By Christy Goerzen, 2009.
To avoid going to juvenile detention for his part in a break in, Mike Longridge has to spend 10 months outside with a group of Granolas in Gore-Tex and polar fleece as part of the Explore program. (Granolas are a type of person who are outdoorsy and generally wholesome, and tend to eat organic foods including granola. Many examples are found in BC.) New in town, Mike doesn’t seem to belong in Explore and struggles to fit the different expectations of everyone around him. Having a crush on a Granola named Lisa at least makes Explore worth going to, though his dad falls back into old habits and it looks like Mike may fit there more than he thought in the face of being moved yet again.
Explore is a short and worthwhile read with a fast-moving plot. I really liked that it was set in the Okanagan, mentions MEC, and feels like something that could actually happen in the schools that I went to (especially Outdoor School). The descriptions of the other kids in Explore are pretty funny and it also feels really contemporary. Mike is capable of more than he thinks, despite what he and others tend to think about his unsettled home situation and the label of “damaged goods”.
This book is part of the Orca Currents series, which is aimed at kids aged 10-14 with lower reading levels. They are designed to be contemporary and rewarding for those who find reading to be challenging.
Also noteworthy is that this is a coworker’s first book.
