{"id":7443,"date":"2021-09-10T15:00:44","date_gmt":"2021-09-10T19:00:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/seeds.ca\/schoolfoodgardens\/?p=7443"},"modified":"2023-01-04T13:21:57","modified_gmt":"2023-01-04T18:21:57","slug":"young-adult-fiction-nature-books","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/seeds.ca\/schoolfoodgardens\/young-adult-fiction-nature-books\/","title":{"rendered":"Young Adult Fiction Nature Books"},"content":{"rendered":"

Written by: Fatimah Gomez<\/strong><\/p>\n

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F<\/span>or the book lovers around, we all know how much time and effort can be spent looking for that one perfect book! As an avid (and picky!) reader myself, I always appreciate books that explore how nature affects us. These books always seem to have deep meanings that strongly resonate with me. Below I will share a few inspiring YA fiction books that introduce aspects of nature to their readers!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Rascal, <\/span><\/i>a poetic memoir by Sterling North is set in the slow-rise towns and unbroken evergreen forests of Wisconsin. The boy in this book, Sterling, lost his mother as a young child, and his favorite memories remain of her teaching him the valuables of nature she saw in life.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Throughout the book, Sterling and his pet racoon , Rascal, explore the countryside that surrounds their small town. This setting gives Sterling a sense of healing and connection with his mother that he didn\u2019t grow up with, such as when he mentioned that \u201cshe seemed very close to me now as Rascal and I made our way [up the river]\u201d (North 93).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Anyone can gain an appreciation for nature from how the author describes the settings throughout! His writing immerses you into each scene until you feel a part of the young boy\u2019s world. The words flow richly with wonder and awe of the nature that surrounds young Sterling. One of my favourite paragraphs is where the author writes, \u201cThe stream came winding toward us over and under mossy logs. It tumbled through the remains of an abandoned beaver dam, and ran like quicksilver across the beaver meadow where meadow larks added their music to that of the water\u201d (North 93). If you\u2019d like to curl up with a cup of tea or coffee on your favorite couch, this book will definitely touch and resonate with you in a heartwarmingly way.<\/span><\/p>\n

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But, if you\u2019re more drawn to suspense and heavier feelings of reality, then the book <\/span>Medicine Walk <\/span><\/i>by Richard Wagamese is for you. Set in the backwoods of British Columbia’s rugged yet beautiful landscapes, <\/span>Medicine Walk <\/span><\/i>draws a story of fixing and reconciliation between a hardy son and his dying, alcoholic father. The journey made by father and son symbolizes the boy\u2019s journey through life to reach peace and understanding. The son, named Frank, often finds heavy storms of feelings within him. But it is in nature that he finds peace, as it has “everything [you] would need…what you need to keep you strong.” (Wagamese 65).<\/span><\/p>\n

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The sequel, <\/span>Starlight<\/span><\/i>, emphasizes a path of healing when an individual connects with the land that surrounds them. One main character, Emmy, is an abused young woman who has seen horrors nobody should experience. Through the guidance of grown Frank and nature around her, she heals past wounds and scars. Frank mentions, \u201cThat open country is so huge you can feel lost and abandoned in it or you can work to feel a part of it, like ya belong to it and it belongs to you. Like a part of you is rock and stone and stream and all the open sky. Ya get past lonesome then\u201d (Wagamese 112).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A common saying we hear often is \u2018get lost in nature\u2019, but this conflicts with what Wagamese draws from his experience and words. He in fact, paints a picture of finding oneself in nature. (Please note these books by Wagamese are heavy, grimly-written and not without exploring sensitive topics such as abuse and the effects of it).<\/span><\/p>\n

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Those are three books I have kept close to heart because of the deep connection of nature that they sparked within me. Other YA fiction nature books include <\/span>The Skeleton Tree, The Winter Pony, Take Me to the River<\/span><\/i>, and <\/span>Winter Pony <\/span><\/i>by Iain Lawrence. And for older audiences (16+), <\/span>The Devil\u2019s Paintbox <\/span><\/i>by Victoria McKernan.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Of course, there are many more young adult books on nature ready to be discovered and waiting to deliver a beautiful experience to their readers. I hope you find solace in the book you choose.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Happy reading!<\/span><\/p>\n

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Pictures related to book settings:<\/span><\/p>\n

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Works Cited\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

North, Sterling. <\/span>Rascal<\/span><\/i>. Broadway, New York, Penguin Books Ltd, 2002. <\/span><\/p>\n

Wagamese, R. (2016). <\/span>Medicine Walk<\/span><\/i>. (Reprinted). Milkweed Editions. <\/span><\/p>\n

Wagamese, R. <\/span>Starlight<\/span><\/i>. McClelland & Stewart, 2021.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Written by: Fatimah Gomez   For the book lovers around, we all know how much time and effort can be spent looking for that one perfect book! As an avid (and picky!) reader myself, I always appreciate books that explore how nature affects us. These books always seem to have deep meanings that strongly resonate […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7452,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_mi_skip_tracking":false},"categories":[28],"tags":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/seeds.ca\/schoolfoodgardens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7443"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/seeds.ca\/schoolfoodgardens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/seeds.ca\/schoolfoodgardens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/seeds.ca\/schoolfoodgardens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/seeds.ca\/schoolfoodgardens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7443"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/seeds.ca\/schoolfoodgardens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7443\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11415,"href":"https:\/\/seeds.ca\/schoolfoodgardens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7443\/revisions\/11415"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/seeds.ca\/schoolfoodgardens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7452"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/seeds.ca\/schoolfoodgardens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7443"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/seeds.ca\/schoolfoodgardens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7443"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/seeds.ca\/schoolfoodgardens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7443"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}