‘The Carbon Diaries 2015’ by Saci Lloyd

(Welcome to a world where carbon is restricted and people’s lifestyles are on the line.)

Join Laura Brown on the worst year of her life. It’s 2015 and in the UK carbon dioxide rations have been put in place to try and reduce greenhouse gas emissions into the fragile atmosphere. Environmental woes aside, Laura just wants to be noticed by the boy next door, Ravi Datta. If it’s not carbon warfare and teenage crushes, its Laura’s family slowly crumbling under the pressures of the new carbon rationing regime. Amidst the disarray of Laura’s life her band, The Dirty Angels, struggle to make it big time.

Interested in a climatic Sci-Fi novel filled with teen drama, societies downfall, pig troubles and bad weather? Well, this is the book for you.

Set in a dystopian world where greenhouse gas emissions have gotten so bad, carbon rations have been put in place to ensure survival. 16-year-old Laura Brown lives in the UK with her mum (Julia), dad (Nick) and sister (Kim). Laura and her family are struggling to abide by the rationing regime with old habits proving themselves difficult to adapt. Laura struggles to make it through college tests and exams due to the distractions of her band and her spiralling out of control family. With her mum leaving the house due to disagreements, her dad finding solace in a pig and an overly moody sister, Laura has her fair share of distractions, not to mention her band and the most important distraction of all to Laura…Ravi Datta.

I absolutely loved this book. The way Saci Lloyd had written it in diary entries made the book like a personal glimpse into Laura’s day. This book is interesting; the characters were relatable as each had their own problems to deal with. The book was enjoyable from cover to cover. I was intrigued by the way the author addressed the problem of greenhouse gases which are a growing problem in today’s society. Saci made it easy for me to relate to her characters especially her main character (Laura) with her typical problems. The novel reflects issues that most teenagers go through, like love and self-awareness. All in all, it was a great read.

I would most definitely recommend this book to people of ages from 13-20 who have interests in teen drama, a hint of romance, family drama and Science fiction based pollution problems. I truly enjoyed this book which is why I’m awarding it 4-5 stars. A true eye opener.

By Milla T., Year 8

Category: Realistic fiction, Student Reviews | LEAVE A COMMENT

May 30

‘The Carbon Diaries 2017’ by Saci Lloyd

‘The Carbon Diaries 2017’, a book that stresses the issues of the future, was written by the 49 year old British author, Saci Lloyd in 2009. This book is a 3.4/5 rating on Goodreads.com and has a large audience that enjoyed the book overall. Although this book is about issues in real life, it is very unpredictable. Many feelings throughout this book engage the audience in a certain way such as some situations give nervousness and agony. Some of these issues many people find interesting throughout the novel.

The setting of the novel is about a dystopian world that suffers from climate change. The world has become unnaturally filled with carbon in some areas. As we find out in the first couple of pages, this book is based in London. The main character in this novel is a teenage girl named Laura Brown as well as her friend Adi. In fact, the concept of this story is based around her diary. One thing that is very noticeable in this text is that there is more slang language then needed. Some older aged audiences can find this hard to read. Imagery in the book is what most people would expect to find in a diary: photos such as random business cards, scrunched paper and even paper clips provide detail to the story.

To conclude, I mostly enjoyed this story. The only thing that holds back this book from being greater is that many other books are similar. I would recommend this book to many audiences such as humanitarians and people who enjoy mystery. Overall I would like to rate this book as generously as possible, 4/5.

Hudson L., Year 8

Category: Student Reviews | LEAVE A COMMENT