Sutcliffe has created a playful but insightful look at the current trend for being 'green'. Luke's summer holidays are uprooted by the powerful decision of his sister to take a stand with the environmentalist occupiers over the road. What starts out as a teasing caricature of 'hippie' conservationism and alternative life choices - plenty of wholesome food and bongos - develops into an investigation into the decisions that we make and the lifestyles that we adopt and pursue with little consideration of why. By focusing on a single family Sutcliffe is able to illustrate how very singular personal preferences can end up having a massive impact. Without being preachy, the novel is able to convey the urgency of the climate change agenda and the need for all of us to take a stand, no matter how small or out of character. I highly recommend this humorous book filled with teenage rebellion, vegetarianism and eco warrior sabotage..

This is a superb, light and lightly funny book. I say lightly funny as there are few lough out loud moments and some important issues, but I spent most of the book grinning. They characters are depicted with such depth, we are able to picture them and empathise with each and every one. The story is brilliant, as right to the end we are unsure what will happen with the airport expansion but, really it is more about the journey of the characters as they begin to figure out what is important to them and where their morals sit. It speaks to a generation who care deeply about what happens in the near future to the environment and I feel Sutcliffe has given them an empowering voice. I will be interested to see if students in our schools agree with me! It is also just what we need for this age group. Not pitched to young, but also not full of seriously gritty issues that so many of the brilliant YA stories cover so well already. Sutcliffe has found a gap in the market and is filling it well.

Absolutely loved this book! I thought I would - having enjoyed the author's books before - but this also felt fresh and different. It was very visual - I can see it being a film/TV programme - it was easy to visualise one side of the road as scheduled for demo, while the other wasn't, and the commune was well drawn too. The characters were great. It was a funny but then poignant story to have the Dad become so involved in the commune, and I loved the way each member of the main family was drawn into the action. It was just really, really well-written! My teen has also read it and thought it was brilliant.

The summer we turned green was a powerful book with an important message!

The writing was great and the characters I found realistic! My only problem was Luke was a bit annoying and mean to Sky who was my favourite character. The message and theme was thought provoking and reflected on
the important topic of climate change.

Overall this was a great read and I would definitely read more from this author! Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the E-arc. All opinions are my own.

A warm, funny book following 13 year old Luke as he navigates a summer holiday, which begins with his sister moving into a climate change protesters ’ commune across the road. The protesters are squatting in a house vacated by its previous owners to make way for an airport expansion project, and Luke and the rest of his family find themselves increasingly drawn into the commune and questioning their lives. Well worth reading if you enjoy humour with some thought provoking issues underneath.

Pitched at a younger audience than The Gifted, The Talented & Me The Summer We Turned Green is a similarly well-observed domestic story about the summer that the differences in one family are accentuated by an ecological threat to their street. It's full of witty, subtle comedy observation about middle class families in particular and also addresses in a very gentle way how parents can sometimes naturally drift apart from each other because of a change of priorities rather than a big obvious conflict. The themes of ecology, climate change and generational differences in the way that this is felt would be the hook that would get the kids in my school reading it though as it's something that many of them would relate to. It's a 'quiet' book but I felt myself drawn into it in the way that you would a gentle family sit com, the characters were believable and likeable and I can't really think of anything quite like it in the market at the moment.

The Summer We Turned Green is an engaging and amusing story of environmental protest in a suburban setting. We follow through the eyes of 13-year-old Luke, as his family and neighbours on one side of the street slowly become involved in the protest commune in one of the soon-to-be-demolished vacant properties on the other side. A new airport runway - and the effect it will have on the climate crisis - is the protesters' main concern. The residents have some sympathies, but are just as concerned about having this ragtag band of "unwashed hippies" across the street.

While not as funny as some of Sutcliffe's other work - notably The Gifted, The Talented and Me and Are You Experienced? - the story is nevertheless suffused with amusing moments. Luke has a keen eye for the absurd in both the NIMBY residents and shirtless vegan protesters, and indeed in the antics of his own family.

Initially, this is how he sees Sky, a home-schooled 12-year-old living in the commune with her mother - as ridiculously naive and badly lacking in "normal" social skills. But as she and Luke and his mum get to know each other better, she wins him round, and their unusual friendship becomes the beating heart of the story.

As the demolition crews prepare to move in, the residents and the commune get to know each other better too, and find ways of working together. And then, when the bulldozers roll, Luke and Sky find themselves unexpectedly at the centre of the action.

On the surface, this is a good heartwarming story, lots of fun. You barely have to scratch the surface, however, to find several serious themes. The climate crisis is the most obvious, but there's much more: on the role of protest, on understanding different lifestyles, on parenting and family dynamics, on ordinariness and heroism, on friendship. The story does not dig very deep into any of these, even the climate, with the result that this is a easy entry-point into the topics, in particular in demystifying protest movements and alternative lifestyles.

One or two characters to make the case for the new runway might have been useful, if only to humanise the protesters' opponents. And the residents and protesters are remarkably unified in their goals (to stop the runway), if not always in their reasons.

But as a fun, gentle introduction for young readers on some serious topics, this book really hits the mark. I will be recommending it to every 11-14 year old I know.