The graphic novel Wildfire by Breena Bard has a heavy push of environmentalism and that which causes them, and how to try and fix them. Which is, of course a fantastic subject, but at times it felt a smidgen pushy. However, overall it is well done and introduces the subject well. I had a few spots where I had wished something else had happened or was handled differently, but I enjoyed things. A modern tone with bubbly, colorful, minimal detailed illustrations to help counter the seriousness of the wildfires, the displacement of the family and animals, and the grief process the main character is going through.
I do not always recommend reading the author’s notes in a book, but this time I think you should (but only after reading the book). A part I enjoyed was that the author had the same urge as her main character to blame a particular group of people who she blamed for causing the fire. However, as the character (and the reader) learns about the “bigger picture” she starts not to just blame them but sees that there is a “whole” and not just “parts” to what happened. This, of course, comes from the author’s own understanding of things.
And I was glad to see that the author, while they seem to think that protests are, if not the most important thing, are at the top of important things to do, it is not the only way to help. And, in fact, our voices can be heard in other ways. I once gave this reason to someone who was going to a march/protest by saying I’m not sure this is how I think I can best help. That validation was refreshing.
The only warning I would say is a possibility is that we do see the illustrated wildfire and some of the aftermath, and if you have experienced something similar/or that wildfire, or are a sensitive reader, this could be a bit much. However, I felt it was handled well. Ages strong 8 to 12 (or a young 13) would probably be the best readers.