It’s April, which means Earth Day is right around the corner. But what does the future of our Earth look like?

Cli-Fi, or climate fiction, is a genre that features a changed or changing climate.

This term was first coined in the early 2010's and the genre has been steadily growing over the past decade. And rightly so. As the climate crisis worsens, we need books that convey the reality of the situation and the potential consequences of our actions.

These three Cli-Fi books will help young readers think about the future, and some of the ways that climate change could affect the lives of ordinary kids all around the world in the not-so-distant future. 

Catch Me If I Fall
Written by Barry Jonsberg

In a future Australia ravaged by climate change, twins Ashleigh and Aiden have always promised to protect each other, but after an accident on a school trip, Aiden starts behaving strangely. Are they just growing apart, or is something more sinister going on? 

How to Bee
Written by Bren MacDibble

In a world where real bees are extinct, the quickest, bravest kids climb the fruit trees and pollinate the flowers by hand. All Peony really wants is to be a bee. Even though she is only nine — and bees must be ten — Peony already knows all there is to know about being a bee and she is determined to achieve her dream.

View the Teacher’s Guide here.

Future History 2050
Written by Thomas Harding

In 2020, a researcher is shocked to find a set of notebooks detailing the history of the next thirty years. We learn about the great climate SHOCK, about a shift away from democracy, about the giant city towers where most people live, work and play inside. Is it too late to change the past to save the future?

View the Teacher’s Guide here.

Or, for some non-fiction perspectives on climate change, check out:

Severn Speaks Out
Written by Severn Cullis-Suzuki
Commentaries by Alex Nogués
Illustrated by Ana Suárez
Translated by Susan Ouriou 

Before Greta Thunberg there was Severn Cullis-Suzuki, “the girl who silenced the world for five minutes.” Severn was only twelve years old when she addressed the whole world at the 1992 Earth Summit, and asked: What are you doing to the Earth, our home? How far can human greed go?

The Speak Out series publishes the most inspiring speeches of our times, then deconstructs them to give young readers a deeper understanding of global issues and the power of language to influence them.

View the other books in the series here. 

Climate Change: A Groundwork Guide
Written by Shelley Tanaka

Scientists have been warning the world about global warming for almost three decades. But the rest of us are only now starting to get the message. This revised and updated edition includes the most recent scientific findings while addressing the main issues.

View the Teacher’s Guide here.