Be plastic clever by Amy and Ella Meek

Dorling Kindersley, 2020. ISBN: 9780241447079.
(Age: 8-12) Recommended. Amy and Ella Meek have been activists in the area of plastic since becoming aware of the large amounts of plastic in their local area in the United Kingdom. They started a group called "Kids against Plastic" with the goal of ridding the UK of single use plastic bottles. They have been inspired by several other like-minded people who believe young people can strive for change to help combat the growing issue of plastic pollution.
The book is set up like a nonfiction book into chapters that cover everything young people need to know about plastic and what we can do to reduce, re-use and recycle it. It has a good glossary and a very useful index for research. In between each chapter there is a short bio of someone the girls admire - their heroes. Famous environmentalists such as Mahatma Gandhi and Sir David Attenborough are followed by more contemporary heroes like Greta Thunberg, Grace Hopper and Maddie Moate.
The girls themselves have set a goal to collect 100,000 pieces of plastic in their local area and are well on the way to their goal. They set out in this book what kinds of plastic there are and how they are impacting wildlife around the world. They also discuss what is being done in different parts of Europe about recycling these materials and what individuals can do in their everyday life to reduce the amount of plastic they use.
Easy to read and interesting content will make it popular for anyone wanting more information for young people on this topic. The book is a great resource, but it focuses on the United Kingdom and Europe and therefore lacks the links and information about what is being done in Australia and other countries around the world. Themes: Plastic, Recycling, Environmental impact, Activism.
Gabrielle Anderson