that easily can be categorized as educational and a “good read.” —Carl Schinasi , retired professor, English literature