THE HIDDEN WORLDS: A novel on environmental stewardship for teens
Sandra Ingerman & Katherine Wood
[Moon Books, 128 pages]
The Hidden Worlds is a teen fiction novel that explores the negative impact that companies focused only on profit can have on the environment, and how some youngsters bravely set out to bring attention to the issue to effect change.
Co-author Sandra Ingerman is a licensed therapist, a mental health counsellor, a teacher of shamanism and an award-winning author of 10 books on topics related to personal and environmental health.
Her co-author, Katherine Wood, is a member of The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators and has more than 30 years of experience teaching reading and writing to students in middle and high school. With over 2,000 hours of shamanic training completed, she also teaches shamanic classes and healing practices.
With their combined level of experience, these authors have produced a book that gives insight into the cause and effect of our actions on our environment, and how youth can bring about positive change by using the intuition of the spirit world combined with perseverance.
A pond full of toxic waste
The Hidden Worlds is set in a small mountain town and revolves around four disparate middle-school students who come together after discovering inexplicably dead wildlife near a pond just outside their school grounds.
Through covert investigation, they find out that a local company tasked with disposing of toxic waste has been dumping barrels of chemicals into a pond rather than processing the chemicals responsibly.
These unlikely young friends are deeply concerned about the effects the illegal dumping is having on the local flora and fauna, but are faced with the dilemma of getting into
Two worlds to the rescue
By working together to find a solution to the problem, the young teens are unexpectedly assisted in their physical efforts by their spirit animals. These animals give them added insight, empowering them to come up with temporary solutions while they figure out how to get the attention of adults so they can bring an end to the environmental disaster that’s taking place in their community.
The power of youth
Despite the challenges this group of friends faces when it comes to doing the right thing, The Hidden Worlds shows readers that even youth can effect change in the world to help keep the environment safe.
Using not only their physical attributes but also their connections to the spirit world, these youth are able to come up with intelligent and thoughtful solutions that challenge the business practices of irresponsible companies.
Wheels turn slowly
Despite their hard work and determination, it isn’t easy for the voices of youth to be heard. Even in the world of adults, the wheels of change can sometimes take time to move. In The Hidden Worlds, one of the main characters vents their frustration about this issue:
[su_quote]“This is taking forever!” Rose said sitting down at his table. “I wanted the agency to swoop in and bust the crap out of them! But the realistic part of me knew it would take awhile. I’m scared that they won’t do anything because we’re a bunch of kids.”[/su_quote]
A short, smooth read for teens
The Hidden Worlds is a short and smooth read that a wide variety of young teens could find interesting, both in terms of how to go about effecting environmental change and how to look to the spirit world for guidance.
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image 1: Wikimedia Commons
