The Chain Reaction The Climate Masters

Gr 3—4—Cosmo and his companions on the traveling planet continue their ecological voyages through time and space. In Climate Masters, the dodo and robot spaceship 3R-V are off exploring a twin planet system, leaving the two-heads, Fabrico, and Diggs at home base. A giant fireball crashes into the traveling planet and, at the bottom of the resulting crater, the two-heads finds a strange remote control. The travelers try pressing some of the buttons and discover that the device can affect the local weather. At first it's fun to make snow and rain, but soon the two-heads and Fabrico begin to quarrel. Then power-hungry Diggs commandeers the remote and declares himself Climate Master. Meanwhile, Cosmo and the robot find that the twin planets are an environmental nightmare—ruined by weather meddling. Even after the perilous remote is jettisoned, the climate disaster continues in Chain Reaction. Massive blizzards, storms, and tsunamis follow one after the other. The travelers take shelter in Diggs's cave, but a rock fall seals the entrance. Can they escape before their supplies run out—and what will they find? Has climate tampering doomed the traveling planet? These books have both their heart and their environmental conscience in the right place, but the blend of ecology and action isn't always smooth. The texts are sometimes awkwardly phrased and the dialogue often relies on sound expressions to denote emotion ("Grrr!"). The brightly colored, wildly exaggerated cartoon illustrations and rather frenetic plot activity will appeal to reluctant readers. Additional where there is a high demand for short series fiction.—Elaine E. Knight, Lincoln Elementary Schools, IL